Background: Drug addiction is a critical global health issue characterized by compulsive drug-seeking behaviors and significant neuropsychiatric challenges. This systematic review and network meta-analysis aimed to evaluate the effectiveness of various acupuncture-related therapies in managing drug addiction.
Methods: Ten databases were searched from inception to March 26, 2025, for acupuncture-related therapies for drug addiction. Method quality was assessed using the Cochrane Handbook Risk of Bias 2.0. A pairwise meta-analysis was performed using RevMan 5.4 software. Network meta-analysis was conducted using the R software.
Result: A total of 35 randomized controlled trials encompassing 15 intervention types and 2812 participants were included. The most frequently targeted acupoints were PC6, ST36, and SP6, while the commonly used auricular points included TF4 (Shenmen), AH6a (Jiaogan), and CO14 (Lung). The network meta-analysis results indicated that the most effective interventions for withdrawal symptoms were transcutaneous electric acupoint stimulation, manual acupuncture, and auricular acupuncture combined with usual care. For depression, manual acupuncture combined with usual care, electroacupuncture, and usual care alone were the most effective. For anxiety, auricular acupuncture combined with usual care, Western medicine, and usual care ranked the highest.
Conclusions: Acupuncture combined with usual care showed superior efficacy in managing the overall symptoms of drug addiction, although the optimal approach may vary according to the specific symptom type. Manual acupuncture combined with usual care was particularly effective for depression, whereas auricular acupuncture combined with usual care was the most effective for anxiety.
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