Study: Methadone May Be Effective in Treating Cocaine Addiction
Zdroj: JoinTogether.org | 25.11.2008 |
New research out of the University of Guelph in Canada suggests that methadone, normally used to treat opiate dependence, may also be effective in treating cocaine addiction, the Ottawa Citizen reported Nov. 24.
Researcher Francesco Leri and colleagues tested the effects of methadone on cocaine-dependent rats and found that the rats did not experience cocaine highs after getting methadone.
The researchers also found that methadone appeared to have a "resetting" effect on portions of the rats' brains responsible for addictive behavior. "What's interesting is that, among the rats given cocaine and then methadone, these regions of the brain looked similar to how they appeared in the rats that were never exposed to cocaine," Leri said.
"We feel we may have the hope of resetting the brains of some individuals to a type of normality," he said. "I think it should be tried and I guarantee you there will be some individuals -- not everybody -- who will do better on methadone, who will be stabilized on methadone."
The U.S. National Institute for Drug Abuse also is researching the effects of methadone and similar addiction medication, such as buprenorphine on cocaine-dependency.
The findings were published online Nov. 6, 2008 in the journal European Neuropsychopharmacology.
***
This article summarizes an external report or press release on research published in a scientific journal. When available, links to the sources are provided above.
