1. Topiramate's effects on cocaine-induced subjective mood, craving and preference for money over drug taking
- Author
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Lei Liu, Xin-Qun Wang, Heather M. Haughey, John D. Roache, Nassima Ait-Daoud, Bankole A. Johnson, and Erik W. Gunderson
- Subjects
Pharmacology ,Topiramate ,medicine.medical_treatment ,Medicine (miscellaneous) ,Craving ,Placebo ,Euphoriant ,Crossover study ,Stimulant ,Psychiatry and Mental health ,Mood ,Preference test ,Anesthesia ,medicine ,medicine.symptom ,Psychology ,medicine.drug - Abstract
Topiramate, presumably through antagonism of excitatory glutaminergic pathways and facilitation of inhibitory gamma-aminobutyric acid neurons in the cortico-mesolimbic system, might reduce cocaine’s abuse liability. We tested whether topiramate (100 mg twice daily) would reduce the euphoria, subjective mood, craving, and preference for cocaine over money induced by low and high doses (0.325 and 0.650 mg/kg i.v., respectively) of experimentally administered cocaine in 24 male and female, cocaine-dependent, non-treatment-seeking research volunteers in a university inpatient laboratory. We utilized a randomized, double-blind, placebo-controlled, within-subject, Latin-square crossover design in which 3 experimental challenge doses of low-dose cocaine, high-dose cocaine, and placebo were administered in counterbalanced order after 5 days of topiramate or matching placebo pretreatments separated by a 1-week washout period (2006–2009). After placebo pretreatments, cocaine produced dose-related increases in euphoria, stimulant effects, craving for more cocaine, and monetary value of cocaine in a behavioral preference test of cocaine vs. money choice. Topiramate pretreatment reduced the cocaine-related craving and monetary value of high-dose cocaine while increasing the monetary value, euphoria, and stimulant effects of low-dose cocaine. Validated and standardized human experimental methods evaluating the potential for topiramate to alter cocaine’s abuse liability suggest that topiramate may reduce the reinforcing effects and craving induced by higher cocaine doses. Low-dose cocaine might appear to have some enhancement of its stimulant properties in the presence of topiramate’s prominent sedative effects.
- Published
- 2012
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