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Objective: The study examined the effectiveness of amantadine in reducing cocaine withdrawal symptoms and improving treatment outcome among cocaine-dependent patients in outpatient treatment., Method: Sixty-one cocaine-dependent subjects participated in a double-blind, placebo-controlled trial of amantadine., Results: Among subjects with severe cocaine withdrawal symptoms at the start of treatment, those who received amantadine used significantly less cocaine during the trial than did subjects who received placebo. Compared to subjects who received placebo, subjects who received amantadine submitted significantly more benzoylecgonine-negative urine samples and used cocaine on significantly fewer days during the trial., Conclusions: Amantadine may be an effective treatment for cocaine-dependent patients with severe cocaine withdrawal symptoms.

Objective: Subjective effects of alcohol in alcoholics treated with naltrexone or placebo were compared., Method: In a previously reported double-blind clinical trial of 50 mg/day of naltrexone or placebo for treatment of alcoholism, 36 of 70 detoxified male veterans deviated from abstinence. Of these 36, 29 subsequently reported on the subjective effects of drinking during the trial., Results: A larger proportion of naltrexone-treated subjects (seven of 12) than placebo-treated subjects (two of 17) reported that the "high" produced by alcohol during the study was significantly less than usual. The naltrexone-treated subjects also drank less alcohol than the placebo-treated subjects during the first drinking episode. There was no difference between groups in reported intoxication, craving, memory, or loss of temper., Conclusions: The lower alcohol consumption by the naltrexone-treated subjects may have resulted from naltrexone's blockage of the pleasure produced by alcohol.