Clinical efficacy of citalopram alone or augmented with bupropion in methadone-stabilized patients

Despite the success of opiate-agonist therapies such as methadone for the treatment of opiate addiction, treatment response is not complete. This study evaluates the efficacy of citalopram augmented with bupropion in the treatment of illicit opiate use in a methadone-stabilized population. We conducted a 12-week randomized, double-blind, outpatient clinical trial in which 60 subjects were randomized into one of three treatment groups: placebo, citalopram (40 mg/day) plus placebo, or citalopram (40 mg/day) plus bupropion (50 mg/day). The results indicate that neither citalopram nor citalopram augmented with bupropion were more effective than placebo in the treatment of opioid abuse.