Medications in the treatment of addictive disease

Medication has become an increasingly accepted adjunct to other forms of drug abuse treatment. Its acceptance is due in part to clinicians' frustration in treating crack cocaine abusers and to increasing integration of drug abuse treatment into mainstream medicine. A rapidly growing body of literature attests to clinical researchers' interest in pharmacotherapy of substance abuse. Medications can be a useful adjunct to drug abuse treatment in many different ways. The clinical challenge is to decide who should be treated with what medication and at what stage of recovery medications are helpful. This article discusses medications currently in use for treatment of addictive disease, describes some aspects of medication development, and suggests more cost-effective methods of exploring the efficacy of medications for treatment of drug abuse.