New medications for the treatment of cocaine dependence

Cocaine dependence continues to be a significant public health problem in the United States. Although some cocaine- dependent patients will respond well to drug counseling, for many, standard psychosocial treatment is inadequate. Therefore, the development of an effective medication for the treatment of cocaine dependence is a research priority. However, despite many years of research, no medication has emerged as consistently effective for the treatment of cocaine dependence. Progress in the understanding of the neurobiology of cocaine dependence has led to the discovery of several promising medications that have already shown encouraging results in controlled clinical trials. Among more severely addicted patients, propranolol may be helpful in promoting an initial period of stable abstinence. For the prevention of relapse, medications that block cocaine euphoria or reduce cocaine craving have shown promise. Potential relapse-prevention medications include GABAergic medications, such as baclofen, tiagabine, and topiramate, and the glutamatergic medication, modafinil. Surprisingly, an old treatment for alcohol dependence, disulfiram, may also have efficacy for cocaine relapse prevention. Finally, a vaccine capable of stimulating the production of cocaine specific antibodies has shown promise in preliminary studies for the prevention of relapse to cocaine use.