Abstract
Rationale
Reactivity to stressors and environmental cues, a putative cause of relapse in addiction, may be a useful target for relapse-prevention medication. In rodents, alpha-2 adrenergic agonists such as clonidine block stress-induced reinstatement of drug seeking, but not drug cue-induced reinstatement.
Objective
The objective of this study is to test the effect of clonidine on stress- and cue-induced craving in human cocaine users.
Methods
Healthy, non-treatment-seeking cocaine users (n = 59) were randomly assigned to three groups receiving clonidine 0, 0.1, or 0.2 mg orally under double-blind conditions. In a single test session, each participant received clonidine or placebo followed 3 h later by exposure to two pairs of standardized auditory-imagery scripts (neutral/stress and neutral/drug). Subjective measures of craving were collected.
Results
Subjective responsivity (“crave cocaine” Visual Analog Scale) to stress scripts was significantly attenuated in the 0.1- and 0.2-mg clonidine groups; for drug-cue scripts, this attenuation occurred only in the 0.2-mg group. Other subjective measures of craving showed similar patterns of effects but Dose × Script interactions were not significant.
Conclusions
Clonidine was effective in reducing stress-induced (and, at a higher dose, cue-induced) craving in a pattern consistent with preclinical findings, although this was significant on only one of several measures. Our results, though modest and preliminary, converge with other evidence to suggest that alpha-2 adrenergic agonists may help prevent relapse in drug abusers experiencing stress or situations that remind them of drug use.
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Acknowledgements
This research was supported by the Intramural Research Program (IRP) of the National Institute on Drug Abuse (NIDA), National Institutes of Health.
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Jobes, M.L., Ghitza, U.E., Epstein, D.H. et al. Clonidine blocks stress-induced craving in cocaine users. Psychopharmacology 218, 83–88 (2011). https://doi.org/10.1007/s00213-011-2230-7
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DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s00213-011-2230-7