Cocaine is a stimulant drug obtained from the leaves of two Coca species native to South America. Cocaine accounts for almost 6 percent of all admissions to drug abuse treatment programs. Cocaine use induces changes in the brain related to other neurotransmitters—including serotonin, gamma-aminobutyric acid (GABA), norepinephrine, and glutamate. There are no specific medications approved by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration to treat cocaine addiction. However, several medications marketed for other diseases show promise in reducing cocaine use within controlled clinical trials. For instance, disulfiram is used to treat alcoholism, has shown the most promise. Scientists do not yet know exactly how disulfiram reduces cocaine use, though its effects may be related to its ability to inhibit an enzyme that converts dopamine to norepinephrine. Knowing a patient’s DBH genotype could help predict whether disulfiram would be an effective pharmacotherapy for cocaine dependence in that person. Cocaine addiction treatment
Researchers have developed and conducted early tests on a cocaine vaccine that could help reduce the risk of relapse. The vaccine stimulates the immune system to create cocaine-specific antibodies that bind to cocaine and prevent it from getting into the brain. A clinical trial found that patients who attained high antibody levels significantly reduced cocaine use. Researchers are working to improve the cocaine vaccine by enhancing the strength of binding to cocaine and its ability to elicit antibodies. A pharmacogenetics study with a small number of patients suggests that individuals with a particular genotype respond well to the cocaine vaccine. Cocaine addiction treatment
Cocaine addiction cal also be treated using behavioral therapies such as contingency management (CM), Cognitive-behavioral therapy, and therapeutic communities. Contingency management uses a prize-based system that rewards patients who abstain from cocaine and other drugs. The Cognitive-behavioral therapy helps patients develop critical skills that support long-term abstinence. The therapeutic communities helps people recoverying from substance use disorders to understand and change their behaviors. Cocaine addiction treatment
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