BIPOLAR MEDICATION MAY CONTROL DRUG CRAVINGS

KELOWNA - A B.C. doctor believes he has found a key ingredient
to quitting drugs such as cocaine, crack and crystal
methamphetamine.

Dr. Greg Pidwirny of Kelowna said he was prescribing Seroquel to
patients with bipolar disorder when he discovered the drug also helped
control cravings for hard drugs.

Pidwirny said the prescription drug acts on the same part of the brain
as crystal meth and cocaine. He explained the drugs release dopamine
into the system, and that the faster it is released, the higher the
high.

Seroquel plugs into the same brain function and helps people to feel
content, which helps them quit illicit drugs, he said.

"It has worked with great success," Pidwirny said, adding he has
successfully treated more than 25 people in the past 18 months. "You
see a lot of people with bipolar with drug addiction or drug abuse."

Pidwirny said counselling and support must also be in
place.

Although no official clinical study of Seroquel's effectiveness in
treating drug addiction has been conducted, Pidwirny said he knows of
several doctors who are using it to treat addicts with success.

Pidwirny said people using Seroquel cannot consume alcohol because it
cancels out the medication.

The discovery is the latest in a string of breakthroughs for Pidwirny.
In 1995, he proved that flesh-eating disease was contagious. He made
the discovery while treating then-Quebec premier Lucien Bouchard, who
lost a leg to the disease.