METHADONE COULD HELP COCAINE ADDICTS: STUDY

Methadone, a drug used for many years to treat heroin addiction, also
appears to work well against cocaine addiction, a new Canadian study suggests.

Psychologist Francesco Leri of the University of Guelph has been
making rats addicted to cocaine, and then treating them with methadone.

Most of the rats responded well, he says. They lost their powerful
urge for cocaine and, in addition, their brains "re-set" themselves
into the same pattern that existed before they first used cocaine.

"It can be done tomorrow with humans, and should be done tomorrow," Leri said.

That's because methadone -- unlike some new drug -- already exists as
a tested drug, with clear prescription rules and clinical staff
trained in giving it out.

"There is an entire system that is already in place for the
employment of methadone," that could be used for cocaine addicts, Leri said.

He said the U. S. National Institute for Drug Abuse is looking at
using methadone -- or a similar drug, such as buprenorphine -- in a
clinical setting.

The idea came up because, in real life, people mix drugs.

There's no such thing as a "pure heroin addict," he said.

"The norm is people who are addicted to opiates, so heroin or
prescription opiates, and they co-abuse cocaine at the same time."

Researchers have wondered what happens to addicts' cocaine problem
when they start taking methadone for the heroin addiction.

But it's hard to separate the two addictions in humans.

In his Guelph lab, Leri worked on rats with a cocaine addiction, but
no exposure to heroin.

The cocaine-addicted rats in his lab didn't get a cocaine high on
methadone, he said.

Instead, "The methadone may be able to curb the desire that they have
for that drug (cocaine)."

In addition, methadone actually reversed changes in the rats' brains
that were caused by cocaine, and are known to play a key role in
addictive behaviour.

"What's interesting is that, among the rats given cocaine and then
methadone, these regions of the brain looked similar to how they
appeared in the rats that were never exposed to cocaine.

"We feel we may have the hope of resetting the brains of some
individuals to a type of normality," he said.

"I think it should be tried, and I guarantee you there will be some
individuals -- not everybody -- who will do better on methadone, who
will be stabilized on methadone."

Methadone could be one tool to help a person who is motivated to stop
taking cocaine, the psychologist says.

"You cannot give methadone left and right and hope that it is going
to work. You need to work with individuals who, in addiction to
social support, in addition to cognitive therapy, will need something
to curb their desire" for cocaine.

The study is published in European Neuropsychopharmacology, a research journal.