The drug disulfiram, combined with behavioral therapy, appears effective in treating persons dependent on cocaine, according to a study by a Yale researcher published in the March issue of The Archives of General Psychiatry.
Disulfiram was previously shown to help some patients stay sober by causing nausea, flushing, vomiting and throbbing headache after ingesting even small amounts of alcohol. This study found disulfiram also helps cocaine users, particularly those who are not dependent on alcohol.
Alcohol use can impair judgment and lower resistance to cravings for cocaine. These researchers hypothesized that by reducing alcohol use with disulfiram, individuals might be less likely to abuse cocaine. However, use of disulfiram had not been evaluated in the general population of cocaine users.
The principal investigator, Kathleen Carroll, associate professor of psychiatry at the School of Medicine, and her colleagues randomly assigned 121 cocaine-dependent adults to receive either disulfiram or placebo over a 12-week period. Participants were enrolled in either cognitive behavioral therapy (CBT) or interpersonal psychotherapy (IPT), a less structured form of behavioral therapy.
Participants receiving disulfiram reduced their cocaine use significantly more than those receiving placebo, and those assigned to CBT reduced their cocaine use significantly more than those assigned to IPT, the authors found. The benefits of disulfiram and CBT were most pronounced in participants who were not alcohol-dependent and who did not drink during the study.
"This is the first placebo-controlled trial, to our knowledge, to demonstrate that disulfiram therapy is effective in non-alcoholic cocaine-dependent outpatients," Carroll says. "Moreover, these findings suggest that disulfiram therapy is especially effective for non-alcoholic cocaine users."
-- By Jacqueline Weaver
T H I S
W E E K ' SS T O R I E S
Yale College applications at record high
Event celebrates campus-city ties, diversity
Former V.P. to discuss 'The Climate Emergency'
Fair, forum explore 'diverse paths of disabilities'
Institute of Sacred Music will sing praises to its 30th anniversary . . .Show looks at use of religious imagery in American homes
Institute's new website honored by Admissions Marketing Report
YCIAS program to focus on issues of order, conflict
Globalization is topic of Chubb Lecture . . .
Court ruling on integration is being undermined, says Clinton
Religion must be kept out of public policy, Albright urges
From Mona Lisa to Marilyn, curator traces the art of smiling
Neurologist who wrote 'Awakenings' to deliver Tanner Lectures
Symposium will explore medical imagery through the ages
Journalist to discuss issue of civil liberties since 9/11
Renowned violinist and music professor Erick Friedman dies
Ongoing 'rewiring' in appetite center may be linked to obesity . . .
Researchers identify system that detects certain viruses
New center to foster integrated research on multiple sclerosis
Five undergraduates win competitive national scholarships
Conference and performance celebrate development of French opera
The Dramat ends season with comic tale about life in rural Ireland
Human rights experts to examine women's rights under Islamic law
Yale historian honored for book on America's welfare state
Research suggests STAT3 proteins play key role . . .
Study: Drug used to thwart alcoholism also effective for . . .
Yale program on children and violence designates training center
Summit to explore future of student service in developing countries
Yale Books in Brief
Campus Notes
Bulletin Home|Visiting on Campus|Calendar of Events|In the News
Bulletin Board|Classified Ads|Search Archives|Deadlines
Bulletin Staff|Public Affairs|News Releases|
E-Mail Us|Yale Home