14 DAY TRIAL // Cocaine addicts could one day treat their condition with the help of Ritalin, a drug presently used to treat ADHD (attention deficit hyperactivity disorder).
Experiments have shown that Ritalin, otherwise known as methylphenidate, acts on the brain circuits that are also responsible for creating and supporting cocaine addiction.
The drug reportedly triggers the human body to produce dopamine, just like cocaine does. However, it does not cause the individual to become addicted to it.
This means that those trying to overcome their cocaine addiction can use it as a substitute for the drug for a while, until the pathways in their brain normalize and the compulsive need to consume cocaine is either gone, or at least easier to keep under control.
The only problem is that, for the time being, researchers are unable to say whether or not the benefits posed by Ritalin intake are long-term or short-term ones.
“Short-term methylphenidate can, at least transiently, remodel abnormal circuitry relevant to the pathophysiologic characteristics of cocaine addiction,” the researchers say.
“In particular, the effects of methylphenidate within striatal and cortical pathways constitute a potentially viable mechanism by which methylphenidate could facilitate control of behavior in cocaine addiction,” they go on to argue. Health24 reports that the scientists concluded that this commonly proscribed ADHD drug might help treat cocaine addiction with the help of 18 volunteers, all of whom were addicted to cocaine.
Some of them were administered methylphenidate, whereas others were given placebo.
The researchers then kept a close eye on their brain activity, hoping to determine how the drug influenced their neural circuits.
“The benefits of methylphenidate were present after only one dose, indicating that this drug has significant potential as a treatment add-on for addiction to cocaine and possibly other stimulants,” Dr. Rita Goldstein commented on the findings of these experiments.
Although further research on the matter at hand is needed, the researchers are confident that they are heading in the right direction.