Smoked cocaine self-administration is decreased by modafinil.

Author(s): Hart CL, Haney M, Vosburg SK, Rubin E, Foltin RW

Affiliation(s): Division on Substance Abuse, New York State Psychiatric Institute, Department of Psychiatry, College of Physicians and Surgeons, Columbia University, New York, NY 10032, USA. clh42@columbia.edu

Publication date & source: 2008-03, Neuropsychopharmacology., 33(4):761-8. Epub 2007 Jun 13.

Publication type: Clinical Trial; Randomized Controlled Trial; Research Support, N.I.H., Extramural

Modafinil has been reported to reduce cocaine use in a clinical sample of infrequent users (2 days/week), but the effects of modafinil on cocaine self-administration in the laboratory have not been studied. The present study investigated the effects of modafinil maintenance on cocaine self-administration by frequent users (4 days/week) under controlled laboratory conditions. During this 48-day double-blind, crossover design study, the effects of modafinil maintenance (0, 200, and 400 mg/day) on response to smoked cocaine (0, 12, 25, and 50 mg) were examined in nontreatment-seeking cocaine-dependent individuals (n=8). Cocaine significantly increased self-administration, subjective-effect ratings, and cardiovascular measures; modafinil at both doses (200 and 400 mg/day) markedly attenuated these effects. These findings agree with data from previous human laboratory and clinical investigations of modafinil as a potential cocaine abuse treatment medication. Thus, our data support the potential of modafinil as a pharmacotherapy for cocaine dependence.