Abstract
Background: Cocaine pharmacotherapy trials are often confounded by considerable variability in baseline cocaine-use levels, obscuring possible medication efficacy. Testing the feasibility of using a prerandomization, abstinence-induction protocol, we screened three candidate medications to explore treatment response in patients who did, or did not, achieve abstinence during an extended baseline phase. Method: Eligible treatment-seeking, cocaine-dependent subjects entered a 4-week baseline period (Phase I) with high-value abstinence contingent vouchers and two motivational interviewing sessions, followed by a 12-week medication trial (Phase II) with random assignment stratified on Phase I abstinence status to (1) modafinil (400. mg/d), (2) levodopa/carbidopa (800/200. mg/d), (3) naltrexone (50. mg/d), or (4) placebo. Treatment consisted of thrice-weekly clinic visits for urine benzoylecgonine testing and weekly cognitive behavioral therapy with contingency management targeting medication compliance. Results: Of the 118 subjects enrolled, 81 (80%) completed Phase I, with 33 (41%) achieving abstinence, defined a priori as 6 consecutive cocaine-negative urines. Tests of the interaction of each medication (active versus placebo) by baseline status (abstinent versus nonabstinent) permitted moderator effect analysis. Overall, baseline abstinence predicted better outcome. Cocaine-use outcomes for levodopa and naltrexone treatment differed as a function of Phase I abstinence status, with both medications producing benefit in nonabstinent but not baseline-abstinent subjects. There was no evidence of a moderator effect for modafinil. Conclusions: The two-phase screening trial demonstrated that subgrouping of patients with respect to baseline abstinence status is feasible and clinically useful for exploring cocaine cessation and relapse-prevention effects of candidate medications.
Original language | English (US) |
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Pages (from-to) | 100-107 |
Number of pages | 8 |
Journal | Drug and alcohol dependence |
Volume | 136 |
Issue number | 1 |
DOIs | |
State | Published - Mar 1 2014 |
Bibliographical note
Funding Information:Funding for this study was provided by the National Institute on Drug Abuse (NIDA) Medications Development Center Grant (P50-DA-9262). The NIDA had no further role in study design; in the collection, analysis and interpretation of data; in the writing of data; in the writing of the report; or in the decision to submit the paper for publication.
Keywords
- Cocaine cessation
- Contingency management
- Levodopa
- Modafinil
- Naltrexone
- Relapse prevention