Smoked cocaine self-administration by humans is not reduced by large gabapentin maintenance doses

• Published in: Drug and alcohol dependence 2007-01, Vol.86 (2), p.274-277
• Main Authors: Hart, Carl L, Haney, Margaret, Collins, Eric D, Rubin, Eric, Foltin, Richard W
• Format: Article
• Language: English
• Subjects: Addictive behaviors; Adult; Adult and adolescent clinical studies; Biological and medical sciences; Blood Pressure - drug effects; Choice Behavior - drug effects; Cocaine; Cocaine - administration & dosage; Cross-Over Studies; Double-Blind Method; Drug abuse; Drug abusers; Drug addiction; Effectiveness; Female; GABA; GABA Agonists - therapeutic use; Gabapentin; gamma-Aminobutyric Acid; Heart Rate - drug effects; Humans; Male; Medical sciences; Mood; Neuropharmacology; Neurotin; Pharmacology. Drug treatments; Psychiatry; Psychoanaleptics: cns stimulant, antidepressant agent, nootropic agent, mood stabilizer..., (alzheimer disease); Psychology. Psychoanalysis. Psychiatry; Psychopathology. Psychiatry; Psychopharmacology; Self Administration; Smoking; Surveys and Questionnaires; Toxicology; Treatment
• ISSN: 0376-8716; 1879-0046
• DOI: 10.1016/j.drugalcdep.2006.05.028

Abstract Previously, we reported that gabapentin, a λ-aminobutyric acid (GABA) agonist, significantly reduced “positive” subjective effects of cocaine without reducing cocaine self-administration. We speculated that the gabapentin doses used in that study were too low to detect subtle shifts in the reinforcing effects of cocaine. Thus, the present study examined the effects of larger gabapentin maintenance doses on cocaine-related effects, including self-administration. During this 48-day double-blind, crossover design study, the effects of gabapentin maintenance (0, 2400, 3200 mg/day) on response to cocaine (0, 12, 25, 50 mg) were investigated in six cocaine-dependent individuals not seeking treatment for their cocaine use. Active cocaine significantly increased choice to self-administer cocaine, subjective-effect ratings (e.g., “Good Drug Effect”), blood pressure, and heart rate. Gabapentin did not decrease cocaine self-administration, cardiovascular measures, or most subjective effects of cocaine. These data agree with findings from a clinical trial examining the effects of similar gabapentin doses on cocaine use by treatment-seeking cocaine-dependent individuals and suggest that gabapentin does not show promise as a treatment medication for cocaine dependence.