Patients seeking a way to overcome addiction may turn to physicians and treatments for help. For a number of years, the drug disulfiram has been used to help patients avoid alcohol. The drug is an effective deterrent as it creates a fierce hangover for the individual who uses it and consumes even a small drink of alcohol due to its interference with the body’s ability to metabolize the substance.
A recent Science Daily release highlights the potential of using disulfiram in treating an addiction to cocaine. While alcohol and cocaine affect the nervous system in their own unique ways, the way in which disulfiram works opens up treatment possibilities.
Emory University School of Medicine researchers wanted to take a closer look at the operation of this medication as even though it is effective in treating alcoholism, it inhibits other enzymes through copper sequestering and has the potential to damage the liver. As a result, the medication is not desired when taken over the long term.
Cocaine addiction also presents challenges of its own, including getting the individual to stop taking the drug and preventing relapse once they have stopped. Cocaine is known to boost neurotransmitters, including dopamine and norepinephrine. Dopamine is important for pleasure sensations, yet it is hijacked by cocaine, which plays a significant role in addiction.
When studying cocaine-addicted rats and the use of disulfiram, researchers found that the rats would not seek the cocaine after they had a break from it. At the same time, once the rats had cocaine again after the break, they continued to take it.
This area is worthy of continued research to determine how disulfiram – or like drugs can play a role in treating cocaine addiction without posing a threat to the addict that exceeds the risk associated with the addiction.
