New medication combined with addiction treatment may improve odds of quitting

By Staff Writer

Recovering addicts say that cocaine dependency can be extremely difficult to overcome. Individuals must often seek help from addiction treatment centers in order to stop their habit of using the drug.

However, cocaine addicts who want to end their dependency may soon have a new option to help them quit. A team of researchers from the University of Maryland School of Pharmacy was recently awarded a grant of $3.7 million from the National Institutes of Health to study the effects of a drug that may make ending cocaine addiction easier.

The drug, which is called l-tetrahydropalmatine (l-THP), has been used in some Chinese medications and has shown promising results. It works by reducing the reward response of dopamine - a neurotransmitter that is associated with pleasure - when individuals are exposed to cocaine.

This reward response is the basis for addiction to drugs like cocaine. Eliminating this mechanism could greatly increase an individual's ability to end their habit. When the medication is combined with addiction treatment programs, odds of quitting may significantly improve.