Effects of short-term citicoline treatment on acute cocaine intoxication and cardiovascular effects.

RATIONALE: The majority of pharmacotherapies proposed for cocaine dependence have been marginally effective and frequently have undesirable side effects. We recently demonstrated that short-term treatment with citicoline decreased self-reported desire to use cocaine in crack cocaine users.
OBJECTIVE: The present study was conducted to assess the safety of citicoline in combination with cocaine by investigating whether cocaine-induced cardiovascular and behavioral effects and cocaine plasma levels are altered by citicoline pretreatment.
METHODS: Eight healthy male and female volunteers who used cocaine on an occasional basis participated in this randomized, placebo-controlled, three-visit study. During all three visits, subjects received an acute intranasal dose of cocaine (0.9 mg/kg) and were continuously monitored for the ensuing 3.5 h. The first visit involved no pretreatment, and visits 2 and 3 were preceded by a 4-day pretreatment period of either citicoline (1 g/day) or placebo.
RESULTS: Citicoline pretreatment did not alter the cardiovascular, physiologic, or subjective effects of acute cocaine.
CONCLUSIONS: Although citicoline did not block the acute subjective effects of cocaine in a laboratory environment, the combined use of citicoline and a moderate dose of intranasal cocaine presented no added risk of cardiovascular effects. Further study is necessary to determine whether this medication (which is currently used to treat strokes) will be a useful adjunct to treat cocaine dependence.

RCT Entities:   Population Interventions Outcomes