Commentary
by
Brandt, Laura et al
Release Date
2020
Geography
USA
Language of Resource
English
Full Text Available
No
Open Access / OK to Reproduce
No
Peer Reviewed
Yes
Objective
Cocaine use contines to be a significant public health problem world-wide. However, despite substantial research efforts, no pharmacotherapies are approved for the treatment of cocaine use disorder (CUD).
Findings/Key points
While there is an emphasis on finding new medications with novel mechanisms of action for treating CUD, currently available medications deserve further investigation based on the existing literature. In addition, the predominant focus on abstinence, which is difficult for most patients to achieve, may overshadow more nuanced therapeutic signals. Evaluating refined metrics of treatment success in well-defined subgroups of patients, and further exploring combination therapies and their synergy with behavioural/psychosocial interventions, are promising avenues to establishing effective therapies for CUD.
Keywords
Illegal drugs
Stimulants
