Published in the Dec. 15 edition of the peer-reviewed Journal of
Clinical Psychiatry, the randomized, double-blind study found
that baclofen used in conjunction with substance abuse
counseling significantly reduced cocaine use in recovering
addicts compared to placebo coupled with counseling. The study
was funded by the National Institute on Drug Abuse as part of a
project to screen medications with potential for treating
cocaine dependence. "The research shows for the first time,
using scientifically rigorous methods, that Baclofen can help
people reduce their cocaine use when they are in drug abuse
counseling," said Steven Shoptaw, the study's principal
investigator and a clinical psychologist at the UCLA
Neuropsychiatric Institute. "Our findings give us a strong
starting place to conduct more definite studies on whether this
medication can help cocaine addicts when used outside controlled
research clinics. This offers new hope to hundreds of thousands
of cocaine abusers who struggle with addiction." Accord