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Randomized Controlled Trial
. 2012 Jun;107(6):1140-7.
doi: 10.1111/j.1360-0443.2011.03766.x. Epub 2012 Feb 11.

Influence of acute bupropion pre-treatment on the effects of intranasal cocaine

William W Stoops  1 , Joshua A Lile, Paul E A Glaser, Lon R Hays, Craig R Rush
Affiliations
Randomized Controlled Trial

Influence of acute bupropion pre-treatment on the effects of intranasal cocaine

William W Stoops et al. Addiction. 2012 Jun.

Abstract

Aims: The aim of this experiment was to determine the influence of acute bupropion pre-treatment on subject-rated effects and choice of intranasal cocaine versus money.

Design: A randomized, within-subject, placebo-controlled, double-blind experiment.

Setting: An out-patient research unit.

Participants: Eight cocaine-using adults.

Measurements: Subjects completed nine experimental sessions in which they were pre-treated with 0, 100 or 200 mg oral immediate release bupropion. Ninety minutes later they sampled an intranasal cocaine dose [4 (placebo), 15 or 45 mg] and made six choices between that dose and an alternative reinforcer (US$0.25), available on independent, concurrent progressive ratio schedules. Subjects also completed a battery of subject-rated, performance and physiological measures following the sample doses of cocaine.

Findings: After 0 mg bupropion, the high dose of cocaine (45 mg) was chosen five of six times on average compared to 2.25 of six choices for placebo cocaine (4 mg) (P < 0.05). Active bupropion reduced choice of 45 mg cocaine to 3.13 (100 mg) or 4.00 (200 mg) out of six drug choices on average. Bupropion also consistently enhanced positive subject-rated effects of cocaine (e.g. good effects; willing to take again) while having no effects of its own.

Conclusions: The atypical antidepressant, bupropion, acutely appears to reduce preference for intranasal cocaine versus a small amount of money but to increase reported positive experiences of the drug.

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Conflict of interest statement

Declaration of Interest: This research was supported by NIDA Grant R21 DA 024089 to WWS as well as by internal funding to the CRDOC at the University of Kentucky Chandler Medical Center. These funding agencies had no role in study design, data collection or analysis or preparation and submission of the manuscript. The authors declare no conflicts of interest relevant to this research.

Figures

Fig. 1
Fig. 1
Mean number of drug choices for 8 subjects (top panel). Mean subject ratings of Willing to Take Again from the Drug-Effect Questionnaire for 8 subjects (bottom panel). X-axis: cocaine dose. Lines represent bupropion pretreatment conditions: 0 mg (squares), 100 mg (circles) and 200 mg (triangles). Filled symbols indicate a significant difference from placebo. Error bars indicate one SEM.
See this image and copyright information in PMC

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