THE EFFECTS OF COCAINE IN BUPRENORPHINE-MAINTAINED OUTPATIENT VOLUNTEERS - RESULTS FROM CLINICAL-EXPERIENCE AND LABORATORY CHALLENGES

Previous data suggest that buprenorphine may decrease cocaine abuse. T he authors investigated the influence of buprenorphine on cocaine effe cts in volunteer opioid and cocaine abusers. Results from cocaine chal lenge sessions (40 mg iv) before and during buprenorphine treatment (8 mg/day sublingual) and from weekly outpatient reports provided no evi dence that buprenorphine attenuated the effects of cocaine; in fact, t rends suggested an enhancement of cocaine effects. The combination of cocaine and buprenorphine did not produce adverse effects, but illicit opioid use decreased during treatment with buprenorphine. These resul ts support further study of buprenorphine as a treatment for opioid ab use, but they do not suggest efficacy against cocaine abuse.