EFFECT OF FENFLURAMINE CHALLENGE ON COCAINE CRAVING IN ADDICTED MALE USERS

The authors studied the effects of a challenging dose of the serotonin (5-HT)-releaser/reuptake inhibitor d,l-fenfluramine (I;EN) on spontan eous cocaine craving in a group, of cocaine addicted users in order to evaluate the involvement of serotonergic pathways in the modulation o f craving for cocaine. Nineteen cocaine-dependent male inpatients rece ived 60 mg of FEN or placebo (double-blind). Data were compared with t hose obtained in a previous study of another serotonergic probe, the p artial postsynaptic agonist meta-chlorophenyl-piperazine (m-CPP). FEN significantly reduced cocaine craving and increased cortisol and prola ctin when compared with placebo. When the responses to the two drugs w ere compared there were no differences in the cortisol and prolactin r ises but m-CPP teas a more potent inhibitor of cocaine craving than FE N These data suggest that 5-HT releasers/reuptake inhibitors and serot onergic agents with greater postsynaptic activity should be further ex amined.