PHENTERMINE FENFLURAMINE DECREASES COCAINE SELF-ADMINISTRATION IN RHESUS-MONKEYS/

Dopaminergic agonists can decrease cocaine self-administration at dose s that do not decrease food-maintained responding, a pre-clinical effe ct indicative of a potential treatment for human cocaine abuse. To ass ess whether similar effects could be obtained with medications current ly used to treat substance abuse, phentermine and fenfluramine were gi ven alone and in combination to rhesus monkeys responding under schedu les of food and cocaine delivery. Phentermine decreased cocaine-mainta ined responding with no effect on food-maintained responding. Fenflura mine also selectively decreased cocaine-maintained responding, but onl y at the highest dose. Combining a lower dose of fenfluramine with phe ntermine selectively decreased cocaine-maintained responding, but not more than with phentermine alone. These results suggest that phentermi ne, as well as its combination with fenfluramine, may be useful in the treatment of cocaine abuse.