The Effects of Treatment With Naltrexone in Alcohol and Cannabis-dependent Patients
Status:
Unknown status
Trial end date:
2014-10-01
Target enrollment:
Participant gender:
Summary
Alcohol dependence is a major health problem worldwide and recently in Israel and it has
major health care costs. Cannabis dependence is also a major health issue and many cannabis
users find it difficult to quit. Similar to dependence on heavy drugs, alcohol and
cannabis-dependent patients find it difficult to quit drinking and smoking cannabis and they
relapse to drinking alcohol and using cannabis during treatment. Craving for alcohol and
cannabis and withdrawal during detoxification are major factors for relapse to drinking and
using cannabis. The cue-exposure and priming paradigms have been used in order to induce
craving for alcohol and cannabis in the laboratory. Several studies have delineated the brain
mechanisms responsible for cue-induced craving for alcohol using functional Magnetic
Resonance Imaging (fMRI), a method that can be useful in monitoring progress of treatment. A
proven useful medication for treatment of alcohol dependence is the opiate antagonist
naltrexone commonly used for treatment of opiate dependence. We have found that
cannabis-dependent patients in treatment for cannabis dependence who also were heavy users of
alcohol have dropped early from treatment.