Quetiapine For The Treatment Of Cocaine Dependence

Background Cocaine abuse continues to be epidemic, and yet there are no FDA approved medications for the treatment of cocaine use disorders within the United States. Methods This 12-week, prospective, double-blind, randomized, placebo-controlled study examined the effectiveness of quetiapine (Seroquel XR TM ) versus matched placebo for the treatment of cocaine dependence in non-psychotic individuals. Sixty Individuals with a diagnosis of cocaine dependence were randomized in this study. Those who were randomized to quetiapine (N=29) were titrated up to a target dose of 400 mg/day of quetiapine, while those in the placebo arm (N=31) were given a matched placebo. All subjects had weekly clinic visits and a cognitive-behavioral therapy group session. Outcome measures included questionnaires of cocaine use, money spent on cocaine, and urine drug screens (UDS). Results The drop-out rate was substantial at 68%, however there were no group differences between the two arms of the study. Using a repeat measures ANCOVA, as a whole, the subjects in this study improved by reducing their self-reported use of cocaine (p=.018) and self reported money spent on cocaine (p=.041) over the course of the study. However, the quetiapine group was not significantly different from the placebo group. In addition, cox regression analyses yielded non-significant differences ( p = .65) between groups in predicting sobriety, as defined as three weeks negative UDS. Conclusions This study did not find group differences between the quetiapine and placebo arms, indicating that quetiapine does not appear to be beneficial in the treatment of cocaine dependence.