1. ¹Division on Substance Abuse, New York State Psychiatric Institute and Department of Psychiatry, College of Physicians and Surgeons of Columbia University, New York, NY, USA
2. ²Department of Psychology, Columbia University, New York, NY, USA

Correspondence: Dr CL Hart, Department of Psychiatry, New York State Psychiatric Institute at Columbia University, 1051 Riverside Drive, Unit 120, New York, NY 10032, USA. Tel: +1 212 543 5884; Fax: +1 212 543 5991; E-mail: clh42@columbia.edu

Received 6 April 2007; Revised 9 May 2007; Accepted 11 May 2007; Published online 13 June 2007.

Abstract

Modafinil has been reported to reduce cocaine use in a clinical sample of infrequent users (2 days/week), but the effects of modafinil on cocaine self-administration in the laboratory have not been studied. The present study investigated the effects of modafinil maintenance on cocaine self-administration by frequent users (4 days/week) under controlled laboratory conditions. During this 48-day double-blind, crossover design study, the effects of modafinil maintenance (0, 200, and 400 mg/day) on response to smoked cocaine (0, 12, 25, and 50 mg) were examined in nontreatment-seeking cocaine-dependent individuals (n=8). Cocaine significantly increased self-administration, subjective-effect ratings, and cardiovascular measures; modafinil at both doses (200 and 400 mg/day) markedly attenuated these effects. These findings agree with data from previous human laboratory and clinical investigations of modafinil as a potential cocaine abuse treatment medication. Thus, our data support the potential of modafinil as a pharmacotherapy for cocaine dependence.