Trial reportDrug and alcohol dependence2007
Safety, tolerability and efficacy of levodopa-carbidopa treatment for cocaine dependence: two double-blind, randomized, clinical trials.
Trial report in Drug and alcohol dependence, 2007. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Cited by 18 papers, 3 of them syntheses that pooled it.
What it found
Each row is one number read from the abstract, on the scale the paper reported it, with its interval. Left of the dashed line favours the treatment, right favours the comparator. Under each row is the sentence it came from. New to these charts? A ten-minute tutorial.
The abstract states no effect estimate the extractor could read, or names no intervention and outcome on the map, so this paper lights no cell and moves no belief. It is still indexed, cited and linked below.
The trial behind it
Trials whose registry record cites this paper, or whose number appears in the abstract. A trial that started after this paper was published is citing it as background, not reporting it.
Neither the registry nor the abstract names a trial number. If this is a trial report, that itself is worth knowing.
Who cites it
18 citing papers in PubMed, 3 syntheses or guidelines pooled it, 37 citations in OpenAlex.
- Efficacy and safety of pharmacological interventions for the treatment of cocaine use disorder: A systematic review and network meta-analysis.Addiction (Abingdon, England) · 2026Pooled it
- Comparison of Treatments for Cocaine Use Disorder Among Adults: A Systematic Review and Meta-analysis.JAMA network open · 2021Pooled it
- Dopamine agonists for the treatment of cocaine dependence.The Cochrane database of systematic reviews · 2015Pooled it
- Anhedonia Is Associated with Poorer Outcomes in Contingency Management for Cocaine Use Disorder.Journal of substance abuse treatment · 2017Trial
- Pilot study of the effects of lisdexamfetamine on cocaine use: A randomized, double-blind, placebo-controlled trial.Drug and alcohol dependence · 2015Trial
- Multimodal predictive modeling of individual treatment outcome in cocaine dependence with combined neuroimaging and behavioral predictors.Drug and alcohol dependence · 2014Trial
- A two-phased screening paradigm for evaluating candidate medications for cocaine cessation or relapse prevention: modafinil, levodopa-carbidopa, naltrexone.Drug and alcohol dependence · 2014Trial
- Atomoxetine does not alter cocaine use in cocaine dependent individuals: double blind randomized trial.Drug and alcohol dependence · 2013Trial
- Effects of oral methamphetamine on cocaine use: a randomized, double-blind, placebo-controlled trial.Drug and alcohol dependence · 2009Trial
- Levodopa pharmacotherapy for cocaine dependence: choosing the optimal behavioral therapy platform.Drug and alcohol dependence · 2008Trial
- Pharmacological Treatments for Cocaine Craving: What Is the Way Forward? A Systematic Review.Brain sciences · 2022Review
- The Triple Combination Phentermine Plus 5-HTP/Carbidopa Leads to Greater Weight Loss, With Fewer Psychomotor Side Effects Than Each Drug Alone.Frontiers in pharmacology · 2019Article
- Combination pharmacotherapies for stimulant use disorder: a review of clinical findings and recommendations for future research.Expert review of clinical pharmacology · 2014Review
- Pharmacotherapeutics for substance-use disorders: a focus on dopaminergic medications.Expert opinion on investigational drugs · 2013Review
- Psychostimulant treatment of cocaine dependence.The Psychiatric clinics of North America · 2012Review
- The influence of baseline marijuana use on treatment of cocaine dependence: application of an informative-priors bayesian approach.Frontiers in psychiatry · 2012Article
- Serotonin (5-HT) precursor loading with 5-hydroxy-l-tryptophan (5-HTP) reduces locomotor activation produced by (+)-amphetamine in the rat.Drug and alcohol dependence · 2011Article
- Anti-relapse medications: preclinical models for drug addiction treatment.Pharmacology & therapeutics · 2009Review
Corrections and comments
PubMed lists nothing against this paper. Absence here is not a guarantee, only a check that was made.
Authors and funding
4 authors at 2 institutions in 1 country.
Funding
Abstract
rationaleThe role of dopamine in cocaine abuse has been long recognized. Cocaine use can profoundly alter dopaminergic functioning through depletion of this monoamine and changes in receptor functioning. Based on these facts, levodopa (L-dopa) pharmacotherapy may be helpful in reducing or abolishing cocaine use.
objectiveThe current studies sought to evaluate the safety, tolerability and efficacy of L-dopa as a treatment for cocaine dependence.
methodsIn Study 1, 67 cocaine-dependent subjects were randomized in a 5-week, double-blind, placebo-controlled safety trial. Subjects received either placebo, or 400 mg L-dopa plus 100 mg of the peripheral decarboxylase inhibitor, carbidopa, in a sustained-release preparation (Sinemet CR). In Study 2, 122 cocaine-dependent subjects were enrolled in a 9-week, randomized, double-blind, placebo-controlled trial to compare placebo to 400/100 mg and 800/200 mg L-dopa/carbidopa treatments. Placebo or L-dopa were administered twice daily in both studies.
resultsL-dopa was well tolerated with similar retention and medication adherence rates compared to placebo. Only two side effects occurred more often in L-dopa-treated patients: nausea and dizziness. L-dopa lowered diastolic blood pressure in a dose-dependent fashion. In these trials, L-dopa had no effect on cocaine use, cocaine craving, or mood.
conclusionThese two studies demonstrate the safety and tolerability of L-dopa pharmacotherapy in cocaine-dependent patients. No evidence for greater efficacy of L-dopa compared to placebo was observed. The possibility of enhancing treatment effects by combining L-dopa with other behavioral or pharmacological interventions is discussed.
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Registered trials
Read under generation 80e0d062 · epoch 390. Bibliography from PubMed, PubMed Central and OpenAlex; grants from NIH RePORTER; trial links from ClinicalTrials.gov; estimates, votes and beliefs from the OpenQuestion graph.