Quetiapine for the treatment of cocaine use disorder.

BACKGROUND: Cocaine addiction continues to be a significant healthcare issue, yet there are no FDA approved medications for the treatment of cocaine use disorder within the United States.

METHODS: This 12-week, prospective, double-blind, randomized, placebo-controlled study examined the effectiveness of quetiapine (Seroquel XR™) versus matched placebo for the treatment of DSM-IV cocaine dependence in non-psychotic individuals. Subjects randomized to quetiapine (N = 29) were titrated up to a target dose of 400mg/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 self-report of cocaine use and money spent on cocaine as well as urine drug screens (UDS).

RESULTS: The drop-out rate was substantial at 68%. Logistic regression analysis did not find significant differences between groups in predicting end-of trial abstinence, defined as three consecutive weekly negative UDS (13.7% in the quetiapine group versus 12.9% in the placebo group; p = .92). Based upon a repeated measures analysis of variance, subjects in this study, as a whole, demonstrated reductions in their self-reported use of cocaine, self-reported money spent on cocaine, and number of days per week using cocaine. However, the quetiapine group did not differ significantly from the placebo group.

CONCLUSIONS: This study did not find group differences between the quetiapine and placebo arms, suggesting that quetiapine is not an efficacious treatment for DSM-IV cocaine dependence.