BETHESDA, Md., March 2 (UPI) -- A medication used to treat alcohol addiction may help combat cocaine abuse when combined with counseling, U.S. researchers said Tuesday.
A Yale University study of 121 cocaine-dependent individuals revealed those given disulfiram reduced their cocaine use significantly after 12 weeks compared with people given placebo.
Researchers also gave subjects one of two types of counseling: cognitive behavioral therapy, where patients are urged to avoid situations that lead to drug use and to refuse drugs; or interpersonal psychotherapy, which directly addresses interpersonal functioning.
Subjects receiving both disulfiram and cognitive behavioral therapy reduced their cocaine use even more than those who received disulfiram in combination with interpersonal psychotherapy.
