This review asked whether a drug for epilepsy seizures – Topiramate – can help treat cocaine addiction, reduce cocaine use and prolong treatment retention.
No current evidence supports the clinical use of Topiramate for the treatment of cocaine dependence.
Methodology
· We looked at all scientific literature up until December 2014.
· We also wanted to see how whether people quit treatment prematurely and whether they had any side effects. We included people of any gender, age or ethnicity.
Results
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• We found 5 studies with 518 patients; all were done in USA
• Topiramate did not help people stay in treatment longer
· The mean duration of the trials was 13 weeks (range eight to 24 weeks).
· The side effects were the same for Topiramate and placebo.
Topiramate could possibly help people stay cocaine-free without having more side effects than placebo.
Implications
• There is no drug for cocaine dependence.
• In the past, researchers have studied whether drugs for depression, epilepsy or seizures could treat cocaine addiction.
• There is a need to understand how to treat cocaine addiction.
Reference: Singh, M., Keer, D., Klimas, J., Wood, E., Werb, D. Topiramate for Cocaine Dependence: A Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis of Randomized Control Trials. Addiction, 2016, In Press: http://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/journal/10.1111/(ISSN)1360-0443/accepted
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