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Cannabinoid Antagonists
A Treatment in Search of an Illness
Arch Gen Psychiatry. 2001;58:330-331.
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THE TREATMENT of substance abuse has a history of developing "ideal"
treatments that few patients are willing to take, such as disulfiram for alcoholism
and naltrexone for opioid dependence. Despite its safety, few adverse effects,
and infrequent dosing advantages, most heroin addicts shun naltrexone and
prefer methadone maintenance.1, 2, 3
Similarly, alcoholics shun disulfiram. Thus, we are cautiously optimistic
about the therapeutic promise of this first report demonstrating cannabinoid
receptor antagonism by Huestis et al.4 However,
treatments developed for one disorder often end up showing greater use for
another. Thus, naltrexone has shown greater utility for alcoholism than opioid
dependence, and disulfiram may have greater utility for cocaine dependence
than alcoholism.2, 3, 4, 5
The study by Huestis et al4 builds on a burgeoning
preclinical knowledge about cannabinoid pharmacology and has promising implications
for neuropsychiatric disorders involving cannabinoid receptor dysfunction.
While the psychoactive properties of Cannabis sativa have been known for centuries, the mechanism of . . . [Full Text of this Article]
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Marilyn A. Huestis, David A. Gorelick, Stephen J. Heishman, Kenzie L. Preston, Richard A. Nelson, Eric T. Moolchan, and Richard A. Frank
Arch Gen Psychiatry. 2001;58(4):322-328.
ABSTRACT
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THIS ARTICLE HAS BEEN CITED BY OTHER ARTICLES
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Cannabis and the brain
Iversen
Brain 2003;126:1252-1270.
ABSTRACT
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