The effects of oral micronized progesterone on smoked cocaine self-administration in women - PubMed (original) (raw)

Randomized Controlled Trial

The effects of oral micronized progesterone on smoked cocaine self-administration in women

Stephanie Collins Reed et al. Horm Behav. 2011 Feb.

Abstract

There are currently no FDA-approved pharmacotherapies for cocaine abuse. Converging preclinical and clinical evidence indicates that progesterone may have potential as a treatment for cocaine-abusing women, who represent a growing portion of cocaine users. We have previously shown that oral progesterone reduced the positive subjective effects of cocaine in female cocaine users during the follicular phase of the menstrual cycle, when endogenous progesterone levels were low. To extend these findings, the present study assessed the effects of oral progesterone (150 mg BID) administered during the follicular phase on smoked cocaine self-administration in women relative to the normal follicular and luteal phases. Healthy, non-treatment seeking female cocaine smokers (N=10) underwent three 4-day inpatient stays, during: 1) a normal follicular phase; 2) a normal luteal phase; and 3) a follicular phase when oral progesterone was administered. During each stay, participants completed 4 self-administration sessions in which they first smoked a "sample" dose of cocaine (0, 12, 25 or 50 mg) and then had 5 opportunities at 14-minute intervals to self-administer that dose at a cost of $5 per dose. Expected cocaine dose effects on self-administration, subjective effects, and cardiovascular effects were observed. However, there was no effect of oral progesterone administration or menstrual cycle phase on cocaine self-administration. Thus, oral progesterone was not effective in reducing cocaine use in women under the current conditions. However, based on previous literature, further research assessing the role of oral progesterone for the treatment of cocaine dependence in women is warranted.

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Figures

Figure 1

Plasma progesterone levels as a function of study phase: (1) follicular phase when placebo progesterone was administered, (2) PROG (progesterone) phase when progesterone (150 mg B.I.D) was administered during the follicular phase, and (3) luteal phase when placebo progesterone was administered. Bars represent the mean + 1 SEM. * Indicates a significant difference from the follicular phase (p ≤ 0.01).

Figure 2

Mean heart rate (expressed as change from baseline) as a function of phase and sample cocaine dose. Each bar represents the mean + 1 SEM for one administration of a sample dose of cocaine.

Figure 3

Mean scores on the good drug effect and drug quality clusters (expressed as change from baseline) as a function of phase and sample cocaine dose. Each bar represents the mean + 1 SEM for one administration of a sample dose of cocaine.

Figure 4

Number of cocaine doses purchased as a function of phase and cocaine dose. Each bar represents the mean + 1 SEM. Portions of these data were published in Evans & Foltin (2010).

Figure 5

Mean heart rate (expressed as change from baseline) as a function of phase and self-administered cocaine dose. Each bar represents the mean + 1 SEM collapsed across six time points during cocaine self-administration sessions.

Figure 6

Mean good drug effect and drug quality cluster scores (expressed as change from baseline) as a function of phase and self-administered cocaine dose. Each bar represents the mean + 1 SEM collapsed across six time points during cocaine self-administration sessions.

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The effects of oral micronized progesterone on smoked cocaine self-administration in women - PubMed (original) (raw)