Conditions: Cannabis Dependence
Keywords: Cannabis quetiapine
Allocation: NA | Intervention model: SINGLE_GROUP
Enrollment: 15
Healthy volunteers: no

Brief summary:
Marijuana is the most commonly used illicit drug in the United States. However, the treatment options for cannabis dependence are limited; notably, no effective pharmacotherapy has been developed. Conceptually, the ideal medication treatment for cannabis dependence would:

1. be safe when administered to patients actively using cannabis
2. reduce cannabis intake and promote abstinence
3. treat the symptoms of cannabis withdrawal
4. reduce craving and relapse risk
5. have a low abuse liability.

Detailed description:
Conceptually, the pharmacodynamic and clinical actions of quetiapine suggest that it may be useful for cannabis dependence. By antagonizing dopamine, quetiapine may interfere with the reinforcing effects of cannabis, while serotonin type 2A, histamine type 1, and adrenergic receptor antagonism may reduce cannabis withdrawal symptoms, primarily by sedating and anxiolytic effects. The proposed research project is an open-label pilot study to evaluate the tolerability and ideal target dosing range for quetiapine treatment of cannabis dependence over an eight-week period. The purpose of this pilot study is to obtain preliminary data regarding the potential efficacy, tolerability and safety of quetiapine treatment of cannabis dependence before conducting a larger double-blind trial.

Arms:
arm 1: Open label treatment with quetiapine

Interventions: intervention 1: quetiapine
Intervention descriptions: intervention 1: Quetiapine treatment from 25 mg daily to 300 mg twice daily

Protocol document: