Conditions: Cannabis Dependence
Allocation: RANDOMIZED | Intervention model: PARALLEL
Enrollment: 116
Healthy volunteers: no

Brief summary:
This study is investigating how N-Acetylcysteine (NAC), an over-the-counter medication, will reduce marijuana use when combined with Contingency Management, a behavioral treatment. It is hypothesized that marijuana dependent adolescents who are treated with NAC will use less marijuana during treatment when compared to adolescents who receive a placebo.

Detailed description:
This protocol involves investigation of N-Acetylcysteine (NAC) as a pharmacological treatment for cannabis dependence in adolescents. While recent advances have been made in psychosocial treatments for cannabis dependent adolescents, minimal work has been done to investigate the potential adjunctive role for pharmacotherapy in treatment. NAC is an inexpensive, over-the-counter agent with a favorable tolerability profile in adults and children, in common use since FDA approval in 1963. Preclinical and preliminary clinical research in adults suggests a role for NAC in addiction treatment via glutamate modulation.

Arms:
arm 1: None arm 2: None

Interventions: intervention 1: N-Acetylcysteine intervention 2: placebo intervention 3: Contingency Management
Intervention descriptions: intervention 1: 1200 mg twice daily for 8 weeks intervention 2: 2 capsules twice daily for 8 weeks intervention 3: rewarding biologically verified marijuana abstinence during study visits, with an escalating reward schedule

Protocol document: