Conditions: Opioid Dependence
Keywords: Heroin Opiates naltrexone memantine
Allocation: RANDOMIZED | Intervention model: PARALLEL
Enrollment: 81
Healthy volunteers: no

Brief summary:
The goal of this study is to test the efficacy of memantine (a noncompetitive NMDA receptor antagonist) as an adjunct to the maintenance treatment with naltrexone in detoxified heroin-dependent individuals.

Detailed description:
The primary aim of this study is to test the efficacy of memantine, a noncompetitive NMDA receptor antagonist, in reducing early attrition and improving outcome in opioid-dependent individuals maintained on naltrexone.

This double-blind, 12-week trial will include heroin-dependent patients who completed detoxification. Participants will be randomly assigned to one of three conditions: naltrexone and placebo, naltrexone and memantine (15 mg bid), or naltrexone and memantine (30 mg bid). Naltrexone will be taken 3 times each week at the clinic, while memantine or placebo will be taken at home. In addition, twice each week patients will receive a psychosocial intervention that will include motivational interviewing and cognitive-behavioral relapse prevention. The goal of the psychosocial intervention is to improve compliance with medication and maintain abstinence. Baseline assessments will be taken and compared to those completed at study visits, which will occur 3 times each week.

Arms:
arm 1: Placebo plus oral naltrexone arm 2: Memantine 30 mg bid plus oral naltrexone arm 3: memantine 15 mg bid plus oral naltrexone

Interventions: intervention 1: Memantine intervention 2: Naltrexone
Intervention descriptions: intervention 1: One arm receives 30 mg bid and the other arm receives receives 15mg bid intervention 2: Patients received the equivalent of 50 mg/day. Dispensed as 100 mg on Mondays and Wednesdays and 150 mg on Fridays.

Protocol document: