Conditions: Opioid Dependence
Keywords: Drug Abuse
Allocation: RANDOMIZED | Intervention model: PARALLEL
Enrollment: 87
Healthy volunteers: no

Brief summary:
The purpose of this study is to examine the effect of memantine and buprenorphine on opioid abusing behavior, to determine the effect of memantine and buprenorphine on early relapse and to evaluate the tolerability of memantine co-administrated with buprenorphine. The study seeks to determine if combined treatment of memantine and buprenorphine may provide shorter-term treatment for opioid dependence.

Detailed description:
Opiate dependence is an increasing problem among young adults (18-25 years old) whose rates of current use of illicit drugs are generally high (19.7 %)according to data from the 2007 National Survey on Drug Use \& Health (Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration 2008). Young adults start using heroin around this age range, and more recently have had increasing rates of prescription-type drug use. Given that young adults with opiate dependence who are seeking treatment are relatively treatment naïve, have a shorter period of addiction, and are more likely to choose buprenorphine over methadone, developing short-term buprenorphine treatment alternatives to long-term methadone agonist treatment is needed.

Arms:
arm 1: Participants were inducted onto buprenorphine/naloxone sublingual tablets during the first week of study participation. The dose was titrated from bup/nal 8mg to bup/nal 16mg in three days where it will remain until the last day of week 8. The 7-day discontinuation of buprenorphine-naloxone on week 9 was 12mg, 10mg, 8mg, 6mg, 4mg, 2mg, 2mg and stopped.

Memantine 5mg in the morning was started on week 2. The dose was titrated on a twice a day schedule until the target dose of 30 mg/day was achieved by week 4. The medication was discontinued over a one-week period on week 13. Patients received a 7-day supply of their medication each week. arm 2: Participants were inducted onto buprenorphine/naloxone sublingual tablets during the first week of study participation. The dose was titrated from bup/nal 8mg to bup/nal 16mg in three days where it will remain until the last day of week 8. The 7-day discontinuation of buprenorphine-naloxone on week 9 was 12mg, 10mg, 8mg, 6mg, 4mg, 2mg, 2mg and stopped.

Memantine 5mg in the morning was started on week 2. The dose was titrated on a twice a day schedule until the target dose of 15 mg/day was achieved by week 4. The medication was discontinued over a one-week period on week 13. Patients received a 7-day supply of their medication each week. arm 3: Participants were inducted onto buprenorphine/naloxone sublingual tablets during the first week of study participation. The dose was titrated from bup/nal 8mg to bup/nal 16mg in three days where it will remain until the last day of week 8. The 7-day discontinuation of buprenorphine-naloxone on week 9 was 12mg, 10mg, 8mg, 6mg, 4mg, 2mg, 2mg and stopped.

Matching placebo capsule was started on week 2. The placebo capsules were given on a twice a day schedule until week 12 and then discontinued over a one-week period on week 13. Patients received a 7-day supply of their medication each week.

Interventions: intervention 1: Memantine intervention 2: Memantine intervention 3: Placebo
Intervention descriptions: intervention 1: 30mg/day Memantine orally everyday for 12 weeks intervention 2: 15 mg/day Memantine orally everyday for 12 weeks intervention 3: Placebo orally everyday for 12 weeks

Protocol document: