The Effects of Cocaine on Depressed Patients

¹ Chief, 3-West Clinical Research Unit, Adult Psychiatry Branch, National Institute of Mental Health, Bethesda, Md.
² Chief, Section on Psychiatry, Laboratory of Clinical Science, National Institute of Mental Health, Bethesda, Md.
³ Assistant Adjunct Professor, Department of Psychiatry and Human Behavior, School of Medicine, University of California, Irvine, Calif.

Cocaine, administered orally to patients with endogenous depressive illness, did not consistently affect vital signs or depressive symptomatology, but it did decrease rapid eye movement sleep and total sleep time. When administered intravenously in the context of a therapeutic interview, cocaine caused large, rapid increases in pulse and blood pressure concomitant with profound mobilization of affect and tearfulness. Infusions that caused lesser changes in vital signs were associated with milder degrees of affective change and less dysphoria. Thus, while cocaine was capable of eliciting positive affective change (such as calmness and elation) in depressed patients, affective flooding and dysphoric components were often admixed, indicating that cocaine's effect in this context could not be classified simply as antidepressant.

This article has been cited by other articles:

				S. D. Mague, A. M. Pliakas, M. S. Todtenkopf, H. C. Tomasiewicz, Y. Zhang, W. C. Stevens Jr., R. M. Jones, P. S. Portoghese, and W. A. Carlezon Jr. Antidepressant-Like Effects of kappa -Opioid Receptor Antagonists in the Forced Swim Test in Rats J. Pharmacol. Exp. Ther., April 1, 2003; 305(1): 323 - 330. [Abstract] [Full Text]

				R. C. Fuller Biographical Origins of Psychological Ideas: Freud's Cocaine Studies Journal of Humanistic Psychology, July 1, 1992; 32(3): 67 - 86. [Abstract]

				N Brunello, D. Chuang, and E Costa Different synaptic location of mianserin and imipramine binding sites Science, February 26, 1982; 215(4536): 1112 - 1115. [Abstract] [PDF]

				S. Peroutka and S. Snyder Long-term antidepressant treatment decreases spiroperidol-labeled serotonin receptor binding Science, October 3, 1980; 210(4465): 88 - 90. [Abstract] [PDF]

				C de Montigny and G. Aghajanian Tricyclic antidepressants: long-term treatment increases responsivity of rat forebrain neurons to serotonin Science, December 22, 1978; 202(4374): 1303 - 1306. [Abstract] [PDF]

				C Van Dyke, P Jatlow, J Ungerer, P. Barash, and R Byck Oral cocaine: plasma concentrations and central effects Science, April 14, 1978; 200(4338): 211 - 213. [Abstract] [PDF]

				R. Resnick, R. Kestenbaum, and L. Schwartz Acute systemic effects of cocaine in man: a controlled study by intranasal and intravenous routes Science, February 18, 1977; 195(4279): 696 - 698. [Abstract] [PDF]

				C Van Dyke, P. Barash, P Jatlow, and R Byck Cocaine: plasma concentrations after intranasal application in man Science, February 27, 1976; 191(4229): 859 - 861. [Abstract] [PDF]

Get information about faster international access.

Privacy Policy

Copyright © 1974 American Psychiatric Association. All rights reserved.

Home | Search | Current Issue | Past Issues | Subscribe | All APPI Journals | Help | Contact Us