Nausea drug to tackle addiction induced withdrawal

Washington, February 19: The one thing that deters an addict from quitting decisively is the fear of withdrawal symptoms. According to a new study, ondansetron, a drug commonly used for treatment of nausea and vomiting may combat the severe side effects from opioids.

Researchers from Stanford University have found that substance abusers of heroin and prescription drugs such as codeine and morphine might be able to kick their habit without withdrawal symptoms with the help of the drug, ondansetron.

Lead author of the research Dr Larry F Chu, assistant professor of anesthesiadefine at the School of Medicine disclosed that “Opioid abuse is rising at a faster rate than any other type of illicit drug use, yet only about a quarter of those dependent on opioids seek treatment. One barrier to treatment is that when you abruptly stop taking the drugs, there is a constellation of symptoms associated with withdrawal.”

According to researchers, the drug ondansetron blocks certain 5-HT3 receptors that are involved in withdrawal symptoms. The initial tests were conducted in mice but for further studies, researchers recruited eight healthy non-opioid dependent humans.

The volunteers received only a single large dose of morphine in the first session. A week later, in another session they were administered ondansetron along with morphine.

The results revealed that humans treated with ondansetron while using morphine showed less severe withdrawal signs compared with when they received morphine minus ondansetron.

Substance abuse is on the rise with drugs such as Oxycontin becoming increasingly popular among youngsters. Nearly 2.5 million Americans aged 12 or older are using prescription drugs for non-medical purposes.

Stopping the use of opiates abruptly can cause withdrawal symptoms like nausea, vomiting, diarrhea, fever, chills, agitation, and insomnia, preventing people from seeking treatment.

Chu stated, "What we need is a magic bullet, something that treats the symptoms of withdrawal, does not lead to addiction and can be taken at home."

The Stanford team plans to continue testing the effectiveness of ondansetron in treating opioid addiction. Researchers reflected that ondansetron alone could not tackle opioid addiction, which is a complex matter with physical and psychological dimensions.

Principal investigator Dr David Clark, a professor of anesthesia said, "This is not a cure for addiction. It's naive to think that any one receptor is a panacea for treatment. Treating the withdrawal component is only one way of alleviating the suffering. With luck and determination, we can identify additional targets and put together a comprehensive treatment program."