

The Search for the Antidote to Cocaine Addiction - benbreen
http://www.buzzfeed.com/keeganhamilton/the-search-for-the-antidote-to-cocaine-addiction#4e40g0l

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cokethrowaway
So, I really like cocaine.

I grew up smoking weed, and at some point in my life, I stopped completely. I,
personally, suffered from the paranoid and laziness traits that effect certain
users. It was a few years later that I tried cocaine.

Now, I always err on the side of safety, so when dealing with a drug that can
kill with overuse, I tread carefully. I do way less than the normal user, and
I do it only once a week. When I do do it, it's great. I get a LOT of work
done. It's like coffee x2.

I don't want to argue with anybody about the substance, but I believe, for me,
its positives outweigh its negatives. I hope one day the quality available to
the public increases, and one day, that it is decriminalized.

Something like MC-18 will probably help extreme cases of addiction, but, it
sounds like a very intense drug.

~~~
aikah
> its positives outweigh its negatives.

Until it doesnt.that's why cocaine is REALLY tricky.Because you can actually
have a "normal" life with it,for a long time,unlike weed where you know you
cant have a deep intellectual activity high on THC.

~~~
cokethrowaway
Well put about when it doesn't. It can be tricky, and it definitely depends on
how well the user can manage their vices. I'm able to, so it works out. I eat
very well and exercise tons, so I'm very healthy otherwise. It's dangerous to
exercise on the drug, which is just one of the many reasons I don't do it
often.

I do know some people who smoke a lot of weed, and are super productive and
sharper than ever on the high. Unfortunately, that's not me.

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scottlocklin
FWIIW, this research is not new. As the article noted, the drug is a relative
of Ibogaine, which people have noticed has some "anti-addiction" properties
for ... oh, I don't know; at least 50 years now (probably it was used for this
purpose by the pygmies who actually discovered it). The article didn't note
that one of the early therapeutic uses of LSD and other psychedelics:
treatment of alcoholism and drug addiction. It was reasonably successful;
there is no reason to believe the Ibogaine has any special properties that
make it work better.

While I haven't examined the literature in detail, it's pretty obvious (from
my youthful indiscretions, and observations of others) that tripping balls
might give you a sort of "come to Jesus" moment that makes drinking and
smoking crack seem like kind of a bad idea. Or, perhaps it temporarily blows
out your dopamine system. Either way, if this substance works like the other
psychedelic treatments, it should be obvious it isn't a long term effective
treatment for drug addiction, since plenty of psychedelic users end up
addicted to other drugs, and nobody talks about dropping acid and deciding to
quit snorting coke (despite similar clinical successes in the 50s).

Not that I think the FDA should block this; even if it is psychedelic snake
oil, they shouldn't be in the business of blocking research on such topics.

------
ianunruh
"The FDA requires drugs like 18-MC to produce absolute abstinence in cocaine
users in clinical trials, a standard that many believe is impossibly
stringent."

This is insane, who at the FDA comes up with this stuff?

~~~
innguest
Let's say it's John at the FDA coming up with this stuff. But John is really a
victim of the system set up around him. He's following orders. He's just doing
his job. He has already rationalized his guilt away from this deed.

Instead, how about we let the FDA continue with their silliness of approving
or not approving drugs based on whatever criteria they want, while still
allowing non-FDA approved drugs to be sold?

That way we can all decide, at point of sale, if we are going to trust FDA's
opinion or not. They can put big warning labels if they want (the retailers,
not the government).

The problem here is the FDA has a monopoly on deciding which drugs two people
can exchange for money. They can keep judging drugs all they want, but their
control of what hits the shelves is unconstitutional and immoral.

EDIT: to downvote this is to be against personal responsibility; the UK has a
great nanny state you might want to partake in.

~~~
anigbrowl
John at the FDA could be the most rational drug policy wonk imaginable, but
that's not going to help him during Congressional oversight hearings if
lawmakers decide there is political capital to be made out of attacking him.
For all its flaws, the FDA (like other agencies) has to follow rules of
administrative process which are subject to challenge, and which aim to bring
about iterative improvement. Legislative process is a lot more haphazard, and
I'm not sure that the introduction of TV cameras has done anything to improve
it.

------
Cieplak
"Drug experts say alcohol worse than crack or heroin" (2010)

[http://www.reuters.com/article/2010/11/01/us-drugs-
alcohol-i...](http://www.reuters.com/article/2010/11/01/us-drugs-alcohol-
idUSTRE6A000O20101101)

