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    Int J Neuropsychopharmacol. 2005 Jun;8(2):203-13.

    Effects of isradipine, a dihydropyridine-class calcium-channel antagonist, on d-methamphetamine's subjective and reinforcing effects.

    Johnson BA, Roache JD, Ait-Daoud N, Wallace C, Wells L, Dawes M, Wang Y.

    Department of Psychiatry, The University of Texas Health Science Center at San Antonio, San Antonio, TX 78229, USA. bankolejohnson@virginia.edu

    In healthy human volunteers, we have previously shown that isradipine, a dihydropyridine-class calcium-channel antagonist, reduces some methamphetamine-induced positive subjective effects associated with its abuse liability, presumably by antagonizing cortico-mesolimbic dopamine pathways. In the present study, we combined acute immediate-release (IR) isradipine with repeated sustained-release (SR) isradipine pretreatment to determine whether isradipine could antagonize methamphetamine's positive subjective and reinforcing effects in methamphetamine-dependent research subjects. We included 18 non-treatment-seeking, methamphetamine-dependent subjects aged between 18 and 51 years in this double-blind, within-subject, cross-over study, which was done in a human laboratory. Intravenous methamphetamine (0, 15 and 30 mg) was administered on three different days after 5 days of double-blind cross-over treatment with either isradipine or matching placebo. Subjects received oral isradipine 30 mg SR at bedtime, plus 15 mg IR administered 2 h before methamphetamine infusion. Self-report questionnaires measured drug liking, euphoria, craving, stimulation, and methamphetamine preference. Methamphetamine reinforcement was measured by a behavioural procedure involving choices between methamphetamine and money. For those who received isradipine second and placebo first as the pretreatment paradigm but not vice versa, methamphetamine-induced drug liking, elation, and preference were reduced significantly by isradipine. Depending upon conditioning status, isradipine can reduce some methamphetamine-induced positive subjective and reinforcing effects associated with its abuse liability in methamphetamine addicts.

    PMID: 15850499 [PubMed - indexed for MEDLINE]

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    • Isradipine (DynaCirc®, DynaCirc® CR®)

      Isradipine is used to treat high blood pressure. It relaxes your blood vessels so your heart does not have to pump as hard.