Lead investigator Dr. Robert D. Fechtner tells Reuters Health, "Vigabatrin is a medication with a long history of use for complex seizure disorders, but with a well-known side effect of irreversible vision loss with chronic treatment."
"Preliminary data have shown that vigabatrin can be effective in blocking the craving and effects of methamphetamine and cocaine, but we did not know if we would see vision loss with short-term use in drug abusers," he added.
To investigate, Dr. Fechtner of the University of Medicine and Dentistry of New Jersey, Newark and colleagues studied 30 subjects who were abusing cocaine, methamphetamine or both drugs.
In this 9-week safety study, participants were given escalating daily doses of vigabatrin for 6 weeks and were tapered off during the remaining 3 weeks.
In total, 18 of the subjects completed the study and 16 tested negative for methamphetamine and cocaine in the last 6 weeks of the trial.
Fechtner and colleagues conclude, "Our study found no evidence of vision loss when vigabatrin was used for the treatment of methamphetamine and cocaine abuse," adding that, "While the results are preliminary and must be confirmed in larger studies, it is very encouraging to see that there may be a safe and effective treatment for this devastating addiction."
