Potential benefit of N-acetylcistein for the management of cocaine base paste addiction

Abstract

In Chile, the consumption of Cocaine Base Paste (CBP), a highly toxic and addictive substance, has become a serious medical and social problem in the poorest areas of the country. This substance is smoked and quickly provokes in the user the compulsive desire to continue using it, as well as a great difficulty in stopping consumption, mainlydue to the withdrawal symptoms that it generates in the user. To date there are no drugs with proven efficacy to treat CBP addiction or cocaine addiction, in any of its forms. N-acetylcysteine (NAC), a drug used in our country and around the world, from several years, for other therapeutic purposes, has shown benefits in reducing cravings for cocaine use and prolonging the time of abstinence of this and other psychoactive substances. This article reviews the most relevant aspects of recent research about the effectiveness of NAC for the treatment of patients with cocaine addiction, raising and justifying the need to evaluate the possible utility of this medication in the management of CBP addiction, a different entity from the addiction to other forms ofcocaine.