Grant to research treatment for cocaine addiction

A research grant has been awarded to an Edge Hill University academic to investigate effective treatments for cocaine addiction.

Dr Philip Murphy, a Reader in Psychology, has been given funding of £20,000 by Mersey Care NHS Trust to carry out a systematic review and meta-analysis of studies examining outcomes for specific treatments for cocaine dependency.

The chair of the Psychobiology Section of the British Psychological Society (BPS), whose research focuses on mainly on problems of drug misuse, will be working closely with Mersey Care over the next year to identify solutions to help people who have become dependent on the ‘Class A' substance.

"Cocaine is a powerfully addictive central nervous system stimulant and recently it was reported that the UK remains at the top of the European league table for cocaine use," explained Dr Murphy. "Yet there is currently no generally recognised treatment for cocaine dependence, despite the addictive nature of this drug.

"Previous reviews have examined trials of specific treatments, but in this latest study we intend to examine the outcomes of a range of specific treatments. For example, there are various medications on the market to address cocaine withdrawal symptoms, and behavioural therapy is also used to treat this addiction. Acupuncture may also be helpful sometimes. All these different treatments will be examined in detail to see what has been the most effective method."

Dr Murphy hopes this will be the first of a number of new studies in the area of cocaine treatment in collaboration with NHS partners.

Mersey Care NHS Trust provides some addiction services across Liverpool, Kirkby and Sefton and is the main provider for community drugs teams across the city of Liverpool.

The Trust's Addictions Clinical Director Dr Mohammad Faizal said: "Mersey Care drug services have contributed extensively to the city to provide a comprehensive and effective drug treatment. The focus on treatment for opiates has made an impact and the city is now benefiting from a drop in opiate users in tandem with national trend.

"However there are new challenges on the horizon and our clinical team is gearing up to deal with these new challenges. Crack Cocaine use in the North West is one of the highest in the UK. This increase in Cocaine use has also been noted by staff at Accident and Emergency departments across the North West, so our study could significantly help a wide area of the health sector.

"There are many pharmacological and psychological treatments used to treat cocaine misuse but there is lack of clarity around the most effective treatment for cocaine misuse. A vaccine aimed at stopping cocaine use is also currently undergoing laboratory trials and might become available in future. "

Dr Faizal added: "Mersey Care Trust is working in partnership with Edge Hill University to systematically review the evidence available in the field of cocaine treatment. This will help to provide a platform to develop treatment guidelines that has proven efficacy in treating cocaine misuse. Our services are now providing support and treatment for drug users misusing cocaine using a number of psychosocial interventions and specialist inpatient facilities where needed. The results of this systematic review will guide our treatment guidelines to tackle the new challenge. The findings of this review will be shared among our partner agencies and commissioners in Liverpool. "