Space-Based Abstinence: Alleviation of Withdrawal Symptoms in Combinative Cocaine-Phencyclidine Abuse

Abstract

Twenty male combinative cocaine free-base/phencyclidine (space-base) abusers were studied for forty-five days, in a double-blind design. Treatment with desipramine was significantly more effective than placebo in alleviating abstinence symptoms. This study tends to support the catecholamine-depletion hypothesis of cocaine and phencyclidine withdrawal.