Date: Tue, 27 May 1997 06:21:59 -0700
From: Claude de Contrecoeur* <cyrano@beehive.twics.com>
To: Multiple recipients of list <ibogaine@ibogaine.org>
Subject: Re: Amineptine

At 14:18 27/05/1997 +0900, you wrote:
>                           IBOGAINE Digest 241
>
>Topics covered in this issue include:
>
>  1) Re: Lets get rolling--help for heroin addicts
>       by Chris Jenks <jenks@indigo.ucdavis.edu>
>
>----------------------------------------------------------------------
>
>Date: Mon, 26 May 1997 22:11:30 -0700
>From: Chris Jenks <jenks@indigo.ucdavis.edu>
>To: ibogaine@ibogaine.org
>Subject: Re: Lets get rolling--help for heroin addicts
>Message-ID: <3.0.32.19970525185322.00699a84@indigo.ucdavis.edu>
>
>At 06:22 AM 5/24/97 -0700, Bojeri@aol.com wrote:
>[...]
>> Anyway, to cut a long lecture short, there is an antidepressant called
>>buproprion (trade name Wellbutrin) that also works on dopamine, and it cured
>>my heroin/speedball habit--twice! [...]

Then Amineptine,a specific dopamine reuptake inhibitor(SDRI),should work
even better than Bupropion!
The advantage is that Amineptine is much cheaper than Bupropion.
Trademark:Survector from Servier Laboratories.

Claude
>
>  This is a very promising lead! I found a similar report of an
>antidepressant called mianserin. Here is the reference:
>
>Neal, Bethany S. and Sparber, Sheldon B. "Mianserin attenuates
>naloxone-precipitated withdrawal signs in rats acutely or chronically
>dependent upon morphine.", Journal of Pharmacology and Experimental
>Therapeutics, (1986), 236(1), 157-165.
>
>  The abstract concludes:
>
>  "Thus, several signs of withdrawal (e.g., behavioral effects, weight loss
>and hypothermia) seem to involve serotonergic mediation and can be blocked
>by mianserin, while others (e.g., rise in plasma corticosterone), which may
>be unaffected by mianserin, may be a reflection of a compensatory response
>to withdrawal stress, rather than a mediator of maladaptive consequences of
>withdrawal that are not mediated by serotonin."
>
>  From my preliminary reading, it seems that clonidine has been used
>extensively to treat opiate withdrawal. Here is the concluding paragraph of
>the previous reference, with a comparison between clonidine and mianserin:
>
>  Since mianserin was found to block or attenuate most of the signs
>associated with morphine withdrawal, such drugs may offer an alternative to
>the current treatment used in detoxification (e.g. clonidine), which has
>side effects (e.g. hypotension) that preclude its use in certain patients.
>The major withdrawal symptom in addicts that is not blocked by clonidine is
>the difficulty these patients have in falling asleep. One clinical side
>effect of mianserin is that of sedation, and therefore, mianserin may be
>able to block the withdrawal symptom upon which clonidine has no effect.
>Furthermore, although clonidine can reduce the severity of an addict's
>withdrawal signs and symptoms, the success of the detoxification may depend
>upon his psychological state. If he is depressed or anxious, he may be more
>affected by withdrawal stresses and less able to resist the urge to resume
>opiate use (Rounsaville et al., 1985). Depression, which is more common in
>addicts than in the general population (Robins, 1979; Kleber, 1983), has
>been found to be importantly related to poorer treatment outcomes
>(Rounsaville et al., 1982). Because they are effective antidepressants,
>mianserin-like drugs may offer better alternatives to clonidine-like drugs
>and increase the chance at a more successful treatment outcome.
>
>  Previously on this list, Claude de Contrecoeur <cyrano@beehive.twics.com>
>contributed the following references:
>
>>Inhibtion of Reinforcing effects of morphine and motivational aspects of
>>naloxone-precipitated opioid withdrawal by NMDA receptor antagonist,
>>Memantine.
>>The Journal of Pharmacology and Experimental Therapeuthics,
>>vol 280(1997), 2, pp 854-863.
>
>Abstract excerpt:
>  The present study focused on the effects of
>1-amino-3,5-dimethyladamantine (memantine), a clinically used, low affinity
>N-methyl-D-aspartate channel blocker, on the motivational impact of
>morphine and morphine withdrawal syndrome. [...] These data suggest that
>memantine at a low, pharmacologically relevant dose of 7.5 mg/kg blocks the
>reinforcing effects of morphine and aversive effects of morphine withdrawal
>in rats, which suggests a new potential clinical indication for this agent
>in the treatment of opioid abuse.
>
>>And another one on Mitragynine:
>
>>Central antinociceptive effects of mitragynine in mice.
>>European Journal of Pharmacology 317(1996)75-81.
>
>The first paragraph says:
>  Mitragynine, an alkaloid, accounts for about 66% of the total alkaloids
>extracted from the young leaves of Mitragyna speciosa Korth (Ponglux et
>al., 1994; Shellard, 1974). The leaves of this plant are known to produce
>narcotic-like actions when smoked, chewed, or drunk as a suspension (Jansen
>and Prast, 1988a,b). We have previously found that mitragynine possesses an
>antinociceptive action when administered interperitoneally (i.p.) or
>intracerebroventricularly (i.c.v.) in mice, and that the effects of
>mitragynine administered i.p. and i.c.v. are blocked by i.c.v. naloxone, an
>opioid receptor antagonist, indicating involvement of opioid receptors in
>the action of mitragynine (Matsumoto et al., 1966b). These findings seem to
>explain the medicinal use of this plant in Thailand to replace morphine in
>addict detoxification and treatment programs (Jansen and Prast, 1988b).
>
>
>
>------------------------------
>
>End of IBOGAINE Digest 241
>**************************
>
>