oxytocin and Marijuana-Abuse

Stress has been shown to be a significant factor in the maintenance of marijuana use. Oxytocin is a hypothalamic neuropeptide that has been shown to moderate behavioral responding to stress as well as play a role in the neuroadaptations that occur as a consequence of long-term drug use.. The current study evaluated the impact of oxytocin pretreatment on craving, stress, and anxiety responses following a psychosocial stress task in marijuana-dependent individuals.. In a laboratory setting, baseline measurements of craving (assessed using the Marijuana Craving Questionnaire; MCQ), salivary cortisol and dehydroepiandrosterone (DHEA), stress, and anxiety were collected in 16 participants (age 19-40) meeting DSM-IV criteria for marijuana dependence. Participants were then administered either oxytocin 40 IU (n = 8) or placebo (n = 8) nasal spray prior to completion of the Trier Social Stress Task (TSST). Measurements were repeated pre-TSST, immediately post-TSST, and 5-, 35-, and 60-min post-TSST.. Oxytocin reduced both MCQ total score and DHEA levels from before to after the TSST. It also decreased anxiety, but not subjective stress ratings.. Although preliminary, these results suggest that oxytocin may play a role in the amelioration of stress-induced reactivity and craving in marijuana-dependent individuals.

Topics: Adult; Anxiety; Dehydroepiandrosterone; Double-Blind Method; Female; Humans; Hydrocortisone; Male; Marijuana Abuse; Nasal Sprays; Oxytocin; Pilot Projects; Psychological Tests; Saliva; Stress, Psychological; Young Adult

Cannabis is the most widely used illicit drugs and the changing legal, political and cultural climate will likely increase cannabis use further. One factor that may underlie the transition from recreational use to problematic use is stress. The hormone oxytocin (OXT) modulates stress and may have therapeutic efficacy for substance use disorders, but few studies have examined OXT in cannabis users. Another factor is sex; although more men smoke cannabis, the transition from recreational to problematic use is faster in women. Using a within-subjects design, the effects of intranasal (i.n.) oxytocin (OXT; 40 IU) administration on stress reactivity (using the Trier Social Stress Test; TSST) and cannabis (5.6% THC) self-administration was assessed in recreational cannabis using men (n = 31) and women (n = 32) relative to i.n. placebo (PBO) and no-stress (NST) conditions. The TSST produced expected subjective and cardiovascular effects compared to the NST. However, in the i.n. OXT-TSST condition, positive subjective effects were lower and negative subjective effects were higher in women compared to PBO administration and compared to men. Further, latency to self-administer cannabis was longer in women than men and women self-administered less cannabis than men regardless of stress condition. There were no differences in cannabis craving as a function of sex, stress, or medication. These results suggest that OXT administration may lead to greater stress reactivity in recreational cannabis users, particularly women, and support growing evidence that sex differences should be carefully considered when examining the therapeutic potential of OXT.

Topics: Administration, Intranasal; Adult; Cognition; Dronabinol; Estradiol; Female; Heart Rate; Humans; Illicit Drugs; Male; Marijuana Abuse; Marijuana Smoking; Middle Aged; Oxytocics; Oxytocin; Progesterone; Recreation; Self Report; Sex Factors; Stress, Psychological; Young Adult

Motivational enhancement therapy (MET) is efficacious in reducing cannabis use, yet benefits are generally short-lived. Oxytocin is a hypothalamic neuropeptide that promotes prosocial behaviors and plays a role in drug-related neuroadaptations; as such, oxytocin may enhance the effect of MET on cannabis outcomes. Cannabis dependent adults were randomized to receive MET plus oxytocin (n =8) or placebo (n =8). Participants receiving oxytocin showed reductions in amount of cannabis used daily and number of sessions per day. Participants receiving placebo did not evidence significant reductions. Powered clinical trials of oxytocin-enhanced MET for cannabis use disorder are warranted.

Topics: Adolescent; Adult; Cannabis; Combined Modality Therapy; Female; Humans; Male; Marijuana Abuse; Marijuana Smoking; Motivational Interviewing; Oxytocics; Oxytocin; Pilot Projects; Treatment Outcome; Young Adult