BP Medication Can Treat Alcohol, Drug Addiction

A commonly used blood pressure medicine could cure alcohol and drug addiction, a new study claims.

Researchers at The University of Texas found de-addiction benefits from using the anti-hypertensive drug called Isradipine. Researchers hypothesized that the drug helps reverse the rewiring of neural circuits that cocaine and alcohol cause, to leave a person addicted.

"The isradipine erased memories that led them to associate a certain room with cocaine or alcohol," said study's lead Hitoshi Morikawa in a press release.

Rats in the study were conditioned to choose either a black or white room with the use of a drug. They often always chose the same room that they associated with their addiction. When the addicted rats were given isradipine, the preference for the room associated with addiction was gone days after they were administered anti-hypertension drug.

Researchers believe their approach works better than approaches that prevent psychotropic drugs from giving a high. The researchers also said that isradipine can be easily moved to clinical trials as it is already approved for use by US FDA.

"Addicts show up to the rehab center already addicted. Many addicts want to quit, but their brains are already conditioned. This drug might help the addicted brain become de-addicted," Morikawa added.

The study was published in Molecular Psychiatry.