The figure shows a line graph of the proportion of study participants using cocaine during a 13-week study period. Clinicians rated their ADHD symptoms with several different rating instruments weekly, biweekly, or monthly. Each week, each patient reported his or her past-week cocaine use and gave up to three urine samples for testing for cocaine metabolites. All patients also were scheduled for weekly CBT sessions that addressed their CUD and ADHD. The patients received an extended-release formulation of mixed amphetamine salts, in starting doses of 80 milligrams per day or 60 milligrams per day, or a placebo. They tested the idea with 126 adults, 18 to 60 years old, who had come to NYSPI and UM seeking treatment for CUD and also were diagnosed with ADHD. John Grabowski and researchers from the New York State Psychiatric Institute (NYSPI), Columbia University, and the University of Minnesota (UM) hypothesized that mixed amphetamine salts would alleviate ADHD and CUD in patients with both disorders. And, they stimulate the brain’s reward system, which might reduce drug craving.ĭr. First, the amphetamines compete with cocaine for access to receptors for neurotransmitters, which might prevent cocaine from triggering the massive dopamine release that makes users feel high. Two of their pharmacological actions suggest that they might also be used to help people with cocaine use disorder (CUD) abstain from using the drug. Formulations of mixed amphetamine salts (e.g., Adderall) are widely used and effective for treating ADHD.

What is amphetamine salts for