Guanfacine extended-release for cannabis use disorder: A pilot feasibility trial
Open accessAbstract
Background: Currently, there are no established pharmacotherapies for cannabis use disorders (CUDs). As a long-acting alpha-2-adrenergic receptor agonist, guanfacine extended-release (G-XR) could be useful in the treatment of CUDs by mitigating withdrawal and improving behavioral control.Objectives: To evaluate the feasibility and tolerability of G-XR as a treatment for CUDs.Methods: In an eight-week open-label outpatient pilot trial, we evaluated the safety and tolerability of G-XR in 22 cannabis dependent individuals. Using 2 different titration schedules, G-XR was gradually titrated to a dose of 4 mg or the highest dose tolerated. All participants received standard medication management.Results: Retention at week eight was 41%. Average daily amount of cannabis use (in grams: F1,86 = 8.74, p = .004; in dollars: F1,86 = 16.67, p < .0001) and cannabis using days (F1,86 = 7.67, p = .007) significantly reduced over the course of study participation. There were no significant differences between the titration schedules on emergence of side effects (Fisher exact test, p = .378) or retention (Log-Rank Test X21 = 0.021, p = .886). A total of 3 participants achieved 3 weeks or greater of total abstinence.Conclusions: G-XR is a feasible treatment for CUDs, and should be evaluated further in an efficacy trial.
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New data suggest guanfacine may be helpful in treating cannabis addiction.
“new data suggest that it may be helpful in treating cannabis addiction (Dakwar et al., 2020)”
From Guanfacine’s mechanism of action in treating prefrontal cortical disorders: Successful translation across species (2020) · cites this paper as Dakwar et al., 2020
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Arnsten, A. F. T. (2020) · Neurobiology of Learning and Memory · doi:10.1016/j.nlm.2020.107327 · Cited by 75 · see citing works
“, 2018), and new data suggest that it may be helpful in treating cannabis addiction (Dakwar et al., 2020), although there are mixed results regarding its effects on withdrawal symptoms (Haney et al.”
Ketamine-facilitated behavioral treatment for cannabis use disorder: A proof of concept study
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Self-citation
- Authors
- Dakwar, E., Mahony, A., Choi, C. J., Pavlicova, M., Brooks, D., Mariani, J. J., & Levin, F. R.
- Affiliations
- New York State Psychiatric Institute (US)
- Mailman School of Public Health, Biostatistics, Columbia University, New York, NY, USA
- Corresponding author
- Dakwar, Elias
- Venue
- The American Journal of Drug and Alcohol Abuse
- Publisher
- Informa UK Limited
- Published
- 2019-07-24
- Volume
- 46
- Issue
- 1
- Pages
- 44-48
- ISSN
- 0095-2990 (ISSN-L)
- 1097-9891
- PMC
- PMC6949416
- OpenAlex
- W2963418518
- Cited by
- 5
- References
- 1
- Citations by year
- 2025: 1 · 2024: 1 · 2021: 1 · 2020: 2
- FWCI
- 0.46
- Type
- journal article
- Language
- en
- Open access
- green
- www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov
- Locations
- The American Journal of Drug and Alcohol Abuse (publishedVersion)
- PubMed (publishedVersion)
- PubMed Central (acceptedVersion)
- Funders
- National Institute on Drug Abuse (DA029647)
- Topics
- Health Sciences › Medicine › Pharmacology › Cannabis and Cannabinoid Research
- Health Sciences › Medicine › Epidemiology › Substance Abuse Treatment and Outcomes
- Health Sciences › Medicine › Physiology › Smoking Behavior and Cessation
- Keywords
- guanfacine extended release, cannabis use disorder, alpha-2 adrenergic agonists, pharmacotherapy, feasibility, tolerability, dose titration, treatment retention, cannabis withdrawal, cannabis abstinence
- MeSH terms
- Adult, Marijuana Abuse, Delayed-Action Preparations, Feasibility Studies, Female, Humans, Male, Middle Aged, Pilot Projects, United States, Guanfacine, Adrenergic alpha-2 Receptor Agonists
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