title: Acute d-amphetamine pretreatment does not alter stimulant self-administration in humans.
abstract: Recent clinical research indicates that d-amphetamine is effective in treating cocaine and methamphetamine dependence. There is concern, however, with the use of d-amphetamine as a pharmacotherapy because acute administration of d-amphetamine decreases inhibition in cocaine-using individuals and may increase drug-taking behavior. The purpose of the present experiment was to determine whether acute d-amphetamine pretreatment would alter the reinforcing, subject-rated, and cardiovascular effects of d-amphetamine. To this end, 7 human volunteers first sampled doses of oral d-amphetamine (0, 8, and 16 mg). These doses engender moderate drug taking and were selected to avoid a ceiling or floor effect. Volunteers were then allowed to self-administer these sampled doses using a modified progressive-ratio procedure in two sessions in which they received pretreatment with either 0 or 15 mg oral d-amphetamine 2 h prior to completing the modified progressive-ratio procedure. d-Amphetamine produced prototypical stimulant-like effects (e.g., increased ratings of stimulated, elevated blood pressure) and maintained responding on the modified progressive-ratio schedule. Pretreatment with 15 mg oral d-amphetamine also produced prototypical stimulant-like effects, but failed to alter break points for d-amphetamine on the modified progressive-ratio procedure relative to placebo pretreatment. These results indicate that acute d-amphetamine pretreatment does not increase stimulant self-administration.
authors.affiliation: Department of Behavioral Science, University of Kentucky Medical Center, KY 40536-0086, USA.
authors.forename: William W
authors.initials: WW
authors.lastname: Stoops
authors.forename: Andrea R
authors.initials: AR
authors.lastname: Vansickel
authors.forename: Joshua A
authors.initials: JA
authors.lastname: Lile
authors.forename: Craig R
authors.initials: CR
authors.lastname: Rush
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D000339:Affect / Q000187:drug effects; D001794:Blood Pressure / Q000187:drug effects; D000697:Central Nervous System Stimulants / Q000008:administration & dosage / Q000494:pharmacology*; D003216:Conditioning, Operant / Q000187:drug effects; D003627:Data Interpretation, Statistical; D003913:Dextroamphetamine / Q000494:pharmacology*; D004305:Dose-Response Relationship, Drug; D005260:Female; D006339:Heart Rate / Q000187:drug effects; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D012055:Reinforcement Schedule; D012646:Self Administration; D011795:Surveys and Questionnaires
chemical_list: D000697:Central Nervous System Stimulants; D003913:Dextroamphetamine