With drug use and addiction at epidemic levels, the search is on to find ways to combat the disease while understanding its underlying causes. And, while both men and women may develop an addiction, it is known that women develop their addiction more quickly on average, use more of a given substance, and suffer greater consequences than men. Now, newly published research from the Icahn School of Medicine at Mt. Sinai has found that raised hormone levels in women, particularly estrogen, may play a role in cocaine use, demand, and addiction.
As reported in The Fix, an online journal dedicated to drug addiction research and treatment, the research conducted on mice found that females at the height of their estrous cycle, when hormones are most concentrated, showed both a greater predilection to the pleasure stimuli delivered by cocaine and an increase in behaviors that suggested dependence or addiction. Researchers believe that the elevated hormones levels increase dopamine reward signals generated by the cocaine to the point that the mice sought cocaine in areas where it was administered, even when though it was not present.
Because this trigger occurs when hormone levels are highest, the researchers believe that the use of hormonal birth control products may be a key element in cocaine addiction treatment. Because this type of birth control changes hormone levels, it is thought that it may not only limit dopamine release but also diminish the pleasure responses that dopamine provides.
However, researchers are quick to say that so far, this cocaine addiction research is speculative, pointing out that hormone levels and increased pleasure signals from cocaine are merely correlated. We don’t know if hormones are, in fact, a cause of addiction or dependence.
 |
| With cocaine use still claiming thousands of lives across the U.S., better methods of cocaine addiction treatment are sorely needed. Source: drugabuse.gov |
Exploring the efficacy of hormone-based birth control for drug addiction treatment is not without precedent, as these products are often prescribed for reasons beyond pregnancy prevention. Brands such as Beyaz and others have long been used to help treat acne, endometriosis, irregularities of the menstrual cycle, and other conditions.
While numerous deficiencies in the current study were cited (the study didn’t control for hormone level differences between women and gender differences), it does open the door for further research into the nature of addiction. According to Dr. Calipari, birth control may not be a cure for addiction, but it could facilitate more successful drug addiction treatment and a reduction in relapse rates for a host of addictive substances besides cocaine, including tobacco, narcotics, and alcohol.
