Editor Name: Wilfredo Lopez-Ojeda

Designation: Associate Professor

University: University of Central Florida

Country: USA

Biography: Research Interests:
Most current research efforts in the area of cocaine addiction are concerted towards the elucidation of effective pharmacological treatments. To date, there is no FDA approved treatment for cocaine addiction. And, although several therapeutic options have been presented, none of them have proven total effectivity and may carry deleterious side effects to the body. Alternative and integrative medicine treatments may offer most suitable, inexpensive and safe options for the treatment of cocaine addiction. Research works in this area are slowly surging in response to the recognition of natural and complementary therapies effectiveness for the treatment of many psychoactive disorders including drug addiction. In particular, cocaine addictive disorders seem to affect the population in a gender-specific way. Females appear to have increased cocaine self-administration habits, start self-administrating and show faster acquisition of the drug compared to males. Furthermore, when given equal access to cocaine, females more than males appear to attain higher breakpoint values on progressive reinforcement schedules as compared to males.