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From California’s famed Scripps Research Institute comes a study suggesting that a class of insomnia medications may help stunt the symptoms of narcotic withdrawal as well as inhibit drug-seeking behaviors.  This preclinical study exposed oxycodone-addicted rats to an experimental dual orexin receptor antagonist drug, DORA-12, which is pharmacologically similar to the FDA approved insomnia medication suvorexant, Merck’s Belsomra.

During a 2 week period following removal of narcotic access, those animals receiving DORA-12 failed to exhibit typical opioid withdrawal symptoms manifest by escalated physical activity as well as increased food and water intake.  When given cues to seek more narcotics, the animals on DORA-12 failed to do so.  The controls receiving no DORA-12 continued to go through withdrawal.

These results are promising and may spark human studies of dual orexin receptor antagonist drugs such as suvorexant as aids to speed opioid withdrawal and improve its success rates.

https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/abs/pii/S0028390823002757?via=ihub

#opioids #withdrawal #dora #suvorexant #orexin #drugseeking #scripps