Comparison of a drug versus money and drug versus drug self-administration choice procedure with oxycodone and morphine in opioid addicts

摘要

This double-blind, placebo-controlled study investigated effects of oral morphine (0, 45, 135 mg/70kg) and oral oxycodone (0, 15, 45 mg/70kg) in buprenorphine-maintained opioid addicts. Since a 3:1 morphine:oxycodone dose ratio had yielded equivalent subjective and physiological effects in non-dependent individuals, this ratio was used in the present study. Two self-administration laboratory procedures, i.e. a drug vs. money and a drug vs. drug procedure, were assessed. Study participants (N=12) lived in the hospital and were maintained on 4 mg/day sublingual buprenorphine. When participants chose between drug and money, money was preferred over all drug doses; only high-dose oxycodone was self-administered more than placebo. When participants chose between drug and drug, both drugs were chosen more than placebo, high doses of each drug were chosen over low doses, and high-dose oxycodone was preferred over high-dose morphine. The subjective, performance-impairing, and miotic effects of high-dose oxycodone were generally greater compared to high-dose morphine. The study demonstrated that a 3:1 dose ratio of morphine:oxycodone was not equipotent in buprenorphine-dependent subjects. Both self-administration procedures were effective for assessing the relative reinforcing effects of drugs; preference for one procedure should be driven by the specific research question of interest.