Effects of Fatty Acid Supplementation on Substance Dependent Individuals

• Status: Completed
• Trial end date: 2005-07-01
• Target enrollment: 0
• Participant gender: All

Summary

Many substance dependent individuals continue to abuse a variety of substances during treatment for their disorder. Often, substance dependent individuals are co-diagnosed with depression and violence problems. Supplements of n-3 polyunsaturated fatty acids (PUFAs) may play a role in treating individuals with such substance abuse problems. The purpose of this study is to evaluate the effectiveness of the n-3 PUFAs eicosapentaenoic acid (EPA) and docosapentaenoic acid (DPA) in treating relapse, aggression, and depression in substance dependent individuals.

• Phase: Phase 2
• Accepts Healthy Volunteers?: No

Details

• Lead Sponsor: National Institute on Drug Abuse (NIDA)

Criteria

Inclusion Criteria:

• Current or history of drug or alcohol dependence

• Used substances of abuse during the 3 months prior to study entry

• Enrolled in one of the VA New York Harbor Healthcare System Brooklyn campus substance abuse clinics

Exclusion Criteria:

• Current or history of hallucinations, delusions, or memory problems

• Major physical illness (e.g., cardiovascular, pulmonary, gastrointestinal, renal, neuromuscular, or endocrine disorder)

• Liver function test greater than one standard deviation above upper normal limit

• Allergic to fish