Cardiovascular Interactions of Desipramine,Fluoxetine, and Cocaine in Cocaine-Dependent Outpatients

The authors investigated the subacute cardiovascular effects of cocaine use alone and with antidepressants. At study entry, 55 cocaine-dependent (DSM-III-R) patients with cocaine-positive urines had slightly higher resting heart rates and blood pressures than 36 patients with cocaine-negative urines, which achieved significance (P < 0.05) for three of eleven parameters. A repeated-measures analysis of medication-compliant patients found no significant cardiovascular differences between cocaine-positive and cocaine-negative urine conditions for either desipramine (n = 10) or fluoxetine (n = 20). Cocaine use appears to produce minimal subacute cardiovascular effects, which are not accentuated by desipramine or fluoxetine, in physically healthy cocaine-dependent patients. (American Journal on Addictions 1996; 5:321–326)