Can you make a antibody for cocaine?

Can you make a antibody for coc aine? So that when an addict ingests the drug they will get really sick(fever,vomiting,bad diarrhea,chills etc) so it would discourage potential new users into using the drug.

you could, but honestly...

who would WANT to?

Yes, you can. In fact, there are many studies examining just such an idea, mainly, the creation of a "coc aine vaccine" that causes the body to produce coc aine-binding antibodies. It wouldn't make you sick or anything like that...you might be thinking of a drug called Antabuse, which used to be (and still is, occasionally) given to alcoholic to induce sickness if they drink. This isn't an antibody, it's a chemical that inactivates acetaldehyde dehydrogenase, an enzyme necessary to break down a product of alcohol metabolism.

The same drawbacks apply to these antibodies as with any others. The longer you go without encountering coc aine, the smaller your immune response will be when you do eventually encounter it. Not to mention, it would be entirely worthless in people who are immunocompromised.

It's an interesting idea, for sure. With a little more tweaking and experimentation, it could be very useful.

Originally posted by VneZonyDostupa
Yes, you can. In fact, there are many studies examining just such an idea, mainly, the creation of a "coc aine vaccine" that causes the body to produce coc aine-binding antibodies. It wouldn't make you sick or anything like that...you might be thinking of a drug called Antabuse, which used to be (and still is, occasionally) given to alcoholic to induce sickness if they drink. This isn't an antibody, it's a chemical that inactivates acetaldehyde dehydrogenase, an enzyme necessary to break down a product of alcohol metabolism.

The same drawbacks apply to these antibodies as with any others. The longer you go without encountering coc aine, the smaller your immune response will be when you do eventually encounter it. Not to mention, it would be entirely worthless in people who are immunocompromised.

It's an interesting idea, for sure. With a little more tweaking and experimentation, it could be very useful.

What would it do to people that are already addicted to the substances.

reply to post by John_Rodger_Cornman


That would depend on a lot of different factors. The few studies I skimmed were mostly performed in rats with varying degrees of coc aine habituation (addiction). In rats that had used very little or none at all, it basically eliminated the urge to self-treat with coc aine (they usually have a cannula/IV line inserted in the rate, which is then hooked up to a small lever that delivers a dose of coc aine whenever the rat presses it). I haven't seen many studies that looked at the effects at giving it to longterm addicts.

Physiologically, though, it would be a pretty rough treatment. The problem with coc aine is that it initially causes a huge increase in dopamine, norepinephrine, and serotonin in the cleft between nerves, but the level of the neurotransmitters eventually drops off because coc aine is blocking the transport mechanism that is responsible for bringing these transmitters back into the neurons before they degrade. So, over time, you get a smaller and smaller amount of neurotransmitter being release, along with a larger number of transmitter receptors (a side effect of constant stimulation). So, if you gave a vaccine that caused a system-wide production of coc aine antibodies, it would effectively be like going "cold-turkey". You would take coc aine, but get little to no effect. Without other supportive therapy, this could cause depression and hallucinations. All of this is based on my experience with patients who went through similar treatments, but by no means is it conclusive, so if you see a study with contradictory information, please share!