Medication for Alcoholism: Disulfiram, Naltrexone, Campral, Acamprosate
| On Jul08,2022Content
This summary was prepared by the John M. Eisenberg Center for Clinical Decisions and Communications Science at Baylor College of Medicine, Houston, TX. It was written by Amelia Williamson Smith, M.S., Thomas Kosten, M.D., and Michael Fordis, M.D. People with alcohol use disorder reviewed this summary. Other things, such as having low self-esteem or being impulsive, may raise the risk of alcohol use disorder. Seek out friends, family members, and healthcare professionals who help you stay on your new path. §—Antidepressants increased the risk of suicidal thinking and behavior (suicidality) in children, adolescents, and young adults in short-term studies of major depressive disorder and other psychiatric disorders.
People with AUD may need medical help to avoid life-threatening alcohol withdrawal symptoms if they decide to abruptly stop drinking. Withdrawal symptoms can include anxiety, tremors, nausea, and insomnia. In severe cases, withdrawal can progress to seizures and delirium tremens, which is characterized by visual hallucinations, profound confusion, agitation, hyperthermia, and cardiovascular collapse. Delirium tremens has a mortality rate of up to 37% without appropriate treatment. All individuals suffering from AUD deserve treatment and can recover, no matter the severity of the disorder.
Implementing Medication Use in Primary Care Settings
The optimal dose for alcohol dependence has yet to be established and may be lower than that the target dose of 300 mg per day tested in prior research. One of the strengths of acamprosate is its side-effect profile; the most common side effects are gastrointestinal in nature. Acamprosate can be used in patients with moderate liver disease but is contraindicated in patients with severe renal impairment, and dose reductions are recommended for those with mild-to-moderate levels of renal impairment. A support group or care program may be helpful for you and your loved ones.
“Naltrexone works by blocking receptors in the brain that cause the pleasurable feelings you get from alcohol. It can be given as a daily pill or as a monthly injection,” Weaver says. Side effects include nausea, drowsiness, headache, and irritability. Naltrexone also blocks your response to opioid pain relievers — if you need pain relief for any reason, let other healthcare providers know you’re on it.
Who should not receive VIVITROL?
The balance of these systems in the brain of a person who has been drinking heavily for a long time gets thrown off, Holt says. “Acamprosate is designed to level out those abnormalities and provide some stability.” When you drink alcohol while taking naltrexone, you can feel drunk, but you won’t feel the pleasure that usually comes with it. “You’re trying to make that relationship with alcohol have no rewards,” Holt says.
- In the early 2000s, the U.S. completed a series of trials and the Food and Drug Administration approved its use.
- Disulfiram causes nausea, vomiting, and dysphoria with coincident alcohol use.
- Tell your healthcare provider about all the medicines you take, including prescription and non-prescription medicines, vitamins, and herbal supplements.
Learn which activities can cause serious problems for some people. “Sudden withdrawal of alcohol can cause a spike in blood pressure, rapid heart rate, and extreme excitability.” This can lead to delirium tremens — tremors and delirium. “In extreme cases, untreated alcohol withdrawal can lead to seizures, heart attack, or stroke,” Dr. Weaver warns. While cirrhosis scars from excessive drinking are irreversible, quitting alcohol and leading a healthier lifestyle can help your liver heal from alcohol-related liver disease. Chronic alcohol consumption elevates brain inflammation in animals, and earlier research showed that ibudilast was effective in reducing rats’ alcohol consumption.
ASK YOUR HEALTHCARE PROVIDER IF
Acamprosate is believed to normalize the balance between excitatory and inhibitory pathways altered by chronic alcohol consumption (Littleton and Zieglgansberger 2003), although the actual mechanism of action is uncertain. Using combined data from three European studies that were the basis of the approval of acamprosate in the United States, Kranzler and Gage (2008) found that acamprosate improved rates of continuous abstinence, percent days abstinent, and time to first drink. Two studies conducted in the United States did not find overall efficacy for acamprosate (Anton et al. 2006; Mason et al. 2006); however, sober house the methods of these studies differed in substantial ways from the European studies. Notably, 90 percent of patients in the European acamprosate clinical trials received inpatient detoxification, compared with only 2.3 percent and 7.7 percent of those in U.S. trials (Mason and Crean 2007). The prevalence of unidentified or untreated unhealthy alcohol use remains high. With the advent of pharmacotherapy and models of counseling appropriate for use in primary care settings as well as in specialty care, clinicians have new tools to manage the range of alcohol problems across the spectrum of health care settings.
SAMHSA offers tools, training, and technical assistance to practitioners in the fields of mental health and substance use disorders. The coexistence of both a substance use disorder and a mental illness, known as co-occurring disorders, is common among people with Substance Use Disorders. In addition, individuals may have other health related conditions such a hepatitis, HIV and AIDS. Buprenorphine, methadone, and naltrexone are used to treat opioid use disorders (OUD) to short-acting opioids such as heroin, morphine, and codeine, as well as semi-synthetic opioids like oxycodone and hydrocodone.
SSRIs probably do not benefit patients who are not depressed but might benefit those who are depressed. Topiramate facilitates GABA function and antagonizes glutamate, which should decrease mesocorticolimbic dopamine after alcohol and reduce cravings. One double-blinded trial with 150 subjects for 12 weeks suggests this is the case (decreased drinking, decreased craving, and greater abstinence). Topiramate is not approved for this use by the US Food and Drug Administration. Thanks to years of research, doctors and health professionals now have a full menu of options to treat alcohol use disorders. Building on this progress, scientists continue to work on new medications and discover new ways to improve the effectiveness, accessibility, quality, and cost-effectiveness of treatment for people who have alcohol use disorders.
- While there is no medication today that can cure alcoholism, there are some that can assist in the recovery process.
- By extending treatment to primary care, many people who do not currently receive specialty care may have increased access to treatment.
- Alcohol use disorder can be a long-term condition, like high blood pressure or asthma.