Researchers Uncover Prescription Treatments for Alcoholism

For decades, alcoholism was treated largely as a social and emotional issue. Many doctors considered an addiction to alcohol as a sign of emotional instability or personal weakness on the part of patients. As a result, most forms of treatment for alcoholism focused on emotional and psychological issues, with counseling, therapy, and support groups long standing as the preferred manner of addressing the problem.

Today, most medical professionals and mental health specialists have adopted a different view of alcoholism and other forms of substance abuse. This newly emerging viewpoint focuses on the physiological aspects of addiction and the ways in which the body can actually come to rely on alcohol and other substances to function.

However, even though the physiological model of addiction has attained wider acceptance in recent years, in the United States, the most popular treatment models for alcoholism continue to focus on emotional and psychological issues. Meanwhile, in many other countries, doctors have begun to rely on prescription drug regimens to help ease the intensity of alcohol addiction.

Although this practice is not yet common in the United States, there is growing support for it among some researchers. This week, we'll review some recent studies that assessed the effectiveness of drug treatments for alcohol addiction.

Study Tests Efficacy of Newly-Approved Anti-Alcoholism Drug Acamprosate

Although the drug acamprosate has been used to treat alcoholics throughout Europe since the late 1980s, it only recently received preliminary FDA approval for prescription use in the United States. Although the exact mechanisms by which acamprosate works are not yet fully understood, European studies have shown that it seems to limit the positive associations of alcohol consumption, while also reducing cravings for alcohol.

A recent study conducted by scientists at the Maricopa Integrated Health System in Phoenix, Arizona sought to assess the effectiveness of the drug as a component of alcohol dependency treatment in an American clinical setting. The study analyzed findings drawn from an experimental pool of more than 4000 subjects. Some of the participants received acamprosate, some received other prescription drugs designed to treat alcoholism, and others received placebos.

According to the study's findings, acamprosate proved to be the most effective method of treatment. The study participants who received acamprosate had the best outcomes, including fewer alcohol-related problems, fewer reported instances of relapse, longer abstinence from alcohol, and larger reported improvements in overall quality of life.

The study also found that acamprosate was both less expensive and better tolerated than most other anti-alcoholism drug regimens. Based on these findings, the researchers suggested that more alcohol treatment specialists incorporate acamprosate into their standard alcoholism treatment programs.

Drug Disulfiram Found to be an Effective Means of Deterring Alcohol Abuse

While acamprosate and other comparable drugs help speed recovery from alcoholism primarily by reducing cravings, another class of prescription treatments are designed to actually deter the act of alcohol consumption. One of the most well-known of the so-called alcohol deterrent drugs is disulfiram, which are also more common in Europe than in the United States.

A recent study conducted by the Stapleford Centre in London compared the use of disulfiram in the treatment of alcoholism in a number of countries around the world. Unlike past research efforts that focused primarily on the physical effects of the drug, this study also attempted to measure the psychological impact of disulfiram as a treatment for alcohol dependency.

After analyzing over a decade worth of data, the researchers identified a number of significant outcomes associated with disulfiram use. Most importantly, the ability of patients to remain sober in the long-term after treatment with disulfiram was much higher than with either comparable drugs or non-drug treatment. It was found that over 50% of patients who had received drug treatment continued to abstain from alcohol after two years, as compared to only 20% who had been treated with other methods.

The Drug Nalmefene is Found to Significantly Reduce Alcohol Cravings

One of the major challenges facing alcoholics in the first months of treatment are the strong, lingering cravings for alcohol. To scientists, the persistence of these cravings signals a strong physiological component of alcohol dependency.

Many recently developed drugs have focused on reducing the intensity of withdrawal and post-withdrawal alcohol cravings. The drug nalmefene is one of a new class of anti-craving prescription regimens.

According to the results of a recent study carried out by a team of Finnish scientists, nalmefene outperforms virtually all other drugs in its class in quelling alcohol cravings. Not only was the intensity and duration of cravings reduced, but the overall amount of alcohol consumed by the study participants declined dramatically, as well.

The scientists suggested that the drug may be effective at helping heavy drinkers reduce their intake to a more moderate level. This is part of an emerging framework for alcoholism treatment known as the "harm reduction" approach.

If you or a loved one is struggling with alcohol dependency, seek medical help from a licensed professional. Check this space each week for the health science news you need to live your best life!