Just as different things can trigger alcohol cravings from person to person, different strategies can help you manage them. They can be prescribed when someone has an alcohol dependence and wants to stop drinking, or has already stopped drinking. Although overcoming AUD is a challenging process, medications can help people stay in recovery and prevent them from returning to drinking. They are most effective in people who participate in a treatment plan that combines medication and behavioral therapy.
- Many people who have alcohol dependency problems find it useful to attend self-help groups, such as Alcoholics Anonymous (AA) or SMART Recovery.
- OT, a nine amino-acid (AA) peptide, is known to be synthesized in the magnocellular neurons of the paraventricular, supraoptic nuclei and the accessory magnocellular nuclei of the hypothalamus and released by the posterior pituitary into the peripheral circulation.
- Some studies suggest that simply getting help — whether through medication, counseling, or both — is what matters for successful management of this addiction.
- Don’t take extra pills, don’t skip pills, and don’t stop taking the pills until you talk to your doctor.
Medications for alcoholism: Medication list, benefits, risks, and more
A person may work with a mental health professional to address the underlying causes of their AUD and develop healthy coping mechanisms. They may also benefit from attending support groups where they can share their experiences with others in recovery. Some medications may cause side effects, and certain people should not take them.
Naltrexone
This can make it a good substitute for people who don’t react well to naltrexone, and also help people adjust to other medications. Doctors may recommend acamprosate for people in recovery who are no longer drinking. It helps rebalance certain chemicals in the brain and may help a person manage certain withdrawal symptoms. Some medications help reduce cravings and withdrawal symptoms, while others may improve mood and cognitive function.
- Many of these drugs and medicines are known to exhibit some deleterious side effects or are only effective in some conditions.
- However, other controlled clinical studies using buspirone have been negative.
- This study suggests that there was no overall effect of gabapentin on drinking or craving and that it was well tolerated (Myrick et al., 2007).
- We also share other medications that are under investigation for AUD, as well as non-drug alternatives for managing cravings when quitting drinking.
b. α1-adrenoreceptor antagonist
Nalmefene should only be taken if you’re receiving support to help you reduce your alcohol intake and continue treatment. It works by blocking opioid receptors in the body, stopping the effects of alcohol. You must not drive if you’re taking medication to help ease your withdrawal symptoms.
Medications to Curb Alcohol Cravings
Two such experiments using this approach were conducted in which nonalcoholic drinkers consumed alcohol under observation in a public bar. In the first experiment, subjects were randomly assigned to receive either naltrexone or a placebo for 8 consecutive days under double-blind conditions prior to each of three 2-hour drinking sessions. The three sessions were separated by 2 to 3 weeks and occurred on the evening in which the last dose of naltrexone or the placebo had been administered. The experiment used a crossover design, in which subjects switched from naltrexone to the placebo or from the placebo to naltrexone prior to each subsequent drinking session. The results showed significant increases in “latency to sip” between the first and second alcoholic drinks, although no differences were found in the subjects’ self-reports on their urge to drink. A significant reduction in total alcohol intake also was observed during the naltrexone treatment compared with the placebo “treatment” (Davidson et al. 1996).
In some studies, the combination of these drugs was reported to exhibit potent effects than when they are used alone. The drug combination strategy appears promising for AUD treatment and other behavioral deficits. The following medications are in different phases of clinical trials and have a great potential for the treatment of the AUD (Figure -2). Baclofen is an agonist of GABAB-receptors, and is used in alcohol-dependent patients at higher doses for the treatment of alcohol craving.
Health Challenges
In a recent article in the medical news column of JAMA,18 Lyon has highlighted gabapentin and some going or completing clinical trials on anticraving drugs for AUD patients under the support from NIAAA. Memantine, a non-competitive antagonist of NMDA receptors, (25 mg/kg) abolished ethanol self-administration in non-dependent (ND) rats and reduced self-administration by half in post-dependent (PD) rats during acute withdrawal. While this effect was observed only 6 hours after treatment in ND rats, it was long lasting in PD rats (at least 30 hours after injection). Furthermore, the results indicated that memantine did not modify the break-point for ethanol, suggesting that memantine acts by potentiating the pharmacological effect of ethanol but not by reducing the motivation for ethanol. Memantine was also ineffective in reducing relapse after protracted abstinence and may be used as a replacement therapy drug, but not as relapse-preventing drug (Alaux-Cantin et al., 2015). Significant progress has been made during the past two decades in understanding the biological mechanisms underlying AUD, and there are more than 30 druggable targets on which preclinical and clinical trials are underway (Noronha et al., 2014; clinicaltrials.gov).
Family therapy
About six months ago, Grayson began taking the popular weight-loss drug Ozempic. He knew the side effects could be rough, including nausea, constipation and diarrhea. But he thought it would reduce alcohol craving be worth it if he could stave off further heart problems by losing the extra weight. Paul Grayson was hit with an avalanche of health problems — high blood pressure, prediabetes and a heart arrhythmia. How you achieve that behavior change can vary from one person to another. For others, regular follow-up with their primary doctor should be enough and can work, Holt says.
The results showed that, memantine pretreatment attenuated the craving for alcohol before alcohol administration, but not after alcohol consumption. In addition, memantine did not affect alcohol-induced performance impairment, physiological changes or pharmacokinetics, however it increased dissociative effects, confusion, subjective reports of dissociation and impaired motor coordination (Bisaga & Evans, 2004). Campral (acamprosate) is the most recent medication approved for the treatment of alcohol dependence or alcoholism in the U.S. It works by normalizing alcohol related changes in the brain, reducing some of the extended physical distress and emotional discomfort people can experience when they quit drinking (also known as post-acute withdrawal syndrome) that can lead to relapse. The National Institute on Alcohol Abuse and Alcoholism () of the United States is the lead agency for US research on AUD,18 and other health and developmental effects of alcohol use. The NIAAA also gives grants to support national and international investigators to conduct basic and clinic studies on AUD.