FDA Approved Medications Used for Alcoholism Treatment

Naltrexone

Naltrexone is the first opiate-antagonist medication approved by the U.S. Food & Drug Administration (FDA) for use in the alcoholism treatment. Some of the many benefits of treatment with Naltrexone are:

• Most patients experience dramatic reductions in alcohol craving within hours of taking the first dose of Naltrexone
• Naltrexone blocks the "high" and other effects associated with alcohol use, thereby reducing the incentive to consume alcohol while on the medication
• Naltrexone is non-habit forming, and does NOT cause physical/psychological dependency, and can be discontinued at any time without withdrawal symptoms
• Naltrexone significantly reduces the probability of relapse
• Naltrexone can be given with most other medications, including those used to treat depression and other psychiatric conditions

Vivitrol

In the second quarter of 2006, the FDA approved a new drug called Vivitrol to help treat alcoholism.

Vivitrol is the first and only inject able version of Naltrexone, a powerful weapon alcoholism treatment and alcohol addiction. It is intended for use with those who are able to abstain from drinking in an outpatient setting. It is also indicated for use in combination with psychosocial support, such as counseling or group therapy.

At Breakthrough Addiction Recovery, we utilize Naltrexone (Revia) to reduce alcohol cravings, which has been highly effective for long term recovery. Unlike deterrent medications which may make you nauseous, Naltrexone simply and safely eliminates the "high" or "buzz" associated with alcohol. In addition, it significantly lessens the physical "need" to drink. Coupled with a personalized cognitive/behavioral program, Naltrexone allows the freedom to focus on the emotional and mental facet of addiction.

With Vivitrol, individuals who have difficulty maintaining their daily dose of Naltrexone now have the option of receiving a monthly injection of Vivitrol. The time-released formula works the same as the oral Naltrexone, and is simply another, more powerful safeguard against relapse.

Campral

Campral (acamprosate calcium) Delayed-Release Tablets were approved by the FDA on July 29, 2004. Campral is another of the new medications approved for the treatment of alcohol addiction.

Campral is a medication that helps people stay alcohol-free in combination with counseling or support groups once they have stopped drinking. Campral is thought to restore the normal brain balance, which has been disturbed in someone who is alcohol dependent.

Some other medications prescribed to help people stop drinking work differently than Campral. They either make people very ill if they drink even small amounts of alcohol or block the “high” associated with drinking alcohol.

Campral helps reduce the physical distress and emotional discomfort (e.g. sweating, anxiety, sleep disturbances) associated with staying alcohol-free. This, in combination with counseling and support groups, makes it easier for people not to drink.

In several clinical trials, Campral was shown to help up to 3 times more people stay alcohol-free than placebo pills (sugar pills). In addition, for patients who did experience a slip, or relapse, Campral prolonged the periods of abstinence and reduced the number and severity of relapses.

Campral has been used by over 1.5 million patients worldwide. Campral may also be used by people with mild to moderate liver problems.

Campral may be taken with most other medications, including those for anxiety, depression, and sleep disorders and is not addictive.

Disulfiram (Antabuse)

Antabuse, or Disulfiram as it is also known, was the first medicine approved for the treatment of alcoholism and alcohol addiction by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration.

Antabuse is prescribed to help people who want to quit drinking by causing a negative or punitive reaction if the person drinks while they are taking antabuse.

When alcohol is consumed it is metabolized by the body into acetaldehyde, a very toxic substance that causes many hangover symptoms heavy drinker’s experience. Usually, the body continues to oxidize acetaldehyde into acetic acid, which is harmless.

Antabuse interferes with this metabolic process, stops the production of acetaldehyde and prevents the oxidation of acetaldehyde into acetic acid. Because of this, antabuse will cause a build up of acetaldehyde five or 10 times greater than normally occurs when someone drinks alcohol.

The high concentration of acetaldehyde that occurs when someone drinks while taking antabuse can cause reactions that range widely from mild to severe, depending on how much antabuse and how much alcohol is consumed, none of which are pleasant.

If you drink while taking antabuse, you may and probably will experience one or ore of the following symptoms; flushing, nausea, vomiting, sweating, thirst, throbbing head and neck, headache, respiratory difficulty, chest pain, palpitations, dyspnea, hyperventilation, tachycardia, hypotension, syncope, uneasiness, weakness, vertigo, blurred vision, confusion.

Severe reactions can also occur and include respiratory depression, cardiovascular prollapse, myocardial infarction, acute congestive heart failure, unconsciousness, arrhythmias, convulsions, and death.

Only someone who wants to try to quit drinking and who is fully aware of the consequences of drinking while on the medication should take antabuse. Antabuse should never be given to some without their full knowledge or to anyone who is intoxicated or has alcohol present in their system.

Because of the possible severe reactions, antabuse should not be given to anyone with a history of severe heart disease, psychosis, or an allergy to antabuse. Women who are pregnant should not take antabuse and no one taking paraldehyde or metronidazole should use antabuse.

Antabuse serves merely as physical and psychological deterrent to someone trying to stop drinking. It does not reduce the person's craving for alcohol, nor does it treat any alcohol withdrawal symptoms.