Medications for the Treatment of Alcohol Dependence—Current State of Knowledge and Future Perspectives from a Public Health Perspective
Iga Stokłosa, Gniewko Więckiewicz, Maciej Stokłosa, Magdalena Piegza, Piotr Gorczyca, Robert Pudło
International Journal of Environmental Research and Public Health January 19, 2023 DOI: 10.3390/ijerph20031870 (opens in new tab)
Study at a glance
AI-extracted from the abstract| Characteristics | Narrative review Peer reviewed |
|---|---|
| Interventions | acamprosate disulfiram naltrexone nalmefene baclofen topiramate varenicline gabapentin psilocybin MDMA |
| Topics | Addiction |
| Keywords | Alcohol dependence Acamprosate Disulfiram Naltrexone Varenicline Psychotherapist Intensive care medicine |
| Citations | 25 |
| Key findings | Psychotherapy is the mainstay of treatment for alcoholism, with only a few approved drugs to augment it, while newer agents including baclofen, topiramate, varenicline, gabapentin, psilocybin, and MDMA show potential but require further research. |
Abstract
No single effective therapy for alcohol abuse has been found, despite it being a serious sociological and economic problem for hundreds of years. It seems difficult to find a single drug as a panacea for the alcohol problem due to the complexity of the pathophysiology of alcohol dependence. The purpose of this narrative review is to review existing and potentially future pharmaceuticals for the treatment of alcohol dependence in the most affordable way possible. Psychotherapy is the mainstay of treatment for alcoholism, while few drugs approved by legislators are available in the augmentation of this treatment, such as acamprosate, disulfiram, and naltrexone, approved by the FDA, and nalmefene by the EMA. There are recent reports in the literature on the possibility of using baclofen, topiramate, varenicline, and gabapentin in the treatment of alcohol dependence. Moreover, the results of recent clinical trials using psychoactive substances such as psilocybin and MDMA appear to be a breakthrough in the modern treatment of alcohol abuse. Despite this initial optimism, a lot of scientific effort is still needed before new pharmacological methods supporting the treatment of alcohol dependence syndrome will be widely available.
Comparable studies
Other narrative reviews on addiction, most cited first.
| Study | Year | Design | Participants |
|---|---|---|---|
| Classic psychedelics: An integrative review of epidemiology, therapeutics, mystical experience, and brain network function. General population | 2019 | Integrative review | |
| Mindfulness meditation–based pain relief: a mechanistic account | 2016 | Review | |
| Psychedelics as anti-inflammatory agents Animal models and cellular studies | 2018 | Review | |
| A narrative review of yoga and mindfulness as complementary therapies for addiction. | 2013 | Review | |
| The neuropsychopharmacology of cannabis: A review of human imaging studies | 2018 | Review |
Citations in the library
Cites 8
- MDMA-assisted therapy for severe PTSD: a randomized, double-blind, placebo-controlled phase 3 study. Nature Medicine June 1, 2021
- Percentage of Heavy Drinking Days Following Psilocybin-Assisted Psychotherapy vs Placebo in the Treatment of Adult Patients With Alcohol Use Disorder JAMA Psychiatry August 24, 2022
- THE EFFECTS OF MDMA-ASSISTED THERAPY ON ALCOHOL AND SUBSTANCE USE IN A PHASE 3 TRIAL FOR TREATMENT OF SEVERE PTSD Drug and Alcohol Dependence February 1, 2022
- Why MDMA therapy for alcohol use disorder? And why now? Neuropharmacology November 1, 2018
- Lysergic Acid Diethylamide, Psilocybin and Dimethyltryptamine in Depression Treatment: A Systematic Review Pharmaceuticals August 12, 2021
and 3 more in the library