Call 888-647-0579 to speak with an alcohol or drug abuse counselor.

Who Answers?

Aripiprazole may be effective for alcohol addiction

A drug used to treat the symptoms of psychosis in patients with schizophrenia and bipolar disorder may also be a useful medication for individuals who are addicted to alcohol, findings published in Alcoholism: Clinical & Experimental Research suggest.

Aripiprazole, sold in the U.S. under the trade name Abilify, is an atypical antipsychotic that increases the sedative effects of alcohol, while decreasing its euphoric effects, the researchers explain. The activity of aripiprazole on dopamine receptors in the brain – areas thought to have a role in mood and addiction — suggest the drug would reduce the reinforcing effects of alcohol and thus modulate drinking behavior.

In the current study, Dr. Henry R. Kranzler and colleagues from the University of Connecticut Health Center, Farmington, examined whether aripiprazole could modify the behavioral and physiological effects of a moderate dose of alcohol in a group of social drinkers.

The 18 healthy participants were an average of 27.6 years old and were an average weight for their height. They reported drinking moderately in the 90 days prior to study enrollment: an average of 19.5 days of drinking, 1.8 days of heavy drinking, for a total of 47.8 standard drinks consumed.

The subjects were assigned to take part in three experimental sessions in random sequence: no medication; 2.5 milligrams of aripiprazole; or 10 milligrams of aripiprazole on the day prior to the laboratory session. During the session, the participants consumed alcohol served as three standardized drinks, individually measured according to their sex, body height and body weight.

The authors measured breath alcohol concentration, heart rate, blood pressure, equilibrium, and subjective effects of alcohol regularly throughout the sessions.

The consumption of alcohol led to the expected physiological and subjective responses. For instance, heart rate increased as the aripiprazole dose increased. Aripiprazole also significantly increased the sedative effects and decreased the euphoric effects of alcohol.

Pre-treatment with aripiprazole was generally well tolerated. The most commonly reported adverse event was tiredness. Other adverse events included nausea, sleepiness, headache, and difficulty sleeping.

Because aripiprazole decreases alcohol’s euphoric effects and increases its sedative effects, this drug could be useful in the treatment of heavy drinking, Kranzler’s team concludes. Overall, the findings suggest that “additional research on the effects of aripiprazole on the subjective effects of alcohol is warranted.”
_____________
SOURCE: Alcoholism: Clinical & Experimental Research, March 2008.

More Treatment & Detox Articles

Web intervention reduced students’ drinking

Heavy drinkers in the study were given an estimate of their peak blood-alcohol concentration. Heavy drinkers in the study were given an estimate of their peak blood-alcohol concentration. University students who received a brief personalized online assessment of their drinking habits reduced their alcohol consumption for at least several months afterward, a recent study by….

Questionnaire helps students evaluate drinking habits

TORONTO – Laura Adamarczuk was initially blase when asked to complete an online questionnaire to evaluate her drinking habits. The survey was compulsory for residence dons at the University of Western Ontario, but the 21-year-old felt the exercise had minimal value. A student who went out with friends about twice a week was, after all,….

Can I Get Insurance for Addiction Treatment?

Many people who find themselves in the need for quality addiction treatment wonder if there are any forms of insurance coverage available to assist in paying for the cost of treatment. While there are not state mandates in every state (not as of yet anyway) there are some ways that you can get insurance for….

Women, are you at risk for alcohol abuse?

Most people think they know what a woman alcoholic looks like –a fall-down drunk whose life is littered with DUI convictions, or maybe the sad lush acting a fool at every office party. In truth, women struggling with alcohol often look just like everybody else. An estimated 5.3 million American women either are alcoholic or….

Governments’ Drug-Abuse Costs Hit $468 Billion, Study Says

Government spending related to smoking and the abuse of alcohol and illegal drugs reached $468 billion in 2005, accounting for more than one-tenth of combined federal, state and local expenditures for all purposes, according to a new study. Most abuse-related spending went toward direct health care costs for lung disease, cirrhosis and overdoses, for example,….