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Potential Drug Treatment for Alcoholism
A drug currently approved to treat bipolar disorder and schizophrenia may play a role in the treatment of alcoholism. The drug is called aripiprazole (Abilify); researchers say more research is needed, but this first study found the drug helps lessen the euphoric effects of alcohol.
Aripiprazole is a dopamine partial agonist, so it works differently in the body than other dopamine drugs. Study authors say the drug has different effects at different dose levels, so it is important to give the right amount of the drug to achieve the right results.
For the study, researchers recruited 18 social drinkers — nine men and nine women. Each participant completed three sessions in which they were given no medication, or 2.5 milligrams or 10 milligrams of aripiprazole. Then they were given three drinks and researchers measured their breath alcohol concentrations, heart rate, blood pressure, body sway and other subjective effects.
“Findings show that aripiprazole made the drinkers sleepier and they experienced less pleasure from alcohol than they might have without it,” says Henry Kranzler, a professor in the department of psychiatry at the University of Connecticut Health Center. Study authors say this is just preliminary research but one benefit might be that aripiprazole may be more tolerated than other drugs, causing fewer side effects. But researchers say that is still not proven and additional studies need to happen to determine if aripiprazole is a potential treatment for alcoholism.
_________ source: Alcoholism: Clinical & Experimental Research, 2008;32:573-578
Whether you live in Britain, Canada, the U.S. or one of many other countries around the world, alcohol consumption is one of the leading causes of preventable death. When people think about alcohol problems, the image of someone with severe drinking problems usually comes to mind. However, one of the interesting facts about alcohol is….
We love quick, tidy solutions in this country. With health problems, in particular, we’re impatient. Pills to ease each and every symptom? Great. Same-day surgery? Terrific. A scheduled cesarean section? Bring it on. ¶ But in the case of drug and alcohol dependence, it’s becoming increasingly clear that there is no such thing as get-well-quick….
Many people suffer from both co-occurring chemical dependency disorders and behavioral health problems such as anxiety and depression. This condition is commonly known as dual diagnosis. What is worse is that it is more prevalent than many people realize. According to a study conducted by the Journal of the American Medical Association, nearly 53 percent….
Once you have completed drug treatment it’s easy to think that you are out of the danger zone and fully recovered from addiction. Unfortunately, the reality is that you are not ever in the clear and out of the danger zone when it comes to addiction. Recovery from addiction is a long term (lifelong) effort….
VANCOUVER – Health workers on Vancouver’s Downtown Eastside say they have complained for years about drug addicts being offered kickbacks from pharmacists to fill their methadone prescriptions, a problem they say is getting worse. “We all know about it. The clients know about it, we know about it, but it’s like it’s falling on deaf….
