Finding Best Treatment for Alcoholism

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(Ivanhoe Newswire) -- New research reveals a drug used to curb alcoholism may be most effective in people who have a family history of the disease.

Researchers from the National Institute of Alcoholism and Alcohol Abuse (NIAAA) studied the drug naltrexone (Depade) in people who were dependent on alcohol, but not seeking treatment. Naltrexone is one of four drugs approved by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration to treat alcoholism. However, it's not a widely used drug, which researchers report could be because of the results of a major study that showed the drug has a modest, though still significant benefit.

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Researchers in this study wanted to know if the drug might be more effective for people who have a family history of alcoholism than for those who do not.

Ninety-two patients in this study received either a placebo, 50 milligrams of naltrexone, or 100 milligrams of naltrexone for six days. They were then evaluated in a lab setting. Results reveal naltrexone did decrease drinking in people with a family history of alcoholism with the higher dose of the drug being most effective. In contrast to what the drug is designed to do, however, it actually increased drinking among alcoholics who do not have a family history of alcoholism. The increased effect was most significant at the highest dose of naltrexone.

Study author John H. Krystal, M.D., notes, "When studied in large groups, naltrexone appears to have a rather small effect upon the ability to reduce drinking or remain abstinent from alcohol. However, there is growing evidence that there are subgroups of patients who show substantial benefit from naltrexone, even when naltrexone fails to work in the overall trial."

Suchitra Krishnan-Sarin, Ph.D., the lead author of the study, was quoted as saying, "The results suggest that family history of alcoholism may be an important predictor of clinical response to naltrexone and could potentially be used to guide clinical practice."

This article was reported by Ivanhoe.com, which offers Medical Alerts by e-mail every day of the week. To subscribe, click on: http://www.ivanhoe.com/newsalert/.

SOURCE: Biological Psychiatry, 2007;62:694-697