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Epilepsy Drug may Help Overcome Alcoholism
October 10, 2007 at 7:02 PM
Drug News
The study showed that with the help of the drug Topamax, heavy drinkers were able to reduce their alcohol intake and increase the number of days they were completely sober in a matter of 14 weeks.
The results suggest that the medication could be a useful tool for alcoholics when they need it most, when they are still in the grip of their addiction, and battling the cravings that drive them to the bottle.
"This is good news for people in crisis," said Professor Bankole Johnson, the lead author of the study who is chairman of the department of psychiatry and neurobehavioral sciences at the University of Virginia in Charlottesville.
"This is a drug that they can get from their family doctor, which means they could potentially be treated in the community, instead of having to leave their jobs and their families to seek treatment in a rehab facility as is often the case."
Johnson said that the drug, which is already being used off-label to treat alcoholism, appears to reduce the alcoholic's cravings by addressing neurotransmitter imbalances in the brain that have been induced by long-term alcohol abuse.
In his study, 371 alcoholics were enrolled in a 14-week trial -- all of them still drinking heavily on an almost daily basis.
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More News on: Alcoholic Liver Disease, Drug Toxicity, Epilepsy, Febrile Fits / Febrile Convulsions , Signature Drug Toxicity, Pancreatitis, Reye’s Syndrome
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