subject: Effective Alcohol Treatment [print this page] For some of you out there, visiting Alcoholic Anonymous may not be enough. Although they offer a fantastic support program and belief system with the 12 steps, it may not be enough. The call of alcohol may be too great to handle without having some kind of medical assistance.
Right now there are only 3 medicines that the FDA has approved for drug and alcohol treatment. These medicines will never be prescribed to you if you are still drinking because they do not keep you from drinking. They are only prescribed when you have already sto ped drinking and are trying to stay clean.
The first medicine which is approved for alcohol and drug treatment is Disulfiram. Disulfiram was the first drug that was approved to treat alcohol dependence. The purpose of this drug is to trigger negative reaction if you were to drink while taking it. This takes place because Disulfiram works against the alcohol to have a build up of acetaldehyde (which causes hang over symptoms) that's nearly 5x or maybe 10x greater than what would usually take place. In other words, this can offer you the worse hangover you ever experienced. In case you drink while taking this you can experience nausea, chest discomfort, headache, confusion, and marked uneasiness among others. Remember though that Disulfiram does not treat any withdrawal signs and symptoms nor does it stop cravings.
The second drug is Naltrexone which is otherwise identified as Revia or Depade. This drug reduces the craving for alcohol. It isn't truly clear how it operates to reduce the craving, but it is believed that the drug affects the pathways in the brain where dopamine is found. Usually it's taken as a pill and is taken over a time period of 12 weeks to assist those who have currently dedicated to quit drinking. As with Disulfiram, it is not used to teat the symptoms of withdrawal other than the cravings.
Lastly, there's Acamprosate or Campral. Out of all 3 medicines, Campral is the most recent one that received approval, even so it has been used in Europe for a long time. As with Naltexone, it isn't actually clear how Campral works with the brain to assist you maintain your abstinence. Many physicians believe that it restores a chemical balance in your brain which has been out of whack as a result of long term alcoholism. This is also the only drug that reduces the physical distress and emotional discomfort you might encounter when you quit drinking. You may find that you do not suffer from as severe sweating, anxiousness or sleep disturbances as those people who are not taking this medicine.
by: Teodora Atanasoff
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