A drug used to treat seizures and migraines may help alcoholics quit the bottle, according to a study in the US. And unlike other medications for alcohol addiction, sufferers can get help without having to completely dry out first.
"You can be treated immediately for the disorder when you are in maximum crisis," says the lead author Bankole Johnson at the University of Virginia, Charlottesville, US.
Johnson and colleagues followed the progress of 317 individuals with alcohol dependence for 14 weeks. Half received treatment with the drug topiramate, an anti-convulsant sold under the brand name Topamax, while the other half received a placebo.
At the start of the study, participants were averaging about 11 drinks per day, and drinking heavily on more than 80% of their days. They totally abstained on approximately three days a month.
By the end of the study, those receiving the drug reported drinking heavily on just 20% of days. They also averaged only 3.5 drinks per day, and managed to stay completely sober more than half the time.
"You can be treated immediately for the disorder when you are in maximum crisis," says the lead author Bankole Johnson at the University of Virginia, Charlottesville, US.
Johnson and colleagues followed the progress of 317 individuals with alcohol dependence for 14 weeks. Half received treatment with the drug topiramate, an anti-convulsant sold under the brand name Topamax, while the other half received a placebo.
At the start of the study, participants were averaging about 11 drinks per day, and drinking heavily on more than 80% of their days. They totally abstained on approximately three days a month.
By the end of the study, those receiving the drug reported drinking heavily on just 20% of days. They also averaged only 3.5 drinks per day, and managed to stay completely sober more than half the time.
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Nikita, you've read me better than most people I know in person. It's scarry - I can't beleive it was so obvious. I try to be subtle without loosing my content. I guess I've failed quite horribly. You have said exactly what I feel. Man!.
ReplyDeleteLOL!!!call me clever:))
ReplyDeleteThanks for the tip Nikita1, i shall talk to my brother in law , next time i see him !! hes a clinical pharmacist !! ( true ) : ))
ReplyDeleteOK!! pleasure!
ReplyDelete