Updated November 28, 2014.
Hailed as a landmark discovery that is likely to change the direction of clinical alcoholism treatment, researchers at The University of Texas Health Science Center at San Antonio announced that topiramate is effective at promoting abstinence among alcohol-dependent individuals.
In a news release from the Texas center, leading researchers in the alcoholism field welcomed the news of the topiramate study:
"Professor Bankole Johnson and colleagues have made a landmark discovery by demonstrating the utility of topiramate in the treatment of alcohol dependence," said Domenic Ciraulo, M.D., professor and chairman of the department of psychiatry at Boston University. "This finding is a major scientific advance in the treatment of alcoholism, and considerably increases our understanding of the neurobiology of the alcoholism disease process.
"The research design used, which enrolled drinking patients who plan to become abstinent, affords the practical innovation of delivering immediate help to those in crisis. The results of this remarkable study open up new and exciting directions for the pharmacological treatment of alcohol dependence." "The strength of their findings is likely to change the direction of clinical alcoholism treatment and will be welcome news for practitioners," said Robert Malcolm, M.D., of the Center for Drug and Alcohol Programs at the Medical University of South Carolina, where he is associate dean and professor of psychiatry and family medicine.
He said "the results of Professor Johnson's study suggest that topiramate, even in low doses early in treatment, has the capacity to ameliorate the turbulence of anxiety and mood instability that accompanies cessation from alcohol. Topiramate also produced a robust effect on improving maintenance of abstinence and reduced alcohol use. A single pharmacologic agent that enhances early abstinence, stabilizes mood and anxiety symptoms, and promotes long-term abstinence with only modest psychosocial intervention is indeed a remarkable treatment advance."
"Although at present we have few pharmacologic agents to treat alcoholism, research groups such as Professor Johnson's are working hard to provide new treatment alternatives," said Raye Z. Litten, Ph.D., chief, Treatment Research Branch, National Institute on Alcohol Abuse and Alcoholism (NIAAA). "If this promising finding is replicated and topiramate is approved by the FDA (U.S. Food and Drug Administration), it should bring new hope to many who struggle with this devastating disorder."
Charles L. Bowden, M.D., professor of psychiatry and pharmacology and the Nancy Ullman Karren Chair in Psychiatry at the Health Science Center, said "the evidence of topiramate's benefits on cessation of alcohol dependence is noteworthy on two intriguing accounts. Not only was self-reported drinking reduced, but a strictly objective lab test measure for evidence of recent alcohol use (plasma GGT) showed the benefit of topiramate."
The investigation team included Nassima Ait-Daoud, M.D.; Professor Bowden; John D. Roache, Ph.D.; Kevin Lawson, Ph.D.; Martin A. Javors, Ph.D.; and Jennie Z. Ma, Ph.D., all of the START Center at the UT Health Science Center, and Carlo C. DiClemente, Ph.D., professor and chairman of psychology at the University of Maryland.
Nearly 14 million Americans ? 1 in every 13 adults ? abuse alcohol or are alcoholic, according to the NIAAA. Several million more adults engage in risky drinking that could lead to alcohol problems. This behavior includes binge drinking and heavy drinking on a regular basis. In addition, 53 percent of men and women in the United States report drinking problems in close relatives. Alcohol-related problems cost society about $185 billion per year, the NIAAA estimates.
Part One: Finally, A Pill for Alcoholism?.
Source: University of Texas Health Science Center at San Antonio.
Hailed as a landmark discovery that is likely to change the direction of clinical alcoholism treatment, researchers at The University of Texas Health Science Center at San Antonio announced that topiramate is effective at promoting abstinence among alcohol-dependent individuals.
In a news release from the Texas center, leading researchers in the alcoholism field welcomed the news of the topiramate study:
"Professor Bankole Johnson and colleagues have made a landmark discovery by demonstrating the utility of topiramate in the treatment of alcohol dependence," said Domenic Ciraulo, M.D., professor and chairman of the department of psychiatry at Boston University. "This finding is a major scientific advance in the treatment of alcoholism, and considerably increases our understanding of the neurobiology of the alcoholism disease process.
"The research design used, which enrolled drinking patients who plan to become abstinent, affords the practical innovation of delivering immediate help to those in crisis. The results of this remarkable study open up new and exciting directions for the pharmacological treatment of alcohol dependence." "The strength of their findings is likely to change the direction of clinical alcoholism treatment and will be welcome news for practitioners," said Robert Malcolm, M.D., of the Center for Drug and Alcohol Programs at the Medical University of South Carolina, where he is associate dean and professor of psychiatry and family medicine.
He said "the results of Professor Johnson's study suggest that topiramate, even in low doses early in treatment, has the capacity to ameliorate the turbulence of anxiety and mood instability that accompanies cessation from alcohol. Topiramate also produced a robust effect on improving maintenance of abstinence and reduced alcohol use. A single pharmacologic agent that enhances early abstinence, stabilizes mood and anxiety symptoms, and promotes long-term abstinence with only modest psychosocial intervention is indeed a remarkable treatment advance."
"Although at present we have few pharmacologic agents to treat alcoholism, research groups such as Professor Johnson's are working hard to provide new treatment alternatives," said Raye Z. Litten, Ph.D., chief, Treatment Research Branch, National Institute on Alcohol Abuse and Alcoholism (NIAAA). "If this promising finding is replicated and topiramate is approved by the FDA (U.S. Food and Drug Administration), it should bring new hope to many who struggle with this devastating disorder."
Charles L. Bowden, M.D., professor of psychiatry and pharmacology and the Nancy Ullman Karren Chair in Psychiatry at the Health Science Center, said "the evidence of topiramate's benefits on cessation of alcohol dependence is noteworthy on two intriguing accounts. Not only was self-reported drinking reduced, but a strictly objective lab test measure for evidence of recent alcohol use (plasma GGT) showed the benefit of topiramate."
The investigation team included Nassima Ait-Daoud, M.D.; Professor Bowden; John D. Roache, Ph.D.; Kevin Lawson, Ph.D.; Martin A. Javors, Ph.D.; and Jennie Z. Ma, Ph.D., all of the START Center at the UT Health Science Center, and Carlo C. DiClemente, Ph.D., professor and chairman of psychology at the University of Maryland.
Nearly 14 million Americans ? 1 in every 13 adults ? abuse alcohol or are alcoholic, according to the NIAAA. Several million more adults engage in risky drinking that could lead to alcohol problems. This behavior includes binge drinking and heavy drinking on a regular basis. In addition, 53 percent of men and women in the United States report drinking problems in close relatives. Alcohol-related problems cost society about $185 billion per year, the NIAAA estimates.
Part One: Finally, A Pill for Alcoholism?.
Source: University of Texas Health Science Center at San Antonio.