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Drug treatment for alcoholism

There have been various studies that have been taking place just to find a reliable source that can easily treat alcoholism. All the studies that have been done in the field have shown that alcohol affects not only physically but also mentally. According to these findings doctors now have shifted their point of study towards the drugs treatment in alcoholism. Doctors wish they can achieve success in this field too.

There have been surveys and studies but they were not able to give any solid conclusion on the basis of the recent studies. There was a time when people used to question the drug treatment for the schizophrenia patients. There has been bit progress in the field of treatment of alcoholism by use of drugs. These findings and studies have been supported and financed by people who supports anti alcoholism. In the year 2005 there was launch of a new drug that proved which was further approved even by the medical councils. The search for some new drugs is on and doctors are working at it.

The withdrawal symptoms that have been shown by the patients when they quit alcohol, there are fewer cases which show withdrawal symptoms in alcohol. Only for some cases the medicinal use is required, these are cases which suspect DTs and seizures. The best way to stop these symptoms is to take some sedatives that can prove to be beneficial for you. There are many safer sedatives like chlordiazepoxide or lorazepam these would require an appropriate dose which will be reduced after some time.

There are few risks which are also associated with the use of these drugs these risks may be drowsiness, bits of withdrawal symptoms and even mild seizures and also loss of control and coordination in the person’s mind. There can be bit of tremors and even lowering of heart rate and also pulse rate. There are few antipsychotic medicines that are available to treat such disorders in the person.

Disulfiram is a drug that has been in use to prevent the liver damage in the person who has alcoholic habits. Inn breaks down the alcohol, and the toxic substance and thus preventing the liver from damaging. It also prevents hepatitis which can sometimes turn fatal, thus this medicine can be really of a great help to prevent such disorders.

This medicine is sometimes known to be effective for older patients, or for those who are severely alcoholics, these can be carefully managed by the family as to what extent the patient is suffering from. This is really helpful in controlling fatal symptoms related to alcoholism.

There are three medicines or drugs that are recommended by FDA and thus can be used to treat alcoholic abuses. These can stop trigger of the use of alcohol in an individual, and may even result in the end of withdrawal symptoms.

Naltrexone

This drug was long back approved in the year 1995, this pill is needed to be consumed daily and thus help in the treatment of alcohol related abuses. This pill works effectively and decreases the desire of a person to consume alcohol. This drug helps the person who is trying to give up drinking alcohol. Thus is a boon for those who are willing to cope up with the alcoholic syndromes. Naltrexone is growing on popularity among people and the use has tremendously increased from 14% in the year 1197 to 25% in the year 2001.

This medicine comes with few sideffects such as stomach upset depression and even drowsiness along with headache. These sideffects may usually go within a week. This medicine alone may not be sufficient enough for people who are consuming it; 6this medicine requires at most dedication and even a strong will power to leave the alcoholic habits.

In most of the cases in which people use Naltrexone, there have been cases where patients have been successful in quitting their alcoholic habits, and they didn’t even started drinking again with any excuse whatever be the case. The chances of relapse with the patients using Naltrexone are very feeble. The effect of Naltrexone remains even after the patient has left this medicine. According to few reports Naltrexone didn’t help men with long history of alcoholic abuses.

Doctors and experts are working on an injection that might be helpful for persons who do not wish to consume pill regularly. The developed injections have proved that 25% of the persons using this injection were reduced the risk of relapse to alcohol.

Acamprosate

This has been a widely used drug throughout the world since 1980, but this was approved by FDA in the year 2004. This medicine works by lowering the excited cells that increase their activity and thus desire to consume alcohol. The receptor activity lowers down thus reduce the alcoholic dependency of a person. This medicine may start affecting a person’s body after the span of a week.

There might be a few sideffects related to the use of Acamprosate, these sideffects might be diarrhea and even occasional headache to the person. According to FDA the drug may not be useful in cases where the alcohol consumption is continued by the person, the will and desire to leave alcohol should have begun and then this medicine would be appropriate to use.

There have been several studies that have been proved that Acamprosate is effective n treating alcoholic habits. The abstinence rates were higher when the studies were conducted in Europe, in many cases that were taken under scanner the results of the drugs persisted even after the person stopped using the drug.

Proper supervision is a must in cases when person is excessive alcohol consumer.

Topiramate and also other anticonvulsants

Anticonvulsants are the drugs that are used in the treatment of the schizophrenia; these are sometimes used to treat bipolar disorders too. Anticonvulsants reduce the activity of glutamate and thus reducing the urge to consume alcohol. This drug also controls the brain’s reward system thus helping to curb the cells that triggers the desire of alcohol consumption.

There are a few sideffects related to Anticonvulsants also, these are dizziness, weight loss, shivering of hands and feet and even lack of balance in the body.

This has been found as an effective drug for the control in excessive alcoholic habits. In a report in the year 2004 Anticonvulsants decreased the use of alcohol drinking in people. Large amount of studies are also done in this field to find out other affects and uses of Anticonvulsants in alcoholic abuses.

There are some other drugs also available that have been proved helpful in treating alcohol related habits and symptoms. Research is going o with the medicines that were found effective in helping people quit smoking to a large extent. Baclofen is another drug about which research is going on as it has been found helpful in treating and suppressing certain cells that triggered alcoholic habits.