Medication for alcohol abuse and dependence has become a viable option for treatment in the last decade. According to Mayo Clinic, there are four drug options that are approved by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) to treat alcoholism, with each having a specific purpose in the treatment process. Some of the medications are used to target detoxification and withdrawal symptoms, while others target longer term recovery from relapse with alcohol.
Best Medicine for Detox
Benzodiazepines also known as anti-anxiety medications are choice in treating the withdrawal and detox symptoms that can be experienced when first ceasing alcohol use. Valium, Librium, and Ativan are in this class of medications and provide a short-term solution for the anxiety, spasms, nausea, shaking, and hallucinations that might occur in early withdrawal. The benzodiazepines are sedating, allowing for the body to become calm, but they are also addictive and are only recommended for short-term use during the first two weeks of detoxification from alcohol.
Best Medicine for Long Term
Medications approved to help longer term sobriety include Naltrexone, Vivitrol and Acamprosate. Naltrexone, also called ReVia, is a daily oral medication that blocks the actual intoxicating effects of alcohol ingestion. Essentially a person taking Naltrexone can drink alcohol yet never feel the intoxicating effects of the alcohol. This eventually helps in reducing cravings for the substance. Vivitrol is also a version of Naltrexone, only given as an injection. The injection is given once a month and reduces urges and cravings to drink by blocking the chemicals in the brain associated with alcohol cravings. Acamprosate works in a similar fashion to oral Naltrexone by blocking chemicals in order to reduce cravings.The primary difference between the medications is length of time they have been out on the public market for use in treating long-term alcohol addiction.
Additional Medications
Disulfiram, also known as Antabuse, has been in use for several decades, and its purpose is to change how the body breaks down alcohol by causing extreme discomfort. When alcohol is ingested while on Disulfiram, a person can become nauseous, vomit, and have unpleasant headaches in order to discourage continued drinking. This medication is used as a deterrent, not to prevent cravings for the substance.
Another off-label medication recently showing promise in treating alcoholism is Topiramate.The original use for Topirimate is to treat seizures; however, clinical studies reported in the "Lancet," "Oral topiramate for the treatment of alcohol dependence," indicate this medication and similar medications might be more effective for alcohol treatment than previously known.
