Epilepsy drug may help alcoholics

Treatment with the anti- epilepsy drug topiramate appears to reduce alcohol craving and drinking in alcoholic adults, recent research suggests. Unlike existing drugs for alcohol dependence that are only started when alcohol use stops, topiramate can be given before the patient abstains. Topiramate is unique in that it targets two chemical pathways that are believed to underlie alcohol's rewarding effects. Researchers from the University of Texas Health Science Center at San Antonio, treated 150 alcohol-dependent adults with topiramate, at various doses, or with an inactive placebo. All patients also received brief behavioural therapy. Alcohol use and cravings were assessed by surveying the subjects and by performing a blood test. Throughout the 12-week study, topiramate was much more effective than placebo in curbing craving and drinking. At the end of the study, the topiramate group had 2.88 fewer drinks per day, 27.6 percent fewer heavy-drinking days, and 26.2 percent more days abstinent compared with the placebo group. Importantly, topiramate did not appear to have any direct interaction with alcohol. Side effects seen more often with topiramate than placebo included dizziness, weight loss, and memory problems, among others. It seemed that topiramate had a greater effect on drinking than the anti-alcohol drugs naltrexone and acamprosate. However, topiramate also appeared to have more severe side effects.