Why Aren’t Doctors Prescribing Medication Effective for Treating Alcohol Abuse?

Researchers from the University of North Carolina, Chapel Hill analyzed 122 previous studies that examined the effects of drugs that suppress alcohol cravings. Their findings suggest that more doctors should prescribe them.

Dr. Daniel Jonas, the first author of the study and associate professor at UNC, is puzzled as to why more doctors aren't prescribing acamprosate and naltrexone to patients who have alcohol dependency problems. These two drugs help regulate brain chemistry that is altered by alcohol consumption, which helps suppress cravings and temptation.

Acamprosate is a delayed-release tablet taken orally and prevents the consumer from drinking alcohol. Naltrexone is also a tablet taken orally and helps the consumer avoid drugs and alcohol. It also has different dosage periods, including once every other day, once every third day, or once every day except Sunday, unlike Acamprosate, which is typically taken three times a day.

"These drugs are really underused quite a bit, and our findings show that they can help thousands and thousands of people," said Dr. Jonas, in this Fox News article. "They're not blockbuster. They're not going to work for everybody. But they can make a difference for a lot of people."

The study, "Pharmacotherapy for Adults With Alcohol Use Disorders in Outpatient Settings," was published Wednesday in the Journal of the American Medical Association. The research sought to discover the benefits and harms of the medications for adults with alcohol use disorders. In the 122 previous studies, the researchers concluded that these two drugs were associated with a reduction in a patient's return to drinking. Additionally, more people benefitted from the medication than the typical behavioral treatment suggested for people with alcohol issues.

Nalmefene and topiramate, two drugs used to treat alcohol dependence that have yet to be approved by the FDA, also revealed benefits for patients in the studies that were analyzed. These medications saw decreases in heavy drinking days per month.

This study could provide health officials and doctors with pertinent information, especially since it comes a few days after the World Health Organization released a report on worldwide alcohol consumption and found that 3.3 million deaths were associated with the harmful use of alcohol in 2012.