ElsevierSeptember 20, 2007Naltrexone is one of four oral medications approved by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) for the treatment of alcoholism. A recent large multicenter research study of alcohol dependence supported by the National Institute of Alcoholism and Alcohol Abuse (NIAAA), the COMBINE Study, suggested that naltrexone produced a modest but significant benefit but another FDA-approved medication, acamprosate, was ineffective. Perhaps consistent with its modest effects in COMBINE, naltrexone is not widely prescribed in the treatment of alcoholism. Yet, clinicians report that naltrexone may have significant benefits for individual patients. To make naltrexone a more useful medication, it would be important to begin to identify groups of patients who might be more or less likely to show a significant clinical benefit from naltrexone prescription and to understand the causes of differential naltrexone efficacy. A new study that will appear in the September 15th issue of Biological Psychiatry suggests that alcohol dependent individuals with a family history of alcohol dependence may be more likely than alcohol dependent individuals without a family history of alcohol dependence to reduce their drinking in the laboratory when prescribed naltrexone. Krishnan-Sarin and colleagues at the NIAAA Center for the Translational Neuroscience of Alcoholism studied alcohol consumption in the laboratory by alcohol-dependent individuals who were not seeking treatment. The participants were studied in the laboratory after 6 days of treatment with 0 mg (placebo), 50 mg, or 100 mg of naltrexone. The authors discovered that naltrexone decreased drinking in those with a family history of alcoholism and this effect was greatest with the highest naltrexone dose. However, it increased drinking in those without a family history of alcoholism and this effect was greatest at the highest naltrexone dose. John H. Krystal, M.D., one of the authors, notes that "When studied in large groups, naltrexone appears to have a rather small effect upon the ability to reduce drinking or remain abstinent from alcohol. However, there is growing evidence that there are subgroups of patients who show substantial benefit from naltrexone, even when naltrexone fails to work in the overall trial (see Gueorguieva R et al. Biol Psychiatry. 2007 Jun 1;61(11):1290-5)." According to Suchitra Krishnan-Sarin, Ph.D., the lead author, "The results suggest that family history of alcoholism may be an important predictor of clinical response to naltrexone and could potentially be used to guide clinical practice." Dr. Krystal agrees, "These data suggest that family history might influence the optimal dosing of naltrexone and the nature of the clinical response." Their hope is that these findings ultimately can contribute to a better treatment experience for some who are seeking to end their battle with alcohol.
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Related Naltrexone Current Events and Naltrexone News Articles Drug commonly used for alcoholism curbs urges of pathological gamblers A drug commonly used to treat alcohol addiction has a similar effect on pathological gamblers - it curbs the urge to gamble and participate in gambling-related behavior, according to a new research at the University of Minnesota. Naltrexone is effective for Alaska Natives and other Alaskans living in rural areas Access to treatment for alcohol dependence (AD) in rural and remote areas is limited. Gene variant predicts medication response in patients with alcohol dependence Patients with a certain gene variant drank less and experienced better overall clinical outcomes than patients without the variant while taking the medication naltrexone, according to an analysis of participants in the National Institutes of Health's 2001-2004 COMBINE (Combined Pharmacotherapies and Behavioral Interventions for Alcohol Dependence) Study. Microneedles enhance drug administration through skin In what is believed to be the first peer-reviewed study of its kind involving human subjects, researchers at the University of Kentucky College of Pharmacy and the Georgia Institute of Technology have demonstrated that patches coated on one side with microscopic needles can facilitate transdermal delivery of clinically-relevant doses of a drug that normally cannot pass through the skin. Data demonstrates alcohol does not significantly affect pharmacokinetics of Kadian Alpharma Inc. (NYSE: ALO), a leading global specialty pharmaceutical company, presented results of a Phase IV study of KADIAN® (morphine sulfate extended-release) Capsules that demonstrate the pharmacokinetics of the long-acting opioid are not significantly affected by the consumption of alcohol. Pilot study shows withdrawal drug offers symptom relief to Crohn's sufferers A Penn State College of Medicine pilot study suggests a low dose of naltrexone, a drug used to ease symptoms of alcohol and drug addiction, may also bring relief to people with Crohn's disease, a chronic inflammatory disorder of the intestine that affects an estimated 500,000 Americans. The G allele of the mu-opioid receptor gene is linked to craving for alcohol The study of genes and their influence on alcohol consumption can operate on many different levels. Some studies examine how genes may interact with the environment, some look specifically at family history of alcohol dependence, and some zero in on "pieces" of genes and their influence on drinking. Drug may help women stop smoking Adding the opiate blocker naltrexone to the combination of behavioral therapy and nicotine patches boosted smoking cessation rates for women by almost 50 percent when assessed after eight weeks of treatment. DNA highly-promising predictor for successful treatment of alcoholics According to Dutch researcher Wendy Ooteman, the biological and genetic characteristics of alcoholics can predict which drugs will best suppress the desire to drink. Alcoholism-treatment medication acamprosate may help abstinent alcoholics sleep better Alcoholics generally don't sleep well. Nor does abstinence improve the situation much. In fact, sleep difficulties during alcohol abstinence may be responsible for a relapse to alcoholism as individuals attempt to self medicate their sleeping problems. More Naltrexone Current Events and Naltrexone News Articles |
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