!! Read This Before Emailing Me Regarding Acamprosate calcium (Campral) !! by Alexander DeLuca, 8/21/2004.
 

New!
Harm Reduction and Individually Focused Alcohol Prevention
Neighbors et al.; IJDP; 17(4); 2006
--
"[A] brief overview of harm reduction and individually focused alcohol prevention strategies. Universal, selective, and indicated prevention strategies are described...
 
Zero-tolerance approaches continue to be the norm in... the US, despite research suggesting that harm reduction approaches can be effective. [E]xisting evidence supports that harm reduction shows considerable promise in universal prevention and have become best practices..."    
 
See also:
The MM Programme in 2004: What Type of Drinker Seeks Controlled Drinking?
-Ana Kosok, MM Program Director; IJDP; 2006
 
Overview of HR Treatments for Alcohol Problems - Witkiewitza, and  Marlatt; IJDP; 17(4); 285-294; 2006
 
Are Alcoholism Treatments Effective? The Project Match Data (PDF) - Cutler and Fishbain; 2005
 
Symposium on Moderation Management - Kern, Rotgers, and DeLuca; 109^th APA; 2001
 

 
A Combined Behavioral Intervention for Treating Alcohol Dependence [for the COMBINE Study]
Miller, Moyers, and Arciniega; from: Miller (Ed): Combined Behavioral Intervention Therapist Manual (COMBINE); 2005.
--
Comment (DeLuca):
CBI is a modular, manual-guided, semi-structured therapy integrating evidence based behavioral methods developed as the state of the art psychotherapy to be tested in the COMBINE Study. Structured around Motivational Interviewing, CBI includes assessment, feedback, and highly individualized treatment plan development that is flexible regarding treatment goal.
 
This Poster Presentation is a sneak preview of the CBI Therapist Manual (in press). CBI is probably the most thoughtfully designed, research based substance abuse therapy ever created. Clinicians, especially, will want to study this.
 
See also:
 A Group Motivational Treatment for Chemical Dependency
Foote, DeLuca, Magura, Warner, Grand, Rosenblum and Stahl; J. Substance Abuse Treatment; 17(3); 1999
 
Naltrexone for the Treatment of Alcoholism - a Meta Analysis of Randomized, Controlled Trials - Srisurapanont, 2005
 
Long-Acting Injectable Naltrexone [Vivitrol] for Alcohol Dependence - A Randomized Controlled Trial
James  Garbutt et al; JAMA; 293; 2005-04-06
 

 
New! - Design and Analysis of Trials of Combination Therapies [in the COMBINE Study]
Hoskings et. al; J Stud. Alcohol; 2005
=======
Choosing Pharmacotherapies for the COMBINE Study - Process and Procedures
Swift and Pettinati; J Stud. Alcohol; 2005
=======
When Worlds Collide: [The COMBINE Study] Blending Pharmacotherapy and Psychotherapy Research
W.R. Miller, et al.; J Stud. Alcohol; 2005
 
Comment (DeLuca):
The COMBINE trial is designed to study the efficacy (alone and combined) of naltrexone and acamprosate with 'medical management' and a psychotherapy treatment known as the Combined Behavioral Intervention. The Study is in progress. I will post more interim articles soon.
 
Related resources: 
Disulfiram collection  ;  Acamprosate collection  ;  Naltrexone collection
Abstinence and Harm Reduction for Alcohol - Academic Literature archives 
 
See also:
Comparing and Combining Naltrexone and Acamprosate - A Double-blind, Placebo-Controlled Study
Falk Kiefer, et. al.; Archives of General Psychiatry; 60(1); 2003
 
Efficacy and Safety of Naltrexone and Acamprosate in the Treatment Of Alcohol Dependence: A Systematic Review
Bouza  Carmen, et al.; Addiction; 99(7):811-828; 2004
A 1-Year Pragmatic Trial of Naltrexone vs. Disulfiram in the Tx of Alcohol Dependence - deSouza and deSouza; Alcohol and Alcoholism; 2004.
Harm Reduction: Meeting Clients Where They Are - Kate Jackson, Social Work Today, 4(6), 2004.
 

Updated! (2005-12-30)
Does Naltrexone Cause Permanent Liver Disease? (No) - Can Naltrexone be Used in the Presence of Liver Disease (Carefully)
[References with Abstract from Medline Search for 'naltrexone' and 'hepatotoxicity'] - Alex DeLuca, M.D.; 2001-06-16; Updated: 2005-12-30
--
"A review of the literature indicates that even when given at much higher doses than are needed for treating heroin or alcohol abusers, there is no evidence that naltrexone causes clinically significant liver disease or exacerbates, even at high doses, serious pre-existing liver disease." [Brewer et al.; Addiction .Biology; 2004]
 

Can Campral Cure Alcohol Abuse? - Suzanne Anderson; Journal of Addictive Disorders; 2004 -- "A serious concern is the challenge of getting the new treatments to the addicts. Our health and social policies coupled with financial priorities seem to work to keep addicts from receiving treatment. Blaming the alcoholic is still a prevalent attitude."

Comment (DeLuca):
More accessible to the non-scientist reader than most of the articles on this site about acamprosate, this article reviews the history of the development of Campral and covers most of the major studies along the way, and discusses some problems with treatment.
A pretty good review.
 

Comment:
Yes, but is there any there, there?
 

Comment:
Another underwhelming acamprosate study. Hypotheses Re: who might benefit most based on presumed pharmacological mechanism failed. All one can say is acamprosate may help some, but there is currently no way to predict whom.
 

"In comparison with other published trials of acamprosate, patients started study medication after a longer time following detoxification, had more often recommenced drinking before medication was started and had a higher drop-out rate, and this might have contributed to the lack of a treatment effect in this study.    [emphasis mine  ..alex...]
 

"At the end of one year, 41% receiving naltrexone and 17% receiving acamprosate had not relapsed. The cumulative number of days of abstinence was significantly greater, and the number of drinks consumed at one time and the severity of craving were significantly less in the naltrexone group... as was the percentage of drinking days."
 

"The combined medication was most effective with significantly lower relapse rates than placebo and acamprosate but not naltrexone... Naltrexone and acamprosate, especially in combination, considerably enhance the potential of relapse prevention."
 

"The results demonstrate that naltrexone, at the higher dose... significantly reduced alcohol consumption. When combined with naltrexone, acamprosate reduced alcohol consumption across both doses of naltrexone."
 

"CONCLUSIONS: Adding more intensive individual treatments appears to add no extra improvement beyond that obtained by prescribing acamprosate and offering an infrequent consultation with a physician"
 

"Acamprosate appears to be especially useful in a therapeutic approach targeted at achieving abstinence, whereas naltrexone seems more indicated in programmes geared to controlled consumption.  Both drugs are safe and acceptably tolerated..."
 

"RESULTS: Acamprosate alone did not substantially affect subjective, physiological, or psychomotor performance measures. Acamprosate did not alter alcohol pharmacokinetics, or alcohol-induced behavioral impairment or tachycardia, and most subjective alcohol effects were also unaltered by acamprosate as well."
 

"The mechanism of action of Campral in maintenance of alcohol abstinence is not completely understood. Chronic alcohol exposure is hypothesized to alter the normal balance between neuronal excitation and inhibition. Campral interacts with neurotransmitter systems and is hypothesized to restore the normal balance. This mechanism of action is different from that ascribed to currently available medications, which either block the 'high' associated with alcohol or induce vomiting if alcohol is ingested."
__
Comment: Ahh, OK; 'restores normal balance,' but not well understood. Is anybody else feeling decidedly underwhelmed?
 

"In a fourth study, the efficacy of CAMPRAL was evaluated in alcoholics, including patients with... polysubstance abuse and patients who had not undergone detoxification and who were not required to be abstinent at baseline. This study failed to demonstrate superiority of CAMPRAL over placebo."
 

"Acamprosate (calcium acetylhomotaurine) is used therapeutically in Europe to reduce relapse in weaned alcoholics. However, the mechanisms of acamprosate action in the central nervous system are still obscure, although early studies suggested an action on GABA receptors."
 

Comment: Month after month this document is one of the most viewed on this website; which completely baffles me <g>. Now reformatted for easier reading and HTML Print version added.   ..alex...
 

See also:
Characteristics and Motives of Problem Drinkers Seeking Help from Moderation Management Klaw; '03
"... presents survey data on the characteristics and help-seeking motives of 467 individuals..."
 

A One-Year Pragmatic Trial of Naltrexone vs. Disulfiram in the Treatment of Alcohol Dependence by deSouza & deSouza; Alcohol & Alcoholism; 39(6); pages 528-531; 2004 -- "[T]he number of patients that remained abstinent with Disulfiram were twice that with Naltrexone. The survival time till the first relapse was greater with Disulfiram [and the] number who were abstaining at the end of one year was [much greater]. Naltrexone patients had significantly lower [craving] scores..."
 

Comment:
Excellent, recent review of the issues surrounding disulfiram (Antabuse) therapy making the point that supervised administration is both safe and effective.
See also:
Commentaries about the above article from other expert clinicians and researchers regarding safety and psychological aspects of disulfiram therapy:
 
 Commentaries (PDF); Addiction; 99(1); 2004.
 

12-month, Randomized Controlled Trial of Family-Supervised Disulfiram vs. Family-Supervised Naltrexone* (Abstract) by deSouza & deSouza; Alcohol & Alcoholism (in press)

"[T]he number of patients that remained abstinent with Disulfiram were twice that with Naltrexone. The survival time till the first relapse was greater with Disulfiram... The number who were abstaining at the end of one year was 86% with Disulfiram compared to 56% with Naltrexone. However, the Naltrexone patients had significantly lower [craving] scores..."
 
 

Disulfiram for alcohol abuse: Why is such an effective drug so under-prescribed? by Colin Brewer,  Primary Care in the New NHS ; 2001

"[Looking at] only those studies in which disulfiram was [supervised] as part of the treatment programme, we find that out of 13 controlled and 5 uncontrolled studies, all but one are positive, and often very strongly positive."
 

A patient hand-out regarding the use of Antabuse (disulfiram) and naltrexone (ReVia) as pharmacologic aids in early recovery from alcohol, cocaine, or opiate dependence. I just can't say this stuff any better.
 

A patient hand-out regarding the use of naltrexone (ReVia) as an aid to early recovery for people with a goal of moderation rather than abstinence.
 

"[M]ore than 50 percent of individuals addicted to opiates such as heroin also are addicted to cocaine. A study in the Spring 2000 issue of Biological Psychiatry reports that combining buprenorphine... with disulfiram (Antabuse) was more effective than buprenorphine alone in reducing cocaine use in persons with this dual addiction."
 

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Originally posted:  2004-06-15

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