Drugs used to treat alcoholism

There are currently only three drugs approved by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) for the treatment of alcohol abuse and alcohol addiction. None of these drugs are prescribed to people who still drink alcohol. They are only intended for those who have already stopped drinking and are trying to maintain abstinence...

There are no drugs on the market that are prescribed for people who are still drinking alcohol, which will cause them to stop drinking. They must first stop drinking and then they may be candidates for any of these treatments.

Antabuse (disulfiram) as a drink

Antabuse (disulfiram) was the first drug approved for the treatment of alcohol abuse and alcohol dependence. It works by causing a serious side effect when someone taking the drug consumes alcohol. Most people who take it vomit after drinking alcohol. This in turn is supposed to deter drinking...

Disulfiram was first developed for use in manufacturing processes in the 1920s. Antabuse’s alcohol-inhibiting effects were first noted in the 1930s. Workers in the vulcanized rubber industry who were exposed to tetraethylthiuram disulfide fell ill after drinking alcohol...

In 1948, Danish researchers searching for treatments for parasitic stomach infections discovered the alcohol-related effects of disulfiram when they too became ill after drinking alcohol. Researchers began a series of new studies on the use of disulfiram to treat alcohol addiction...

Shortly thereafter, the FDA approved disulfiram for the treatment of alcoholism. It was first manufactured by Wyeth-Ayerst Laboratories under the brand name Antabuse.

Initially, disulfiram was given in larger doses to create an aversion to alcohol by making patients very sick when they drank. Later, after many reported severe reactions (including a few deaths), Antabuse was given in smaller doses to aid in alcohol abstinence...

Naltrexone against food cravings

Naltrexone is sold under the brand names Revia and Depade. A monthly injectable, extended-release form of naltrexone is sold under the trade name Vivitrol. It works in the brain by blocking the highs that people experience when they drink alcohol or use opioids like heroin and cocaine...

Naltrexone was first developed in 1963 to treat opioid addiction. In 1984 it was approved by the FDA for the treatment of drugs such as heroin, morphine, and oxycodone. At the time, it was being marketed by DuPont under the brand name Trexan.

In the 1980s, animal studies discovered that naltrexone also lowered alcohol consumption. Human clinical trials followed in the late 80s and early 90s. These showed that naltrexone, when combined with psychosocial therapy, can reduce alcohol cravings and reduce relapse rates in alcoholics...

The FDA approved the use of naltrexone for the treatment of alcohol use disorders in 1994. DuPont then renamed the drug Revia.

Campral (acamprosate) for ailments

Campral (acamprosate) is the newest drug approved in the United States for the treatment of alcohol addiction or alcoholism. It reduces the physical strain and emotional discomfort that people usually feel when they stop drinking.

In 1982 the French company Laboratoires Meram developed Acamprosat for the treatment of alcohol addiction. It was tested for safety and effectiveness from 1982 to 1988 when it was approved by the French government for the treatment of alcoholism. It was first marketed under the name Aotal...

Acamprosate has been widely used across Europe to treat alcoholics for more than 20 years. It wasn’t approved for use in the United States until July 2004. It was first marketed in the US in January 2005 under the brand name Campral..Campral is currently marketed in the United States by Forest Pharmaceuticals.