Podcast 863: Treatments for Alcohol Use Disorder
Emergency Medical Minute · medicalminute
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Show Notes
Contributor: Aaron Lessen MD
Educational Pearls:
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Patients with alcohol use disorder are frequently discharged from the ED without further resources
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Pharmacological treatments to reduce cravings in AUD exist
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Naltrexone
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Effective at reducing alcohol cravings and heavy drinking
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Gabapentin
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Reduces the percentage of heavy drinking days in AUD
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Patients being discharged from the ED should be asked if they feel their alcohol use is a problem, which can further direct appropriate pharmacological interventions
References
1. Kranzler M.D. HR, Feinn Ph.D. R, Morris B.A. P, Hartwell Ph.D. EE. A Meta-analysis of the Efficacy of Gabapentin for Treating Alcohol Use Disorder Henry. Addiction. 2019;114(9):1547-1555. doi:10.1111/add.14655
2. Maisel NC, Blodgett JC, Wilbourne PL, Humphreys K, Finney JW. Meta-analysis of naltrexone and acamprosate for treating alcohol use disorders: When are these medications most helpful? Addiction. 2013;108(2):275-293. doi:10.1111/j.1360-0443.2012.04054.x
3. Mariani JJ, Pavlicova M, Basaraba C, et al. Pilot randomized placebo-controlled clinical trial of high-dose gabapentin for alcohol use disorder. Alcohol Clin Exp Res. 2021;45(8):1639-1652. doi:10.1111/acer.14648
Summarized & Edited by Jorge Chalit, OMSII