Q: I think of your column as providing a great public service. For that purpose I urge you to inform people of the great potential that baclofen has to treat alcoholism. In particular, it has been very successful in taking away the craving that causes alcoholics to backslide after completing a treatment program. The drug is safe now and is said to be safe to use. You are probably aware of Dr. Olivier Ameisen’s book The End of my Addiction about his struggle with the disease and his great success in treating himself with baclofen.
Since this is a generic drug, pharmaceutical companies are not willing to run clinical trials on it, there is no profit in it for them. However, due to an anonymous donation, Amsterdam University started a clinical trial in January 2011. People suffering from alcoholism need not wait for the results of the trial, they may request the drug from their doctor now.
Please spread the word in your column of this drug. If additional studies are recommended, then perhaps you and your readers can apply pressure where it is needed to make them happen.
A:Generic baclofen with brand names Lioresal and Gablofen, is promoted as a muscle relaxant and antispastic agent for the pain, stiffness and spasms of multiple sclerosis, cerebral palsy and spinal injuries. As with many drugs, it is also used for other purposes, as well.
According to one 2011 report in the Oxford Journals, 42 individuals participated in a 12-week double blind placebo-controlled clinical trial. Fourteen were placed on 10 mg baclofen three times daily vs a like number on a 20 mg dose of the same medication and same frequency. The last 14 were on a placebo. A 53% reduction in the number of drinks per day consumed was recorded on the 10 mg dose, as opposed to those on the higher dose that had a 68% reduction in the number of drinks consumed per day during the 28 days prior to randomization. This translated to provisional evidence of a dose-response effect for baclofen in the treatment of alcohol dependence.
In 2010 the U. S. National Library of Medicine reported on the efficacy and safety of baclofen for alcohol dependence from the Department of Psychiatry, University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill. Seventy six subjects completed the study. The drug was well tolerated with only two individuals discontinuing it because of adverse events. There were no serious adverse events. In conclusion, baclofen represents a possible new pharmacotherapeutic approach to alcohol dependence. Despite the positive trials in Italy, the current trial did not find evidence that baclofen is superior to placebo in the treatment of alcohol dependence. Additional clinic trial work is necessary. In essence, the reviews appear mixed-to-positive for individuals addicted to alcohol.
Currently there are three medications approved by the FDA for treating alcohol abuse, dependence, or alcoholism. They include Campral approved in 2004 in the US but used widely in Europe for many years prior; Naltrexone, an opioid receptor sold as Revia and Depada; and Antabuse, the first drug approved for this purpose. A nine-year study of Antabuse indicates that the psychological effects of long-term treatment can produce abstinence rates of more than 50%. Further, the FDA has approved Acamprosate for treating dependent individuals seeking to remain alcohol-free once they have discontinued drinking. Interestingly, an implant treatment is available in clinics in Eastern Europe; however, it is unavailable in either the US or the UK. Just last month the National Institutes of Health just released a study regarding the use of anti-smoking medication Chantix and its benefit in reducing alcohol dependence. The link for readers who may want more information is http://www.nih.gov/researchmatters/june2013/06172013alcohol.htm.
The bottom line is, if someone you know has a problem with alcohol, recommend a visit to that person’s health care professional for assistance in the form of a drug treatment program, medication, or whatever source works to bring this difficult disease under control. Be sure to ask about baclofen and whether it may be appropriate therapy. Thank you for writing.
