A pilot study on the effects of treatment with acamprosate on craving for alcohol in alcohol-dependent patients

Addict Biol. 2003 Jun;8(2):229-32. doi: 10.1080/1355621031000117464.

Abstract

This study investigated the effects of treatment with acamprosate on craving for alcohol by using a contextual priming task with alcohol and neutral words and craving questionnaires (ACQ, OCDS) in alcohol-dependent patients who abstained from alcohol for 6 weeks. The acamprosate-treated group (n = 16) were given 666 mg t.d.s. with standard group-work aimed at abstinence. The unmedicated control group (n = 13) received only standard group therapy. The results showed that the acamprosate treated group was faster in their responses to craving-related stimuli and scored lower on craving questionnaires during week 6 compared with week 2. Our results suggest that acamprosate may play a role in reduction of craving for alcohol after 6 weeks of treatment.

Publication types

  • Research Support, Non-U.S. Gov't

MeSH terms

  • Acamprosate
  • Adult
  • Alcohol Deterrents / therapeutic use*
  • Alcoholism / diagnosis
  • Alcoholism / drug therapy*
  • Disruptive, Impulse Control, and Conduct Disorders / diagnosis
  • Disruptive, Impulse Control, and Conduct Disorders / prevention & control*
  • Disruptive, Impulse Control, and Conduct Disorders / psychology*
  • Female
  • Humans
  • Male
  • Pilot Projects
  • Severity of Illness Index
  • Surveys and Questionnaires
  • Taurine / analogs & derivatives
  • Taurine / therapeutic use*
  • Temperance
  • Time Factors
  • Treatment Outcome
  • Vocabulary

Substances

  • Alcohol Deterrents
  • Taurine
  • Acamprosate