Antabuse was the first medication to be created and FDA approved for the treatment of alcohol abuse disorder. Antabuse functions by causing a very unpleasant adverse reaction to alcohol, causing most people to vomit or become very nauseous when ingesting alcohol. You’re likely to start by seeing your primary health care provider.

The medication can help you have fewer days when you drink heavily as well as drink less overall. Yet medications for alcohol use disorder can work well for people who want to stop drinking or drink a lot less. Many people don’t know it, but there are medications that treat alcohol use disorder,  the term for the condition that you may know of as alcoholism and alcohol abuse.

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Vivitrex is a reformulation of naltrexone that is administered by monthly injection at a doctor’s office, a potentially easier treatment option to follow for an alcoholic in recovery than a daily pill regimen. Other supplements such as L-glutamine and milk thistle are thought to decrease cravings and aid in detoxifying the liver, respectively. There is some evidence that milk thistle aids in the regeneration of liver cells. However, these supplements have not been thoroughly substantiated with scientific research to confirm the efficacy of their actions and benefits. Nonetheless, they are safe to take and may help to alleviate some symptoms of withdrawal and cravings.

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• An examination of public reimbursement as reported by the National Conference of State Legislatures (2008) indicates that Medicaid coverage of substance abuse medications is not common among States and that it is an option not a requirement (Gelber 2008).
• These drugs are intended to treat withdrawal symptoms and aid in the long-term treatment of alcoholism.
• Skilled medical personnel are required to administer extended-release naltrexone with an intramuscular gluteal injection; many specialty programs do not have access to needed medical care providers.

The COMBINE study found that combining another alcohol-deterrent drug Campral (acamprosate) with the medical management program did not improve outcomes. This finding stumped researchers since previous studies performed in Europe using Campral had yielded positive treatment outcomes. For more than 20 years, acamprosate was widely used throughout Selecting the Most Suitable Sober House for Addiction Recovery Europe for treating people with alcohol use disorders. It was first marketed in the United States in January 2005 under the brand name Campral. Campral is currently marketed in the United States by Forest Pharmaceuticals. With less than one percent of those seeking help for alcohol dependence receiving a prescription, medication is underutilized.

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The largest and longest studies on the treatment of alcohol abuse have been performed in Europe with acamprosate (Campral). At 1 year, the continuous abstinence rates were 18% in the acamprosate group and 7% in the placebo group. At 2 years, the continuous abstinence rates were 12% in the acamprosate group and 5% in the placebo group. It stimulates GABA transmission, inhibits glutamate, and decreases alcohol consumption in alcohol-dependent rats.