Oxcarbazepine vs. Topiramate in Alcohol Dependence

2009 ◽  
Vol 24 (S1) ◽  
pp. 1-1
Author(s):  
G. Martinotti ◽  
M. Di Nicola ◽  
D. Tedeschi ◽  
O. De Vita ◽  
L. Guerriero ◽  
...  

Introduction:Aim of this randomised, parallel, placebo-controlled group trial was to compare oxcarbazepina and topiramate with placebo on alcohol drinking indices. Craving and psychiatric simptomatology have also been investigated.Methods:This randomised, parallel, placebo-controlled psychopharmacology trial studied 60 patients, consecutively recruited, meeting clinical criteria for Alcohol Dependence (DSM-IV). After detoxification, subjects were assigned to flexible doses of oxcarbazepine (n=20), or topiramate (n=20) or placebo (n=20). Withdrawal symptomatology was determined by the Clinical Institute Withdrawal Assessment for Alcohol (CIWA-Ar) and the level of craving for alcohol was evaluated by a 10-cm Visual Analogue Scale (VAS) and the Italian -version of the Obsessive and Compulsive Drinking Scale (OCDS). Psychiatric symptoms were evaluated with the Symptom Check List 90 Revised (SCL-90 R).Results:Non-benzodiazepine anticonvulsants have been shown to be efficacious treatments for the prevention of alcohol relapse although the FDA has yet approved none of these agents. During the congress the main results of this study will be presented.Conclusions:To our knowledge, this is the first randomised, parallel, placebo-controlled group study to evaluate the efficacy of oxcarbazepine and topiramate compared in alcohol dependent patients. The data of this pilot clinical study suggest and investigate a possible role for the anticonvulsants agents in the treatment of alcohol dependent patients.

2009 ◽  
Vol 24 (S1) ◽  
pp. 1-1
Author(s):  
G. Martinotti ◽  
M. Di Nicola ◽  
D. Tedeschi ◽  
A. Frustaci ◽  
R. De Filippis ◽  
...  

Introduction:In this multicenter, randomised, single-blind, parellel group, comparison trial we aimed to investigate the efficacy of lorazepam, tiapride and pregabalin in alcohol withdrawal. Craving and psychiatric symptoms improvements were the secondary endpoints.Methods:One-hundred-nine alcohol dependent subjects (DSM-IV) were detoxified and subsequently randomised into three groups, respectively receiving 200-400 mg of tiapride (TIA; mean dosage 300 mg), 2-5 mg of lorazepam (LOR; mean dosage 3 mg) and 150-450 mg of pregabalin (PRE; mean dosage 280 mg). Withdrawal symptomatology was determined by the Clinical Institute Withdrawal Assessment for Alcohol (CIWA-Ar), whereas the level of craving for alcohol was evaluated by a 10-cm Visual Analogue Scale (VAS) and the Italian -version of the Obsessive and Compulsive Drinking Scale (OCDS). Psychiatric symptomatology was evaluated by the Symptom Check List 90 Revised (SCL-90 R).Results:All the three medications have shown efficacy on reducing alcohol drinking indices, craving scores and withdrawal symptomatology. The reduction observed in the PRE group was significantly higher than those in the LOR and TIA groups. In terms of safety and tolerability, all the compounds were generally well-tolerated. Only one patient has reported an epileptic episode during the treatment with tiapride.Discussion:Results from this study globally place the three medications at the same range of efficacy, with the PRE group reporting an higher reduction of withdrawal symptoms. Another point in favour of the employment of pregabalin was represented by a better outcome in those patients reporting a comorbid psychiatric disorder.


2018 ◽  
Vol 6 (2) ◽  
Author(s):  
Bhaskkar Sharma ◽  
Anup Devkota ◽  
Suresh Chandra Pant

Introduction: The co-occurence of substance abuse and mental illness is well known. Alcoholics are reported to be three times more likely to suffer from another psychiatric disorder. This study aims to observe the prevalence of psychiatric comorbidity in alcohol dependent patients in our setup. Methods: This was a hospital based cross-sectional observational study conducted over a period of three months. Consecutive patients presenting to the out-patient section of Psychiatric department who met the DSM-IV-TR criteria for alcohol dependence were included in the study. They were interviewed using Structured Clinical Interview for DSM-IV-TR (SCID I&II) to assess for comorbidity. Data was analyzed using Statistical Package for Social Sciences (SPSS TM) software. Mann Whitney U test and Chi square or Fisher's Exact tests were used for statistical analysis. Results: Out of 31 patients enrolled, 14 (45.16%) had psychiatric comorbid conditions all of which were Axis I disorders. Anxiety disorder (35.71%) was the most frequent associated disorder followed by depressive disorder (28.57%). The alcohol dependent patients with comorbidity was significantly younger (mean age=35.71±13.60 years) in comparison to those without comorbidity (mean age=42.59±11.15 years). Other socio-demographic parameters were comparable between the two groups. Patients with history of past psychiatric illness and medication were less likely to have comorbidity, which was statistically significant. Conclusion: Psychiatric comorbidity is common in alcohol dependent people. Anxiety disorder and depression were more prevalent entities. Those with past illness and medications were less likely to have comorbidities.


2015 ◽  
Vol 2015 ◽  
pp. 1-6 ◽  
Author(s):  
Arash Mohagheghi ◽  
Shahrokh Amiri ◽  
Seyedreza Mousavi Rizi ◽  
Salman Safikhanlou

Objective. Emotional intelligence might play an important role in the onset and persistence of different psychopathologies. This study investigated the relationship between emotional intelligence and alcohol dependence.Methods. In this case-control study, participants included alcohol dependent individuals and mentally healthy inpatients. Each group consisted of 40 individuals (male/female: 1). The diagnosis was based on the criteria of the DSM-IV-TR using the Structured Clinical Interview for DSM-IV (SCID-IV). All the participants completed Bar-On emotional intelligence test.Results. 20 males and 20 females were included in each group. Mean age of alcohol dependent participants and controls was 31.28 ± 7.82 and 34.93 ± 9.83 years in that order. The analyses showed that the alcohol dependent individuals had a significant difference compared with the control group and received lower scores in empathy, responsibility, impulse control, self-esteem, optimism, emotional consciousness, stress tolerance, autonomy, problem-solving, and total score of emotional intelligence components.Conclusion. Patients with alcohol dependence have deficits in components of emotional intelligence. Identifying and targeted training of the individuals with lower scores in components of emotional intelligence may be effective in prevention of alcohol dependence.


2017 ◽  
Vol 41 (S1) ◽  
pp. S398-S398
Author(s):  
A. Wnorowska ◽  
A. Jakubczyk ◽  
A. Klimkiewicz ◽  
A. Mach ◽  
K. Brower ◽  
...  

IntroductionInsomnia and tobacco use are frequent and important problems in alcohol-dependent patients. However, the relationship between sleep problems and cigarette smoking was not thoroughly investigated in this population.AimThe purpose of the study was to investigate the relationship between tobacco smoking and severity of insomnia in alcohol-dependent patients in treatment. We also aimed at assessing other predictors of insomnia in this population.MethodsThe study group comprised 384 alcohol-dependent patients. Standardized tools were used to assess: tobacco dependence (Fagerström Test for Nicotine Dependence [FTND]), sleep problems (Athens Insomnia Scale [AIS]), severity of alcohol dependence (Michigan Alcohol Screening Test [MAST]) and drinking quantities before entering treatment (Timeline Follow Back [TFLB]). Other comorbid psychiatric symptoms were assessed using Brief Symptom Inventory (BSI) and Barratt's Impulsiveness Scale (BIS-11).ResultsThe study group included 79.1% of current smokers, 62% of participants reported insomnia (AIS). The mean FTND score was 6.05 ± 2.18. The multivariate regression analysis revealed that the severity of tobacco dependence was significantly associated with the severity of insomnia (FTND, beta = 0.140, P = 0.013). Other factors associated with insomnia that remained significant in multivariate model were severity of psychopathological symptoms (BSI, beta = 0.422, P < 0.0005) and intensity of drinking (TLFB, beta = 0.123, P = 0.034).ConclusionTobacco use may predict severity of insomnia in alcohol-dependent patients. This finding may have important clinical implications and influence strategies applied in treatment of alcohol use disorders.Disclosure of interestThe authors have not supplied their declaration of competing interest.


2011 ◽  
Vol 26 (S2) ◽  
pp. 132-132
Author(s):  
A. Zoghlami ◽  
D. Blauensteiner ◽  
O. Scheibenbogen ◽  
S. Zadro-Jäger ◽  
M. Musalek

IntroductionPsychiatric concomitant diseases are common with alcohol and tobacco dependent patients. Few studies have compared comorbidities between alcohol dependent smokers and non-smokers.AimsThe aim of this study is to examine the pattern of psychiatric comorbidity among alcohol dependent smokers in an inpatient alcohol therapy unit.Material and methodAfter successfully completing withdrawal therapy, subjects between the ages of 18–65 years who meet the ICD 10 criteria for alcohol dependence and no criteria for other drug use disorder except smoking, and who were participating in an inpatient treatment program for alcohol dependence at Anton Proksch Institut were included.ResultsThis is a preliminary analysis of the survey. In total 81 patients could be examined. 53.1% of the interviewed subjects were female and 46.9% male. The explored samples age ranged from 21–66 years.74.1% of the questioned subjects were smokers, 60% of these patients smoked more than 20 cigarettes per day.Preliminary analysis shows that smoking alcohol dependent patients present a higher comorbidity rate than non-smokers but above all they show a tendency to increased anxiety disorders. Within the population of smokers 48.3% suffer from an anxiety disorder, 48.3% from depression and dysthymia, 12.1% from manic and hypomanic disorder and 5.2% from psychosis. These differences are not clinically significant. This can be explained by the small number of the sample and by the group allocation.ConclusionAlcohol addicted patients exhibit heightened psychiatric comorbidity. Smoking alcohol dependents are more frequently affected and have a disposition to psychiatric disorders.


2005 ◽  
Vol 63 (3b) ◽  
pp. 766-771 ◽  
Author(s):  
Roberto César Pereira do Prado ◽  
Egberto Reis Barbosa

Depression is very frequent in Parkinson’s disease (PD) and largely unrecognized by neurologists, emphasizing the need of an approach to psychiatric symptoms by non psychiatrists in order to ensure an early diagnosis of depression in PD; clinical characteristics and the prevalence rate of depression in PD were evaluated and the relationship of depression in PD with other variables were determined. Sixty PD subjects, who fulfilled the clinical criteria for primary PD, 56,6% males, age range from 44 to 85 years old, in different stages of the disease were investigated. All subjects were submitted to the UPDRS-III, V and VI, Clinical Interview Schedule and the Hamilton depression scale. A significant correlation was found between depression and UPDRS-III, V and VI, anxiety and irritability. The frequency of depression in PD in this study was nearly 40% possessing specific features. Structured interviews and evaluation scales are essential for an accurate diagnosis and proper treatment of depression in PD.


2019 ◽  
Author(s):  
Karin Hyland ◽  
Anders Hammarberg ◽  
Erik Hedman-Lagerlöf ◽  
Magnus Johansson ◽  
Sven Andreasson

Abstract Introduction Alcohol dependence is a common disorder with a continuum regarding severity. Most alcohol dependent persons have a moderate level of dependence and live under socially orderly conditions. Treatment seeking in this group is low, mainly due to stigma and because treatment options are seen as unappealing. Alcohol is a relevant topic to discuss in many primary care (PC) consultations and PC is less stigmatizing to visit compared to addiction care units for people with alcohol problems. General practitioners (GP) hesitate to engage in treating alcohol problems due to time constraints and lack of knowledge. Screening and brief interventions are effective for high consumers but there are few studies on dependence. Methods This is a two-group, parallel, randomized controlled trial (RCT). The aim is to study whether an Internet based Cognitive Behavioral Treatment (iCBT) when added to treatment as usual (TAU) is more effective than TAU only for alcohol dependence in PC. 260 adults with alcohol dependence will be included. Participants are randomized to iCBT and TAU or TAU only. The primary study outcome is alcohol consumption in grams per week and heavy drinking days. Secondary outcomes include alcohol related problem severity, number of diagnostic criteria for alcohol dependence, depression and anxiety symptoms, health related quality of life and biochemical markers for high consumption and liver pathology. Data will be analyzed using mixed-effect models. Discussion Internet based interventions are attractive to and have been shown to reach people with alcohol problems. Yet there are no studies investigating the efficacy of internet treatment of alcohol dependence in PC. In this study we hypothesize that iCBT when added to TAU will improve treatment outcome for alcohol dependence in PC, compared to TAU only. If effective, iCBT can be distributed to the public to a low cost for a stakeholder and has the opportunity to reduce both short term and long-term public health costs. Trial registration: ISRCTN69957414. Retrospectively registered 07/06/2018. http://www.isrctn.com/ISRCTN69957414


2021 ◽  
Vol 12 ◽  
Author(s):  
Guoying Wang ◽  
Wolfgang Weber-Fahr ◽  
Ulrich Frischknecht ◽  
Derik Hermann ◽  
Falk Kiefer ◽  
...  

In this report, we present cross-sectional and longitudinal findings from single-voxel MEGA-PRESS MRS of GABA as well as Glu, and Glu + glutamine (Glx) concentrations in the ACC of treatment-seeking alcohol-dependent patients (ADPs) during detoxification (first 2 weeks of abstinence). The focus of this study was to examine whether the amount of benzodiazepine administered to treat withdrawal symptoms was associated with longitudinal changes in Glu, Glx, and GABA. The tNAA levels served as an internal quality reference; in agreement with the vast majority of previous reports, these levels were initially decreased and normalized during the course of abstinence in ADPs. Our results on Glu and Glx support hyperglutamatergic functioning during alcohol withdrawal, by showing higher ACC Glu and Glx levels on the first day of detoxification in ADPs. Withdrawal severity is reflected in cumulative benzodiazepine requirements throughout the withdrawal period. The importance of withdrawal severity for the study of GABA and Glu changes in early abstinence is emphasized by the benzodiazepine-dependent Glu, Glx, and GABA changes observed during the course of abstinence.


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