Scripps Research Institute researchers have released the outcome of a clinical study, which concluded that the calcium channel/GABA-modulating drug, gabapentin, might relieve the symptoms related to relapse in alcohol dependency and could effectively treat alcohol dependence.
Barbara J. Mason, PhD and her colleagues on the committee on the neurobiology of addictive disorders performed the research from 2004 to 2010. The studies involved 12-week, double blind, placebo-controlled, randomized dose-ranging trials. The objective was to determine whether gabapentin improved sustained abstinence from alcohol. An additional objective of the study was to establish whether gabapentin decreased related relapse symptoms such as alcohol cravings, dysphoria and insomnia.
Included in the trial were alcohol-dependent adults age 18 years and over. The subjects were randomly assigned gabapentin at 900 mg daily, gabapentin at 1,800 mg daily or a placebo. Gabapentin increased the rate of abstinence during the 12-week period in a linear dose-effect manner with no heavy drinking vs. placebo.
The greatest effect on abstinence was demonstrated at the 1,800-mg gabapentin dose, with a number needed to treat of 8 and an OR of 4.8 and no heavy drinking, with a number needed to treat of 5 and OR of 2.8. Gabapentin at 1,800 mg reduced alcohol cravings (per the Alcohol Craving Questionnaire), while improving mood and sleep quality when compared with the placebo.
Treatment was safe with no serious adverse events, according to Mason and her colleagues. They wrote, "Increased implementation of effective pharmacological treatment for alcohol dependence in primary care may be a major benefit of gabapentin as a treatment option for alcohol dependence." During the study period, sustained abstinence was higher in the gabapentin groups vs. placebo. The same was true for no heavy drinking.
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