Drugs To Treat Alcoholism - When You Need More Than Will Power To Quit Drinking
For some of you out there, going to Alcoholic Anonymous might not be enough.
While they offer a great support system and belief system with the 12 steps,it might not be enough.
The call of alcohol might be too great to handle without some sort of medical assistance.
Right now there are only three medications that the FDA has approved for the treatment of alcohol abuse.
These medicines will never be prescribed to you if you are still drinking because they do not stop you from drinking.
They are only prescribed if you have already stopped drinking and are trying to stay clean.
The first medicine that is approved is Disulfiram.
Disulfiram was the first drug that was FDA approved for treatment of alcohol dependence.
The purpose of this drug is cause a negative reaction if you were to drink while taking it.
This happens becauseDisulfiram works against the alcohol to have a build up of acetaldehyde (which causes hang over symptoms) that is nearly 5x or even 10x greater than what would normally occur.
In other words, this will give you the worse hangover you ever experienced.
If you drink while taking this you could experience nausea, chest pain, headache, confusion, and marked uneasiness among others.
Remember though that Disulfiram does not treat any withdrawal symptoms nor does it stop cravings.
The second drug is Naltrexone which is otherwise known as Revia orDepade.
This drug reduces the craving for alcohol.
It is not really clear how it works to reduce the craving but it's believed that the drug affects the pathways in the brain where dopamine is found.
Usually it is taken as a pill and is taken over a period of 12 weeks to help people who have already committed to stop drinking.
As with Disulfiram, it is not used to teat the symptoms of withdrawal other than the cravings.
Lastly there is Acamprosate or Campral.
Out of all three medications Campral is the most recent one that received FDA approval, however it has been used in Europe for many years.
As with Naltexone, it is not really clear how Campral works with the brain to help you maintain your abstinence.
Many doctors believe that it restores a chemical balance in your brain that has been out of whackdue to long term alcohol abuse.
This is also the only drug that reduces the physical distress and emotional discomfort you might experience once you quit drinking.
You might find that you don't suffer from as severe sweating, anxiety or sleep disturbances than other who are not taking this might.
If you have recently quit drinking either by entering therapy or joining Alcoholics Anonymous and find yourself struggling with it, you should talk to your doctor to see if any of these medications would help you.
When it comes to kicking the bottle, you should make it a priority to pursue every option to help you beat your addiction.
While they offer a great support system and belief system with the 12 steps,it might not be enough.
The call of alcohol might be too great to handle without some sort of medical assistance.
Right now there are only three medications that the FDA has approved for the treatment of alcohol abuse.
These medicines will never be prescribed to you if you are still drinking because they do not stop you from drinking.
They are only prescribed if you have already stopped drinking and are trying to stay clean.
The first medicine that is approved is Disulfiram.
Disulfiram was the first drug that was FDA approved for treatment of alcohol dependence.
The purpose of this drug is cause a negative reaction if you were to drink while taking it.
This happens becauseDisulfiram works against the alcohol to have a build up of acetaldehyde (which causes hang over symptoms) that is nearly 5x or even 10x greater than what would normally occur.
In other words, this will give you the worse hangover you ever experienced.
If you drink while taking this you could experience nausea, chest pain, headache, confusion, and marked uneasiness among others.
Remember though that Disulfiram does not treat any withdrawal symptoms nor does it stop cravings.
The second drug is Naltrexone which is otherwise known as Revia orDepade.
This drug reduces the craving for alcohol.
It is not really clear how it works to reduce the craving but it's believed that the drug affects the pathways in the brain where dopamine is found.
Usually it is taken as a pill and is taken over a period of 12 weeks to help people who have already committed to stop drinking.
As with Disulfiram, it is not used to teat the symptoms of withdrawal other than the cravings.
Lastly there is Acamprosate or Campral.
Out of all three medications Campral is the most recent one that received FDA approval, however it has been used in Europe for many years.
As with Naltexone, it is not really clear how Campral works with the brain to help you maintain your abstinence.
Many doctors believe that it restores a chemical balance in your brain that has been out of whackdue to long term alcohol abuse.
This is also the only drug that reduces the physical distress and emotional discomfort you might experience once you quit drinking.
You might find that you don't suffer from as severe sweating, anxiety or sleep disturbances than other who are not taking this might.
If you have recently quit drinking either by entering therapy or joining Alcoholics Anonymous and find yourself struggling with it, you should talk to your doctor to see if any of these medications would help you.
When it comes to kicking the bottle, you should make it a priority to pursue every option to help you beat your addiction.