Drugs Instead of Alcohol
Posted by Mentally Interesting on April 22, 2006
The medications used to treat alcoholism have come a long way since Antabuse. A Wired.com article details some of the medication options now available to treat alcoholics.
An interesting development in some of these new drugs, like Vivitrol, a monthly injection approved by the FDA less than two weeks ago, is that the focus seems to have shifted from the goal of total sobriety to merely lessening the alcohol amount consumed by addicts.
Other drugs that were seen as having potential for reducing alcohol intake are brand names familiar to the mentally ill community: Topomax and Abilify.
Maybe we’ll see a rebranding of these psychiatric drugs similar to the Wellibutrin/Zyban phenomenon a few years ago.
Read the Wired article here.
gen said
interesting..very interesting. i don’t quite know how i feel about the whole “having a medication that will lessen their intake” topic. seems almost contradictory to the purpose. alcoholics need to stop drinking..they naturally have addictive personalities. so giving them the opportunity to take a medication that will still allow them to drink, except limit their alcohol intake seems fruitless. *thinking*
Mom, Interrupted said
Personal Testimony: I have been on Topomax for almost a year.
I did not take it to intentionally stop drinking.
It is for my severe mood swings and rage episodes with my Bipolar.
I should not really ever have alcohol anyway, but I use to enjoy a few beers and some wine.
Since the Topomax, it just does not taste good.
The first side effect with the Topomax was my loss for taste of things that are carbonated. But, wine does not really taste good either.
I have also lost about fifty pounds. Again, not my intention.
Partially due to the beer reduction and I am just not as hungry.
This was a 100% turn around from a cocktail that included Zyprexa and Depakote; two big weight gainers for me. Between Zyprexa, Lithium, Depakote, over two years I gained a bunch.
I agree with the previous post, I have mixed feelings about replacing a fix with a fix.
But, I certainly have been successful. Yet, every brain is full of a completely different set of chemicals and will react according to their own engineering.
biss said
*burp* Do the pills get me laid like beer?