Title:Novel Pharmacotherapeutic Approaches in Treatment of Alcohol Addiction
VOLUME: 19 ISSUE: 12
Author(s):Rashidi Mohamed Pakri Mohamed, Jaya Kumar*, Shihad Udin Ahmad and Isa Naina Mohamed
Affiliation:Department of Psychological Medicine, Faculty of Medicine, University of Malaya, Lembah Pantai, 59100 Kuala Lumpur, Department of Physiology, Faculty of Medicine, Universiti Kebangsaan Malaysia Medical Centre, 56000 Cheras, Kuala Lumpur, Department of Pharmacology, Faculty of Medicine, Universiti Kebangsaan Malaysia Medical Centre, 56000 Cheras, Kuala Lumpur, Department of Pharmacology, Faculty of Medicine, Universiti Kebangsaan Malaysia Medical Centre, 56000 Cheras, Kuala Lumpur
Keywords:Alcohol, neramexane, gabapentin, baclofen, aripiprazole, nalmafene, quetiapine.
Abstract:In the past two decades, the search for novel pharmacotherapies to treat alcohol addiction
has been a global endeavor. This has resulted in several drugs that have been approved and successfully
marketed for public use while some are still in the testing phase. These pharmacological agents,
though effective for the treatment of alcoholism, are not without shortcomings; such as abuse potential,
serious mental and physical adverse effects, interaction with alcohol and also poor metabolism
and excretion. As more is being understood about the neurobiology of alcohol addiction as well as the
unique pharmacological action of these drugs, new agents are evaluated for potential benefits when
used as an adjunct in combination therapy. This review article summarizes the novel pharmacotherapeutic
approaches used in the treatment of alcohol addiction by focusing on the drugs, which include
neramexane, gabapentin, baclofen, aripiprazole, nalmafene, and quetiapine.
