A pilot study on the effects of treatment with acamprosate on craving for alcohol in alcohol-dependent patients

Aviv Weinstein, Barbara Feldtkeller, Adrian Feeney, Anne Lingford-Hughes, David J. Nutt

Research output: Contribution to journalArticlepeer-review

21 Scopus citations

Abstract

This study investigated the effects of treatment with acamprosate on craving for alcohol by using a contextual priming task with alcohol and neutral words and craving questionnaires (ACQ, OCDS) in alcohol-dependent patients who abstained from alcohol for 6 weeks. The acamprosate-treated group (n = 16) were given 666 mg t.d.s. with standard group-work aimed at abstinence. The unmedicated control group (n = 13) received only standard group therapy. The results showed that the acamprosate treated group was faster in their responses to craving-related stimuli and scored lower on craving questionnaires during week 6 compared with week 2. Our results suggest that acamprosate may play a role in reduction of craving for alcohol after 6 weeks of treatment.

Original languageEnglish
Pages (from-to)229-232
Number of pages4
JournalAddiction Biology
Volume8
Issue number2
DOIs
StatePublished - Jun 2003
Externally publishedYes

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