Could the Cure for Alcoholism Be Lying Dormant on FDA Shelves?
In searching for a potential cure or treatment for alcoholism, clinical researchers have thrown almost every drug they can think of at the condition. Precious few of them stick, but one of them appears to work, and it’s a U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) approved muscle relaxant called baclofen.
Baclofen and its link to alcoholism and other addictions has been hotly debated since 2002. Media coverage has been fickle and despite a number of vocal experts speaking out in favor of the drug, it remains to be definitively proven to eradicate cravings.
This sets the drug apart from other drugs on the market that aim to treat alcohol abuse. Antabuse, often prescribed to alcoholics doesn’t stop the craving— just punishes it. If a patient drinks while taking antabuse, a negative reaction such as vomiting is induced. Scientific and clinical research with an aim to find a pill to treat alcoholism is rarer than narcotic dependence.One theory links alcoholism to an acid called GHB, which is a relaxant and naturally produced by the body. When an individual is deficient in GHB, other relaxants such as alcohol pick up the slack, meaning that people can become gradually dependent. Baclofen, also a relaxant, acts on the same brain receptors as GHB, making you feel relaxed without having to reach for the bottle. That’s the theory anyway.
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