Pill to Fight Alcoholism

Reported November 2008

CHARLOTTESVILLE, Va. (Ivanhoe Broadcast News) -- Alcoholism affects over 17 million people. Without proper treatment, it's a devastating disease that can ruin lives and relationships. A new therapy that comes in a pill is bringing new hope to alcoholics.

There was a time in Christine Flemming's life when alcohol came before her kids.

"I can't remember when my daughter was very little, because I was drinking so much," Flemming told Ivanhoe. "That affected me a lot."

Flemming needed help, but traditional treatment methods didn't work. Now she's on a new kind of therapy in the form of a pill called topiramate. It has changed her life.

"I can tell you that it cuts my cravings, and I don't feel like I have to drink," Flemming said. "I don't feel like that's something I need in my life and I have to do."

Alcohol increases levels of dopamine, a chemical in the brain that makes us feel good. The drug works by blocking the right amount of the feel-good effects from alcohol to reduce cravings and help stop heavy drinking.

During clinical trials, neuropharmacologists were surprised to learn it also lowers blood pressure and cholesterol levels, which may lead to a decrease in heart disease in alcohol dependent patients.

"Most of the morbidity due to alcoholism is caused by secondary effects of all these other systems, so to have a drug that begins to correct all those other physical abnormalities is extremely helpful," Bankhole Johnson, Ph.D., a Neuropharmacologist at the University of Virginia in Charlottesville, Va., told Ivanhoe.

The drug helped improve Fleming's health and end her dependence on alcohol. She cut her drinking from 15 beers a day to just three, so time with her kids is now a priority.

"It's made a big difference," Flemming said. "It's made a really big difference, and I feel like I'm actually there for my family."

Qualifying patients can find out how to receive the drug by contacting their primary care doctors.

The American Association of Pharmaceutical Scientists contributed to the information contained in the TV portion of this report.

Click here to Go Inside This Science or contact:

Sally H. Jones
Public Relations
UVA Health System
Charlottesville, VA
(434) 924-9241

Tom Huddleston
Communications Specialist
American Association of Pharmaceutical Scientists
(703) 248-4744
HuddlestonT@aaps.org

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