Active clinical trials for "Alcoholism"

This double-blind placebo controlled pilot trial will test the hypothesis that prazosin, an alpha-1 adrenergic receptor antagonist, reduced alcohol consumption and alcohol craving in alcohol dependent individuals without Post Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD). The intervention period is six weeks.

This was a Phase 3, multi-center extension of Alkermes' Study ALK21-003EXT (NCT01218971) to further assess the long-term safety of repeat monthly doses of Medisorb® naltrexone (VIVITROL®).

This was a study of the effects of VIVITROL® on alcohol cue-induced craving and the associated brain activation patterns in alcohol-dependent adults who had recently completed alcohol detoxification and were seeking further treatment for their alcohol dependence. The study was powered to to detect whether VIVITROL attenuates or blocks the BOLD signal increases in response to alcohol-related cues. In the double-blind portion, subjects received a single administration of study drug (VIVITROL 380 mg or placebo). Subjects who completed the double-blind portion could opt to continue to the open-label portion and receive 2 additional months of treatment with VIVITROL 380 mg.

Craving for alcohol has been related to loss of control drinking and is a major target of biological and behavioral interventions for alcohol dependence. Our previous research has demonstrated that olanzapine (a dopamine antagonist) attenuates craving for alcohol, that a variant in the gene that expresses D4 receptors influences craving for alcohol, and that olanzapine is particularly effective at reducing craving among individuals with this variant. Pilot data from a recent 12 week trial of olanzapine indicates that olanzapine is well tolerated and that olanzapine reduces drinking, particularly among individuals with the aforementioned genetic variant. The objective of the present application is to examine the effectiveness of olanzapine (5 mg/day), as compared to olanzapine (2.5 mg/day) and a placebo control, in terms of reducing craving and alcohol use behavior among treatment seeking alcoholics. Furthermore, the present application will examine whether the effects of olanzapine on drinking outcomes are mediated by its effects on a specific putative mechanism (i.e., cue-elicited craving for alcohol) and determine whether the DRD4 VNTR polymorphism is a marker for the effectiveness of olanzapine. To that end, 202 alcohol dependent subjects will be randomly assigned to medication group and receive 12 weeks of medication. Subjects will complete follow-up assessments at 3 and 6 months after the end of the treatment. It is expected that olanzapine will significantly reduce cue-elicited craving and alcohol use behavior in a dose dependent fashion over the course of the 12 week trial and follow-up period, as compared to the placebo condition. Furthermore, it is expected that the effects of olanzapine on alcohol use behavior will be mediated by the effect of olanzapine on cue-elicited craving and that the effects of olanzapine on cue-elicited craving and alcohol use behavior will be moderated by the DRD4 VNTR, such that olanzapine will be more effective among individuals with the 7 repeat allele. The successful completion of the proposed research is expected to advance a new medication for alcohol dependence and advance genetic markers that predict the effectiveness of this medication.

This study will examine the effects of combing naltrexone and fluoxetine (Prozac) versus fluoxetine and placebo in alcoholics with co-occurring major depression. Both groups will actively participate in the 6-month study, which includes weekly individual Dual Disorders Recovery Counseling during the first month and every two weeks during the second through sixth months, plus the naltrexone and fluoxetine or fluoxetine and placebo. Subjects will complete follow-up assessments at 9 and 12 months.

This study will evaluate a safe and useful medication for outpatient detoxification that is as effective as benzodiazepines in the short-term, and more effective in the protracted withdrawal period. Gabapentin (Neurontin) will be compared to a standard benzodiazepine, lorazepam (Ativan), for its effectiveness in treating alcohol withdrawal.

The purpose of this study is to test the effectiveness of sodium valproate (Depacon) in treating individuals with alcohol dependence and comorbid bipolar disorder.

This 12-week trial will compare individuals receiving naltrexone or placebo plus substance abuse counseling therapy versus those receiving only substance abuse counseling therapy in a rural, nonacademic setting. A followup period of 12 months is included. The effect on service utilization and the cost of the addition of naltrexone to treatment services for alcohol dependence also will be assessed. The study will expand existing research concerning the effectiveness of naltrexone in clinical trials versus a clinical setting.

Family-involved treatments for alcohol use disorders (AUDs) hold considerable promise to improve engagement and compliance with treatment and improve treatment outcomes. Currently, however, these treatments are time-intensive and difficult to learn and to integrate with on-going clinical treatment. Consistent with the general trend toward briefer treatments, we propose to develop a brief, 3-session, family-involved treatment that can be incorporated into a variety of other AUD treatment modalities. If successful, the treatment may increase the efficiency and effectiveness of AUD treatment.

Research about patients with alcohol use disorder has shown that task-related brain activation patterns as well as resting-state connectivity (measured with functional magnetic resonance imaging) change with clinical parameters such as the extent of craving and duration of abstinence during treatment. These brain activation alterations are related to treatment success. Although an imbalance between increased cue-reactivity and impaired counteracting inhibitory control processes are at the core of most neuropsychological conceptualizations of alcohol use disorder, the direct interaction between these two processes has not yet been investigated. Therefore, the investigators aim to study patients with alcohol use disorder in an ultra-high-field 7 Tesla magnetic resonance imaging scanner to identify fine-grained activation and connectivity patterns. The investigators would like to improve the knowledge of the interplay between the brain networks for inhibition and cue-reactivity, as well as to explore its influence on craving and treatment success. The investigators hypothesize that a more pronounced negative relationship between increased cue-reactivity and reduced inhibitory control processes in the brain is linked to higher craving and worse relapse probability.