Alcohol and Drug Treatment: Pharmaceutical Treatment

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Alcohol and Drug Treatment Pharmaceutical Treatment From Buddy T, your Guide to Alcoholism For someone who has decided to quit drinking and wants to maintain abstinence, several treatment options are available, including pharmaceutical treatment, residential or outpatient treatment or counseling and participation in support groups. Pharmaceutical treatment is the use of medications that help the patient who has already stopped to remain sober and avoid relapse. Medical Treatment Medications for Alcoholism Currently only three medications are approved by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration for the treatment of alcohol abuse and alcohol dependence. None of these medications are prescribed to people who are still drinking alcohol. Antabuse Antabuse, or disulfiram as it is also known, was the first medicine approved for the treatment of alcohol abuse and alcohol dependence. It causes a severe adverse reaction when someone taking the medication consumes alcohol. Naltrexone Naltrexone is sold under the brand names Revia and Depade. It blocks in the brain's "high" that people experience when they drink alcohol or take opioids like heroin and cocaine. Acamprosate Campral, the brand name for acamprosate, is the most recent medication approved for the treatment of alcohol dependence or alcoholism in the United States. It reduces the physical distress and emotional discomfort people usually experience when they quit drinking. This email is written by: Buddy T Alcoholism Guide Email Me | My Blog | My Forum   Missing a lesson? Click here. About U. is our collection of free online courses designed to help you learn a new skill, solve a problem, get something done, or just learn more about your world. Sign up now, and we will email you lessons on a daily or weekly basis. You are receiving this email because you subscribed to the About.com 'Alcohol and Drug Treatment' email. If you wish to unsubscribe, please click here. About respects your privacy: Our Privacy Policy Contact Information: 249 West 17th Street New York, NY, 10011 © 2010 About.com   Advertisement