Antiepileptic Drug Topiramate a Possible Treatment for Alcoholism

EpilepsyUSA staff
Posted: May 3, 2005

Researchers at the University of Virginia who are looking for new ways to combat alcoholism are now looking at two unanticipated drugs: the antiepileptic medication topiramate and the nausea medication ondansetron.

In a previous study of 150 alcoholics, people taking topiramate were six times more likely to stop drinking for a month than were people taking a placebo. This study and these findings were discovered by Bankole Johnson, M.D., Ph.D, the man studying the effects of topiramate and ondansetron at UVA.

Both topiramate and ondansetron have been proven effective in such tests because they reduce the amount of dopamine released in the brain. Dopamine is the chemical that causes the pleasurable feelings alcoholics feel when drinking.

"These drugs take away the cravings and the buzz," said Johnson, chairman of the university's Department of Psychiatric Medicine." They reduce the temptation-quality of the drug or alcohol. It doesn't require an extraordinary amount of willpower to get well."

Johnson's study, working on a $3.4 million grant from the National Institute on Alcohol Abuse and Alcoholism, will examine 360 alcoholics over four years. For three months, 25 percent of the patients will receive topiramate, 25 percent will receive ondansetron, 25 percent will receive both and the remaining 25 percent will receive a placebo.

In addition to alcoholism, Johnson reported that participants in the topiramate studies have reported reduced food and cigarette cravings. In two weeks, researchers will begin investigating the drug's ability to treat cocaine addiction.