Contributor: Aaron Lessen MD

Educational Pearls:

Patients with alcohol use disorder are frequently discharged from the ED without further resources
Pharmacological treatments to reduce cravings in AUD exist
Naltrexone

Effective at reducing alcohol cravings and heavy drinking

Gabapentin

Reduces the percentage of heavy drinking days in AUD

Patients being discharged from the ED should be asked if they feel their alcohol use is a problem, which can further direct appropriate pharmacological interventions

References

1. Kranzler M.D. HR, Feinn Ph.D. R, Morris B.A. P, Hartwell Ph.D. EE. A Meta-analysis of the Efficacy of Gabapentin for Treating Alcohol Use Disorder Henry. Addiction. 2019;114(9):1547-1555. doi:10.1111/add.14655

2. Maisel NC, Blodgett JC, Wilbourne PL, Humphreys K, Finney JW. Meta-analysis of naltrexone and acamprosate for treating alcohol use disorders: When are these medications most helpful? Addiction. 2013;108(2):275-293. doi:10.1111/j.1360-0443.2012.04054.x

3. Mariani JJ, Pavlicova M, Basaraba C, et al. Pilot randomized placebo-controlled clinical trial of high-dose gabapentin for alcohol use disorder. Alcohol Clin Exp Res. 2021;45(8):1639-1652. doi:10.1111/acer.14648

Summarized & Edited by Jorge Chalit, OMSII

Podcast 863: Treatments for Alcohol Use Disorder