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Written By: Editorial Team | Published : May 14, 2014 6:56 PM IST
Researchers have said that several medications can help people with alcohol use disorders maintain abstinence or reduce drinking. Daniel Jonas, lead author of the study and professor in the department of medicine and the Cecil G. Sheps Center for Health Services Research, led a team from the RTI-UNC Evidence-based Practice Center to review published studies examining the use of drugs to treat alcohol use disorders. The researchers conducted a systematic review of 122 randomized controlled trials and one cohort study. They then graded the strength of the evidence on the impact of drugs on alcohol consumption.
They found that two drugs, acamprosate (brand name Campral) and oral naltrexone (brand name Revia), have the best evidence supporting their benefits. Both drugs reduced return to drinking and improved other drinking outcomes. Among medications used off-label (i.e., those not FDA approved for alcohol use disorders), moderate evidence showed improvement in some drinking outcomes for topiramate and nalmefene. (Read:Can drinking alcohol everyday be harmful for a diabetic?)
Jonas said the health implications of preventing return to drinking and reducing alcohol consumption are substantial. He said modeling studies have shown that such improvements would result in significant reductions in alcohol-attributable mortality, costs from health care, arrests and motor vehicle accidents. The work has been published in the Journal of the American Medical Association (JAMA). (Read:Does alcohol make you 'spirit'ual?)
What does alcohol do to your liver?
When you drink alcohol made primarily of ethanol your liver works overtime to convert the ethanol into acetic acid. This is then converted into a less toxic form called acetate, which is eventually removed from the body as urine.
Sounds simple enough, doesn't it? Well, all this converting and watering down of large amounts of toxins, divertes the liver from its primary functions like providing glucose. Glucose is extremely important for your brain to function. The lack glucose or hypoglycaemia is one of the main reasons you suffer from a hangover, feel lethargic, have lowered cognitive functions and suffer from nausea, vomiting, headaches and fatigue. Mind you these are the short term effects. (Read: Why is alcohol bad for your liver?)
With inputs from ANI
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