Medication boosts alcoholics' life quality

The medication topiramate may not only improve drinking problems in people with alcohol dependence, but boost their quality of life as well. Topiramate (Topamax) is an anti-seizure drug that has also been shown to reduce drinking in alcoholics -- possibly due to it effects on certain brain chemicals assumed to be involved in alcohol dependence. However, whether treatment with the drug can also improve alcoholics' physical and mental well-being had been unclear so far. To find out the effects of medication on alcoholics, British researchers assessed 371 patients who were randomly assigned to receive topiramate or placebo tablets daily for 14 weeks. All of the patients participated in a weekly program designed to enhance treatment adherence. It was found that, compared with placebo patients, those on topiramate saw a greater improvement in their weight, liver function, cholesterol levels and blood pressure. These could potentially cut the patients' long-term risks of cirrhosis and heart disease. Topiramate therapy was also found to be associated with a drop in alcohol-related obsessions and compulsions, and with improvements in psychological well-being and quality of life. The drug, however, also had side effects like tingling and numbness, taste alteration, appetite loss and difficulty concentrating in some patients. The researchers noted that the benefits of the drug weighed more than its side effects. The findings confirm that topiramate can be effective for treating alcohol dependence as it improves not only the symptom of drinking but also its physical and psychosocial consequences.

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