(Food-Beverage-News.Com, July 28, 2013 ) San Francisco, CA -- Topiramate, a new drug that is commonly used for treating epilepsy has in recent years been used for weight loss. But now the drug is even being found to have positive effects to curb individuals away from their cocaine and alcohol addictions.
Heavy users seem to have the best results while using topiramate according to researchers at the department of Psychiatry at Penn Medicine report in a new study published in Drug and Alcohol Dependence. The results came from a double-blind, placebo-controlled trial that adds to an ever-growing support backing the topiramate as a useful medication for such afflictions.
Separate studies have been used regarding topiramate in regards to its ability to reduce alcohol dependence. Relapse for cocaine users has also shown to be lowered with the use of the drug. There are still pending clinical trials that must be done for both effects.
Cocaine and alcohol addiction often go hand-in-hand and thus therapists believe a drug that tackles one affliction could handle the other.
The results of the 13-week trial saw 170 individuals with cocaine or alcohol dependencies experience mixed results with topiramate. The drug was found to reduce alcohol cravings, but did not reduce the actual drinking. Those on topiramate did have a higher success rate of
staying within treatment and abstain from cocaine during the last week of the trial. Those with the most deserve cocain additions appeared to benefit from topiramate thanks to an easier time handling withdrawals.
“Cocaine dependence continues to be a significant public health concern in the United States and Europe. Drug counseling remains the treatment of choice, but many patients do not respond completely to it, so developing effective medications for treatment is a research priority,” said first author Kyle M. Kampman, MD, professor of Psychiatry at the Perelman School of Medicine at the University of Pennsylvania, and medical director at the Charles O'Brien Center for Addiction Treatment. “Based on the study’s results, this drug, plus cognitive behavioral therapy, may be a good option for people addicted to both alcohol and cocaine to help reduce their cocaine use.”
