The effects of extended-release naltrexone on holiday drinking in alcohol-dependent patients

To link to full-text access for this article, visit this link: http://dx.doi.org/10.1016/j.jsat.2008.07.001 Byline: Sandra Lapham (a), Robert Forman (b), Mark Alexander (b), Ari Illeperuma (b), Michael J. Bohn (c) Keywords: Abstinence; Alcohol; Alcohol dependent; Extended-release naltrexone; Holiday drinking Abstract: A post hoc analysis examined the effect of extended-release naltrexone (XR-NTX) treatment combined with psychosocial support on alcohol consumption during holiday and nonholiday periods in a cohort of alcohol-dependent patients who had maintained at least 4 days of continuous abstinence before receiving their first treatment. Three parameters of drinking behavior were examined: percentage of drinking days, percentage of heavy drinking days, and the number of drinks per day. Patients receiving XR-NTX 380 mg reported significantly lower median percentages of drinking days, heavy drinking days, and the number of drinks per day compared with the placebo group. Patients treated with XR-NTX 190 mg reported similar results overall. The results suggest that treatment with XR-NTX 380 mg in combination with psychosocial intervention leads to significant reductions in alcohol consumption, with some measures indicating abstinence in alcohol-dependent patients with initial abstinence during holiday periods. Author Affiliation: (a) Behavioral Health Research Center of the Southwest, a Center of the Pacific Institute for Research and Evaluation, Albuquerque, NM 87110, USA (b) Alkermes, Inc., Cambridge, MA 02139, USA (c) Aurora Psychiatric Hospital, Wauwatosa, WI 53213, USA Article History: Received 5 May 2008; Revised 11 July 2008; Accepted 14 July 2008