Rimonabant May Be Effective for Drug Addiction
 Scientists report that rimonabant, or Acomplia, a pill used to help people
lose weight or quit smoking, also appears to be effective in addressing
drug misuse.
"I think it's going to have a big impact on the treatment of addiction,"
said Dr. Charles O'Brien, an addiction expert at the University of
Pennsylvania and the Philadelphia Veterans Affairs Medical Center.
Animal studies have shown that rimonabant is able to block the effects of
marijuana and prevent relapses in individuals addicted to alcohol and
cocaine.
O'Brien said that once the drug is approved for treating smoking or
obesity, he plans to research its effectiveness in treating addiction.
Dr. George Kunos of the National Institute on Alcohol Abuse and Alcoholism
also plans to research if rimonabant can help treat heavy drinkers.
A 2001 study conducted by the National Institute on Drug Abuse found that
rimonabant works on the brain's reward system. According to Dr. Robert
Anthenelli of the University of Cincinnati College of Medicine and the
Cincinnati Veterans Affairs Medical Center, it is suspected that
rimonabant blocks the effects of the body's natural endocannabinoids by
preventing them from attaching to the brain cells they normally stimulate.|||
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Drug Relieves Alcohol Withdrawal Symptoms
A pilot study found that the muscle-relaxing drug baclofen helps ease withdrawal symptoms experienced by individuals recovering from alcohol addiction.
The study focused on five patients who were trying to maintain abstinence from alcohol but were suffering severe withdrawal symptoms, including tremors, sweating, nausea, and agitation. After receiving baclofen, withdrawal symptoms in four of the patients diminished within three hours or less, while the fifth patient saw improvement within three days. The participants remained on the drug for 30 days.
Baclofen is generally prescribed for multiple sclerosis and spinal injuries because it acts on the central nervous system to control muscle spasm and tightness. Based on the study's findings, lead author Dr. Giovanni Addolorato of the Universita Cattolica del Sacro Cuore in Rome, Italy, said the drug should be studied further to determine its use in treating alcohol withdrawal syndrome. The report is published in the current issue of the American Journal of Medicine. ¤
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