Friday, August 21, 2020

Why Zoloft Works Best for Less Severe Alcoholics

Why Zoloft Works Best for Less Severe Alcoholics Addiction Alcohol Use Print Why Anti-Depressant Zoloft Works Best for Less Severe Alcoholics By Buddy T facebook twitter Buddy T is an anonymous writer and founding member of the Online Al-Anon Outreach Committee with decades of experience writing about alcoholism. Learn about our editorial policy Buddy T Medically reviewed by Medically reviewed by Steven Gans, MD on December 07, 2015 Steven Gans, MD is board-certified in psychiatry and is an active supervisor, teacher, and mentor at Massachusetts General Hospital. Learn about our Medical Review Board Steven Gans, MD Updated on April 21, 2019 sx70 / Getty Images More in Addiction Alcohol Use Binge Drinking Withdrawal and Relapse Children of Alcoholics Drunk Driving Addictive Behaviors Drug Use Nicotine Use Coping and Recovery One of the ways that alcohol can affect the brain is by damaging the functioning of serotonin, a chemical that influences mood, sleep, appetite, temperature regulation, and mood.?? Consequently, people who struggle with alcohol dependence often report problems with depression and anxiety.?? Their health care providers will typically prescribe selective serotonin reuptake inhibitors to help them maintain optimal levels of serotonin. SSRIs are the most widely prescribed class of anti-depressants, said William Dundon, senior research investigator in the department of psychiatry at the University of Pennsylvania School of Medicine. SSRIs work by affecting the level of serotonin in the brain and elsewhere in the body. In the brain, serotonin is thought to influence mood, emotions, sleep, appetite, and temperature regulation. Research has found, however, that SSRIsâ€"such as sertraline (Zoloft)â€"do not work well for some alcoholics.?? Zoloft Doesnt Work for All Alcoholics To determine why SSRIs help some patients with alcohol use disorders and not others, Dundon and his colleagues examined two categories of alcoholics defined by researcher Thomas Babor of the University of Connecticut. Babor divided individuals with alcohol problems into two groups, Type A and Type B. Type A alcoholism is environment-based and generally occurs later in life, while Type B alcoholism is genetics based and arises early in life.?? According to Babors research, Type B alcoholism tends to have a greater adverse impact than Type A alcoholism. Generally speaking, Type B alcoholism is more severe and higher risk than Type A alcoholism. During the study, 100 alcoholics were given a three-month course of either sertraline (200 mg/day) or placebo capsules and individual therapy based on the Alcoholics Anonymous framework. The 55 Type A alcoholics and the 45 Type B alcoholics were later interviewed about their alcohol consumption.?? Zoloft Helps Type A Alcoholics The researchers compared monthly alcohol consumption for the six months following treatment to alcohol consumption during the last month of treatment. Dundons study found that Type A alcoholics had a better treatment response to Zoloft than did Type B alcoholics.?? During the six months following treatment, Type A alcoholics treated with Zoloft maintained their gains, while Type B alcoholics did not. Maintained Positive Results Specifically, the Dundon study found:?? Type A alcoholics who took Zoloft maintained, for at least six months after treatment ceased, the positive results they obtained during treatmentType B alcoholics treated with Zoloft continued to show no pharmacotherapeutic benefits during the six-month period following treatment.For Type B alcoholics, heavy drinking actually increased during the six months following treatment with Zoloft. SSRIs Are Not Appropriate for Type B Alcoholics We appear to have identified a subgroup of alcoholics, Type As, who responded well to sertraline during treatment and maintained their gains over a six-month period after ending treatment, said Dundon. However, there is another subgroup, Type Bs, for whom SSRIs may not be appropriate. This subgroup seemed to maintain their gains from the AA-based individual therapy only if they had not received sertraline, he said.?? The reason the researchers examined Babors two types of alcoholics is due to previous research that suggested that there were differences in serotonin metabolism between the two groups.?? Type B alcoholics were found to have more abnormalities in serotonin metabolism, in the earlier study, and it was thought that group would be more likely to respond to Zoloft treatment. However, the Type B alcoholics did worse on the SSRI treatment and during the six-month, post-treatment period. Implications for Alcoholism Treatment Plans The researchers concluded that being able to determine whether alcoholics entering treatment are either Type A or Type B could be helpful in developing a treatment plan. I think our study clearly suggests that there may be ways to subtype alcoholics and that these different subgroups of alcoholics may respond differently to the same treatment, Dundon said. Numerous classification schemes have been proposed to differentiate types of alcoholics. Our study supports the usefulness of the Babor Type A and Type B classification system. Study Confirms Babors Type A and B Alcoholics Later research by the Public Health Institute and the University of California, San Francisco using data from the National Epidemiologic Survey on Alcohol and Related Conditions confirmed that Type A and Type B alcoholics exist in real life.?? The study found that Type B alcoholics in the general population, compared to Type As, had higher alcohol severity and more co-occurring drug, mental, and physical health problems. Type B alcoholics were twice as likely to be alcohol dependent three years later and more likely to be heavy drinkers and drug dependent.??

No comments:

Post a Comment

Note: Only a member of this blog may post a comment.