Topiramate Reduces Consumption in Alcohol Dependence

Topiramate reduces the number of heavy-drinking days and other measures of drinking, according to a manufacturer-sponsored trial published in JAMA.
Some 370 patients with alcohol dependence were randomized to topiramate or placebo for 14 weeks. Patients, who were current drinkers at enrollment, received a brief weekly psychosocial intervention designed to enhance compliance and were assessed weekly on measures of drinking, including frequency and quantity.
Topiramate was more effective than placebo in reducing the percentage of heavy-drinking days, in reducing self-reported and laboratory-confirmed drinking, and in increasing the likelihood of achieving 28 days' continuous abstinence.
An editorialist writes that, along with other studies, the research provides "strong support that ... combining medication with brief behavioral support is an effective alternative to group-based counseling." He urges "all physicians to begin to see alcohol dependence as a disorder they can and should treat, and treat effectively."