A pill appears to hold promise in curbing the urges to drink. The pill called Topamax is helping alcoholics diminish their drinking without detox treatment. It is already an established drug for migraine and epilepsy.
There are already some pills in the market to help drinkers and smokers. One such drug is he drug, varenicline. Pfizer Inc. developed the drug specifically as a stop-smoking aid but it is also helping heavy drinkers. A study published suggests that nicotine and alcohol act on the same locations in the brain hence pill for controlling one works for the other too.
Similar is the drug Topomax which works by inhibiting dopamine, the brain’s “feel-good” neurotransmitters that are involved in all addictions. The study group on which the pill was administered had on average 11 standard drinks daily. Post the pill, the group cut back to six drinks a day, on average. The study was funded by Johnson & Johnson Inc.’s and showed overall positive results.
The pill is likely to appeal to heavy drinkers who do not want to enter the rehabilitation clinic but would rather work on the drinking problem in consultation with their doctor. However, the drug has various side effects. The pill is known to cause forgetfulness, difficulty in concentrating, numbness in the hands and legs and chest pain. People are protesting against the drug’s promotion for alcoholics,
Via:Yahoo
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