Pharmacologic interventions for alcohol use disorder.
Jordan Menge, Bernadette Evitt
JAAPA : official journal of the American Academy of Physician Assistants June 1, 2025 DOI: 10.1097/01.jaa.0000000000000106 via PubMed
Summary
AI-generated from the abstractAlcohol use disorder (AUD) is increasingly prevalent in the US and has severe consequences. Only four medications—disulfiram, oral naltrexone, naltrexone IM, and acamprosate—are FDA-approved for its treatment. This review examines the efficacy of these approved drugs and explores off-label pharmacologic options such as gabapentin, baclofen, oxytocin, N-acetylcysteine, calcium carbonate, and psilocybin. The goal is to identify the most effective treatment for individuals with AUD, helping providers reduce the disease's prevalence.
Study at a glance
| Characteristics | Review Peer reviewed |
|---|---|
| Interventions | disulfiram oral naltrexone naltrexone IM acamprosate gabapentin baclofen oxytocin N-acetylcysteine calcium carbonate psilocybin |
| Topics | Addiction |
| Keywords | Acamprosate Addiction medicine Naltrexone Off-label use |
| Citations | 2 |
| Key finding | The review examines the efficacy of FDA-approved medications and off-label pharmacologic treatments for alcohol use disorder. |
Abstract
Alcohol use disorder (AUD) has devastating effects, and its prevalence in the US is growing. It is therefore important to examine multiple avenues for successful cessation and continued abstinence. Disulfiram, oral naltrexone, naltrexone IM, and acamprosate are currently the only four medications approved for the treatment of AUD by the FDA. This review aims to examine the efficacy of the approved medications as well as explore the use of off-label pharmacologic treatments used for AUD treatment (including gabapentin, baclofen, oxytocin, N-acetylcysteine, calcium carbonate, and psilocybin). Through this exploration, the most effective treatment for individuals with AUD can be determined to enable providers in ameliorating the prevalence of this disease.