There are currently a few medications that are used to help treat alcohol dependence, although none of them are a guarantee. Disulfiram (Antabuse) was the first drug approved by the FDA for alcohol use disorder, back in 1951. It works by changing the way your body breaks down alcohol, so that if you drink while taking it, you’ll get sick. Naltrexone is a medication that allows you to drink without negative side effects, and you’ll still feel the sensations of being drunk, but you won’t receive any pleasure from it. It can help prevent cravings by stopping the association between alcohol and reward. The downside is that it works best in people who have already stopped drinking for a few days. Acamprosate (Campral) eases withdrawal symptoms, but you have to take two pills three times every day. None of these are viewed as particularly effective in the long run, and relapse is common. This is why researchers are always on the lookout for potential new medications, and one of the more recent ones might surprise you. It’s an antibiotic called minocycline, which is typically used to treat bacterial infections like pneumonia and other respiratory tract infections, infections of the skin, eye, lymphatic, intestinal, genital, and urinary systems, certain infections spread by animals or insects, and even plague.
Research published in the journal Alcoholism: Clinical and Experimental Research pointed out that certain genes and pathways related to neuroinflammation play a part in alcohol’s effects on the brain’s addiction processes. Minocycline has known anti-inflammatory properties. Studies showed that use of the antibiotic can reduce episodes of binge drinking and chronic alcohol use and even lessen the possibility of withdrawal seizures.
In one study done on mice, some received minocycline while others were given saline. They were given access to two bottles, one containing water and one containing water and ethanol. The mice who were given minocycline consumed considerably less ethanol than the other group. The researchers had started with the knowledge that alcohol intake was altered in mice that were missing certain genetic components of the neuroimmune system (which involves interactions between the nervous system and the immune system); they then theorized that neuroimmune interactions might play a role in the drinking behaviors of mice without these genetic changes. They chose minocycline for the study because it’s an immune modulator, meaning it boosts the body’s immune system and brings it back to a stable balance.
The medication did have some minor if inexplicable side effects, including a decrease in body weight and changes in water intake in the male mice. The mice also began drinking the ethanol again after the minocycline was no longer administered, although when the medication was started again it had the same positive effect. Although it’s already approved by the FDA as an antibiotic, much more testing is needed to see if it could be an effective treatment for alcohol dependence in humans.
If you or a loved one need help with quitting drugs or alcohol, consider Asana Recovery. We offer medical detox, along with both residential and outpatient programs, and you’ll be supervised by a highly trained staff of medical professionals, counselors, and therapists. Call us any time at (949) 438-4504 to get started.
