A Canadian study which surveyed 14,000 men and women showed that major depression – especially in women – was likely to be linked to binge drinking. Women who drank five or more drinks per social occasion were considered to be binge drinkers.
The study appearing in the January issue of Alcoholism: Clinical and Experimental Research was based on a one-time survey in which about 10% of women and nearly 6% of men met criteria for major depression.
Most study or poll participants were not heavy drinkers on a regular basis. Fewer than two persons in 10 admitted to drinking more than once or twice a week, with an average of one or two drinks per occasion.
A pattern of frequent but low quantity drinking has not been associated with depression. People who just felt low but didn’t have major depression did not appear likely to binge drink. Since participants weren’t followed over a period of time, it is unclear whether major depression causes binge drinking, or the reverse.
Major depression is a serious and often treatable condition that can make a person unable to function or even lead to suicide. It is characterized by at least five of the following symptoms occurring over a period of two weeks or longer:
• Persistent sadness or pessimism
• Feelings of guilt, worthlessness, helplessness or hopelessness
• Lost interest or pleasure in usual activities, including sex
• Difficulty concentrating and poor memory
• Worsening of chronic disease such as rheumatoid arthritis or diabetes
• Insomnia or sleeping excessively
• Pronounced weight gain or loss
• Fatigue or lack of energy
• Anxiety, agitation, irritability
• Persistent thoughts of suicide or death
• Slow speech or movements
• Headache, stomachache and digestive problems such as irritable bowel syndrome
Source: Web MD
January 5th, 2007
For the first time, a pharmaceutical company has produced a once-monthly injectable drug to treat dependence on alcohol. The FDA has approved Vivitrol, expected to be available to medical providers and their patients by late June. The injectable drug is nonaddictive and must be administered by a health professional.
Intended for alcohol-dependent patients in an outpatient setting, the injection is used in combination with counseling or group therapy. Vivitrol works best for patients who are not actively drinking when beginning the treatment.
A six-month study of Vivitrol was conducted with 624 patients who had typically spent 20 days a month drinking heavily – five or more drinks daily for men and four or more drinks a day for women. Participants were randomly assigned to get the monthly shot of Vivitrol or a similar shot as a placebo (no medication). All received psychosocial support.
Results for those receiving the new drug were dramatic, according to Dr. Michael Bohn, a board-certified addiction psychiatrist and one of the study researchers. For those who received Vivitrol instead of placebo, their rate of continued heavy drinking was 25% lower than in the control group.
All participants had been asked to abstain from alcohol for a week before receiving the first shot. Some complied and some did not. Patients who abstained for at least four days before getting an injection of Vivitrol were more likely to remain abstinent, or they drank much less than they had previously.
Two-thirds of those enrolled in the study based at a Wisconsin treatment center completed the six-month treatment regimen. All who did were allowed to stay on Vivitrol. Those who received only the placebo were offered the drug, and 85% of them accepted the new injectable drug.
The medication was well-tolerated by most patients taking part in the clinical trials. A few experienced mild nausea, vomiting, headache, fatigue, or reactions at the injection site. The once-a-month injection made compliance relatively easy.
The drug manufactures warned, however, that persons taking opiods or in acute opiod withdrawal should not take Vivitrol. In addition, the active ingredient, naltrexone, can cause liver damage if given in excessive doses.
Vivitrol works by binding to and blocking the opioid or pleasure-sensing receptors in the brain, thus removing or reducing the incentive to drink. Naltrexone has been successfully used in tablet forms by alcohol treatment programs for many years. However, Vivitrol is the only injectable drug given once per month to treat alcohol dependence.
About 18 million people in the U.S. are dependent on alcohol or drink excessively. More than 2 million of them receive treatment each year. Vivitrol offers new hope for a significant number of those seeking help from treatment programs for their alcohol addiction.
Sources: WebMD; FamilyDoctor.Org
April 28th, 2006