Re:Drug recommended to help cut drink dependence
by jrapdx3 on Friday October 03, 2014 @05:19PM
(#8407699)
The article was disappointingly short of a few bits of information. It didn't describe the class of drug (opioid receptor blocker), give examples of similar drugs or even give a pointer to more complete information.
Yeah, I know, I could look it up (and I will), but even in a brief announcement, I don't think a little more information is too much to ask for.
Naltrexone has shown benefit for alcohol dependence, and other addictive behaviors too. Probably too obvious to say, but no drug is a "magic bullet" and risk of side-effects remains an important consideration. For naltrexone, a particular concern is liver toxicity with higher doses.
The newer drug may be different, but a drug's bad effects may show up only after prolonged use. Registration trials may not be go on long enough, or involve enough subjects to reveal long-term or rare problems.
Yeah, I know, I could look it up (and I will), but even in a brief announcement, I don't think a little more information is too much to ask for.
Naltrexone has shown benefit for alcohol dependence, and other addictive behaviors too. Probably too obvious to say, but no drug is a "magic bullet" and risk of side-effects remains an important consideration. For naltrexone, a particular concern is liver toxicity with higher doses.
The newer drug may be different, but a drug's bad effects may show up only after prolonged use. Registration trials may not be go on long enough, or involve enough subjects to reveal long-term or rare problems.