News! Substitute prescribing

[Otter]

Jonathan Chick and David Nutt have published an article a few weeks ago suggesting that Baclofen could be prescribed as a substitute for Alcohol. Both are leading academics in the field of alcoholism so maybe this is a beginning, and a different way to describe the idea.

Substitution therapy for alcoholism: time for a re... [J Psychopharmacol. 2011] - PubMed result

[ik1966]

News! Substitute prescribing

WOW ANOTHER ARTICLE ...
i try to put it on the bacforum thanks alot!!

[Murphyx]

News! Substitute prescribing

Oh, that's not good. If ever there is to be a public discussion in this country over baclofen's role in addiction therapy, the very last person I'd want on our side is David Nutt. I've got a lot of time for the bloke but the press will be bound to rubbish anything he promotes. He may have a great reputation in his field but to the public and press he's a crazy drug pusher. He was sacked by the Home Secretary for his comments about the relative safety of LSD and ecstasy.

[Otter]

News! Substitute prescribing

Except that he was right about that. Wasn't he saying that alcohol was more of a danger??

[Murphyx]

News! Substitute prescribing

He said alcohol and tobacco were more dangerous than cannabis, LSD or ecstasy. He also said horse riding causes more deaths than ecstasy. Of course he was correct, but since when have facts been relevant to the tabloids or the British mob?

[Ne/Neva Eva]

News! Substitute prescribing

hmmm.
Substitution? Analogous to methadone? hmmmm.

Can anyone get their hands on the article?

[Greg]

News! Substitute prescribing

I have wondered about substitution in alcohol dependence for many years, but any time I have mentioned it to doctors or alcohol treatment workers, the idea has been regarded as somehow morally wrong!! This is despite methadone and nicotine replacement therapy both being established medical treatments. I could understand practical objections, but when these are limited to concerns about the substitute having abuse potential, it seems a bit odd to me (since methadone and nicotine both have abuse potential).

Baclofen could be viewed as an alcohol substitute, aswell as other ways of looking at it. Hopefully this seemingly heretical view, and David Nutt's role in suggesting it, won't be a stumbling block to wider acceptance. Given that many people still wouldn't accept the idea of alcohol (or tobacco) being an addictive drug, emotions and media hype could overcome facts for a while (what's new there?).

[Otter]

News! Substitute prescribing

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