Anyone here currently using gabapentin for alcohol dependence?

[Otter]

bump.

[terryk]

bump

[Ne/Neva Eva]

An old thread, and one that doesn't have a bunch of new stuff on it, but gabapentin is definitely a promising medication for alcohol use disorders.

[Wilson1]

Yes Ne, Gabapentin is the new Baclofen. Hope it ends up helping you.
Thanks for the post.

[Otter]

Gabapentin is being touted as a possible alternative to baclofen.

However, it isn't even being trialled for use in alcoholism and its use has been the subject of massive fines following criminal prosecutions of drugs companies who have advertised it for use outside its license. It's unlikely to be trialled and marketted any time soon.


It's all very well to talk about this drug but it really is a diversion. There is even less information out there about it than about baclofen and it is miles and miles away from being licensed.

Maybe, when more doctors hear about baclofen and understand the connection between alcoholism and anxiety dysphoria, they will start prescribing and then gabapentin will be used off-license and add to the tools doctors have at their disposal. However, pitting one drug against another and downplaying the very important advances hi-lighted by Ameisen and the researchers into baclofen who are a month away from announcing the results of four trials which will now lead to formal approval of baclofen as the first CSA treatment for alcoholism anywhere in the world, isn't terribly useful. A few people might get help from a doctor who for some reason is happier about prescribing Gabapentin, but it's a drop in the ocean. Whereas, getting behind baclofen development should further the general understanding of the real cause of alcoholism because the research is further progressed and the stats on its effectiveness are still much better than gabapentin.

[Wilson1]

Gabapentin is being touted as a possible alternative to baclofen.

However, it isn't even being trialled for use in alcoholism

(1)
NIH-funded study finds that gabapentin may treat alcohol dependence | National Institutes of Health NIH)

(2) "Clinical Trial Indicates Gabapentin Is Safe and Effective for Treating Alcohol Dependence"
Clinical Trial Indicates Gabapentin Is Safe and Effective for Treating Alcohol Dependence

SUMMARY:

"The generic drug gabapentin, which is already widely prescribed for epilepsy and some kinds of pain, appears to be safe and effective in the treatment of alcohol dependence. The finding comes from a 150-patient randomized, placebo-controlled, double blind clinical trial conducted by scientists at The Scripps Research Institute (TSRI)."

"As a relatively safe, effective and well-tolerated drug, gabapentin has the potential to fill a large gap in the treatment of alcohol dependence. "

[Otter]

(1)

NIH-funded study finds that gabapentin may treat alcohol dependence | National Institutes of Health NIH)



(2) "Clinical Trial Indicates Gabapentin Is Safe and Effective for Treating Alcohol Dependence"

Clinical Trial Indicates Gabapentin Is Safe and Effective for Treating Alcohol Dependence



SUMMARY:



"The generic drug gabapentin, which is already widely prescribed for epilepsy and some kinds of pain, appears to be safe and effective in the treatment of alcohol dependence. The finding comes from a 150-patient randomized, placebo-controlled, double blind clinical trial conducted by scientists at The Scripps Research Institute (TSRI)."



"As a relatively safe, effective and well-tolerated drug, gabapentin has the potential to fill a large gap in the treatment of alcohol dependence. "

You seem to be obsessed with this drug when its trial results and track record is worse than baclofen.



It's still under patent so there is a financial incentive for researchers to speak favourably about its potential. Baclofen is already filling a huge gap in treatment of alcoholism. What is needed is supportive forums where people feel safe discussing their use of these drugs. You destroyed this forum and you were banned and yet you think you have something to add. Get to grips with how you have hurt so many people and ruined a very valuable resource for recovering alcoholics.



We know what you are doing. You have a selfish personality and you had a meltdown when you were banned and you have been trying to find ways of coming back here and pretending not to be banned and carry on as before. But you are so obvious its actually become funny watching you twist and turn over the fire you made for yourself.

[Wilson1]

Hi Otter - you seem to be a very intelligent person who is trying his very best to tell everyone that Baclofen is the only answer. I highly admire your passion and enthusiasm for Baclofen and Dr. Ameisen. I am simply adding factual information relative to current treatments for AUD, including Baclofen.

I am quite certain that you too find the most important task for anyone suffering from AUD is to find SOME way out of their misery -Baclofen, Gabapentin, Naltreone, etc. Thank you for your time and efforts in supporting the recovery efforts of all alcoholics, regardless of their method of doing so.

[Wilson1]

Otter, you had made the statement that Gabapentin had not had any trial studies relative to AUD. I did not intentionally try to embarrass you by pointing out the fact that many studies have been performed relative to Gabapentin and AUD. Please forgive me if I offended you by pointing out that you were wrong relative to Gabapentin. I am fully aware that you want people to have access to factual truths about all medications.

[Otter]

Otter, you had made the statement that Gabapentin had not had any trial studies relative to AUD. I did not intentionally try to embarrass you by pointing out the fact that many studies have been performed relative to Gabapentin and AUD. Please forgive me if I offended you by pointing out that you were wrong relative to Gabapentin. I am fully aware that you want people to have access to factual truths about all medications.

Thanks for pointing that out to me. I will clarify the point. The trials you refer to are not trials which were for what I called"use" in alcoholism. They're just trialls to see if it was effective and nothing more. The French trials of baclofen began in the same way, as studies, but the present trials are for licensing and marketing of baclofen. A new drug containing gabapentin placarbate, Horizant, is being trailed for licensing and marketing but this isn't available to the public so when you talk about abstention, it is used off licence already by some people hoping it helps with their anxiety and their drinking



Of course, if you read the trial results, they show much poorer results than baclofen. Hence, Gabapentin was not licensed for AUD.



The best abstinence rate reported was 17%, whereas baclofen results are anywhere up to 71%.



Here are the results of the trials:



Clinical trials of baclofen in alcoholism- just how effective is it? ??? Baclofen Treatment for Alcoholism



Again, what you have done is to make a "point", when the real issue is that you have undermined the psychological health of many alcoholics who have left this forum because you destroyed it as a support for them and , for that, you were banned.

[Otter]

Wilson, you are banned. Let's here the truth from you because if you can't even tell the truth about who you are no one should rely on anything you say since they have no reason to trust you. You could just be here to promote a rehab which uses expensive drugs and wants to undermine a cheap generic like baclofen.



So, in order to give yourself any credibility you need to say what your credentials are. At the moment we know absolutely nothing about you except that everything about you is identical to the banned poster. You are not fooling anyone and as long as you continue posting your misleading information here we senior members will continue to protect people from your activities by explaining what you did to ruin this forum and get banned.

[time2quit]

You seem to be obsessed with this drug when its trial results and track record is worse than baclofen.

It's still under patent so there is a financial incentive for researchers to speak favourably about its potential. Baclofen is already filling a huge gap in treatment of alcoholism.

This is false it is a generic the name brand is neurontin. Gabapentin is a wonder drug which I believe helps me more than baclofen but I will continue taking both because it's what's working.

[Otter]

In the new study, Mason and her colleagues randomly assigned each of 150 recently abstinent people with alcohol dependence to be treated with 900 mg or 1,800 mg of gabapentin or with a look-alike placebo. Over 12 weeks of treatment, the high-dose group ended up refraining from heavy drinking twice as often as the placebo group (45% vs. 23%) and entirely abstained four times as often (17% vs. 4%). The drug also significantly reduced the number of drinks consumed, as well as patient reports of cravings, depression and sleeplessness. None of the treated patients reported serious side effects.


The above are the stats on gabapentin. It's simply not as effective as baclofen. The point I try to get across is that the theory of anxiety as the cause of alcoholism was developed by Olivier Ameisen. He isolated GHB deficiency as the cause of alcoholic craving and baclofen is an analogue of GHB, ie., analogous to, the same as. Anything that is less like GHB or baclofen is going to be less effective and this had proven to be the case with Gabapentin. Yes, in those with jobs and not so serious alcohol problems, a less potent drug with fewer side effects is a good alternative.

That doesn't diminish the value of baclofen in suppressing alcoholic cravings in 70% or more of cases and the fact that gabapentin is being used because of Ameisen's discovery, so it's all down to Ameisen. Dismissing him, as Carl does, here is just childish and he does it because he doesn't understand anything about these drugs and just wants to spout off to show he's a somebody.

Wilson1, tell us if you have been banned from this forum, OK?