Acamprosate for treatment of alcohol dependence: Mechanisms, efficacy, and clinical utility

Therapeutics and Clinical Risk Management

Volumn 8, Issue , 2012, Pages 45-53

  Witkiewitz, Katie ^a   Saville, Kimber ^a   Hamreus, Kacie ^a  

^a WASHINGTON STATE UNIVERSITY   (United States)

Author keywords

Acamprosate; Alcohol abuse; Gammaaminobutyric acid; N methyl D aspartate receptor

Indexed keywords

4 AMINOBUTYRIC ACID; ACAMPROSATE; DISULFIRAM; GLUTAMIC ACID; NALTREXONE; NEUROTRANSMITTER; OXCARBAZEPINE; PLACEBO;

ABDOMINAL PAIN; ALCOHOL ABSTINENCE; ALCOHOL CONSUMPTION; ALCOHOLISM; BEHAVIOR THERAPY; CONSTIPATION; COUNSELING; DRUG ABSORPTION; DRUG ANTAGONISM; DRUG BINDING; DRUG BIOAVAILABILITY; DRUG EFFICACY; DRUG INDICATION; DRUG INHIBITION; DRUG MECHANISM; DRUG METABOLISM; DRUG SAFETY; DRUG STRUCTURE; DRUG TOLERABILITY; GASTROINTESTINAL SYMPTOM; HEPATITIS; HEREDITY; HUMAN; LIVER DISEASE; NAUSEA; NEUROTRANSMISSION; PATIENT COMPLIANCE; PRURITUS; PSYCHOTHERAPY; RANDOMIZED CONTROLLED TRIAL (TOPIC); REGULATORY MECHANISM; REVIEW; RISK REDUCTION; SYSTEMATIC REVIEW; TREATMENT DURATION; TREATMENT OUTCOME; VOMITING;

EID: 84857071359     PISSN: 11766336     EISSN: 1178203X     Source Type: Journal    
DOI: 10.2147/TCRM.S23184     Document Type: Review

References (63)

1. World Health Organization. Management of substance abuse: Alcohol. 2011. Available at: http://www.who.int/substance_abuse/facts/alcohol/en/index.html. Accessed November 23, 2011.
2. Hasin DS, Stinson FS, Ogburn E, Grant BF. Prevalence, correlates, disability, and comorbidity of DSM-IV alcohol abuse and dependence in the United States: results from the National Epidemiologic Survey on Alcohol and Related Conditions. Arch Gen Psychiatry. 2007;64: 830-842.
3. World Health Organization. European Status Report on Alcohol and Health 2010. Copenhagen, Denmark: World Health Organization; 2010.
4. Koob GF. Alcoholism: allostasis and beyond. Alcohol Clin Exp Res. 2003;27:232-243.
5. Cohen E, Feinn R, Arias A, Kranzler HR. Alcohol treatment utilization: findings from the National Epidemiologic Survey on Alcohol and Related Conditions. Drug Alcohol Depend. 2007;86:214-221.
6. Mark TL, Kranzler HR, Song X. Understanding US addiction physicians' low rate of naltrexone prescription. Drug Alcohol Depend. 2003;71: 219-228.
7. Miller WR, Wilbourne PL. Mesa Grande: A methodological analysis of clinical trials of treatment for alcohol use disorders. Addiction. 2002;9: 265-277.
8. Marlatt GA. Craving for alcohol, loss of control, and relapse: A cognitive-behavioral analysis. In: Nathan PE, Marlatt GA, Loberg T, editors. Alcoholism: New Directions in Research and Treatment. New York: Plenum Press; 1978.
9. Witkiewitz K, Marlatt GA. Modeling the complexity of post-treatment drinking: it's a rocky road to relapse. Clin Psychol Rev. 2007;27: 724-738.
10. Anton RF, O'Malley SS, Ciraulo DA, et al. Combined pharmacotherapies and behavioral interventions for alcohol dependence: The COMBINE study. A randomized controlled trial. JAMA. 2006;29:2003-2017.
11. Witkiewitz K, Maisto SA, Donovan DM. A comparison of methods for estimating change in drinking following alcohol treatment. Alcohol Clin Exp Res. 2010;34:2116-2125.
12. Wolwer W, Frommann N, Janner M, et al. The effects of combined acamprosate and integrative behaviour therapy in the outpatient treatment of alcohol dependence: A randomized controlled trial. Drug Alcohol Depend. 2011;118:417-422.
13. Krampe H, Stawicki S, Wagner T, et al. Follow-up of 180 alcoholic patients for up to 7 years after outpatient treatment: impact of alcohol deterrents on outcome. Alcohol Clin Exp Res. 2006;30:86-95.
14. Rosner S, Hackl-Herrwerth A, Leucht S, Vecchi S, Srisurapanont M, Soyka M. Opioid antagonists for alcohol dependence. Cochrane Database Syst Rev. 2010;12:CD001867.
15. Oslin DW, Berrettini W, Kranzler HR, et al. A functional polymorphism of the mu-opioid receptor gene is associated with naltrexone response in alcohol-dependent patients. Neuropsychopharmacology. 2003;28:1546-1552.
16. Coller JK, Cahill S, Edmonds C, et al. OPRM1 A118G genotype fails to predict the effectiveness of naltrexone treatment for alcohol dependence. Pharmacogenet Genomics. 2011;21:902-905.
17. Mason BJ, Heyser CJ. Acamprosate: a prototypic neuromodulator in the treatment of alcohol dependence. CNS Neurol Disord Drug Targets. 2010;9:23-32.
18. Mann K, Kiefer F, Spanagel R, Littleton J. Acamprosate: recent findings and future research directions. Alcohol Clin Exp Res. 2008;32: 1105-1110.
19. Pierrefiche O, Daoust M, Naassila M. Biphasic effect of acamprosate on NMDA but not on GABAA receptors in spontaneous rhythmic activity from the isolated neonatal rat respiratory network. Neuropharmacology. 2004;47:35-45.
20. Daoust M, Legrand E, Gewiss M, et al. Acamprosate modulates synaptosomal GABA transmission in chronically alcoholised rats. Pharmacol Biochem Behav. 1992;41:669-674.
21. Reilly MT, Lobo IA, McCracken LM, et al. Effects of acamprosate on neuronal receptors and ion channels expressed in Xenopus oocytes. Alcohol Clin Exp Res. 2008;32:188-196.
22. Naassila M, Hammoumi S, Legrand E, Durbin P, Daoust M. Mechanism of action of acamprosate. Part I. Characterization of spermidinesensitive acamprosate binding site in rat brain. Alcohol Clin Exp Res. 1998;22:802-809.
23. Rammes G, Mahal B, Putzke J, et al. The anti-craving compound acamprosate acts as a weak NMDA-receptor antagonist, but modulates NMDA-receptor subunit expression similar to memantine and MK-801. Neuropharmacology. 2001;40:749-760.
24. Zornoza T, Cano-Cebrián MJ, Nalda-Molina R, Guerri C, Granero L, Polache A. Assessment and modulation of acamprosate intestinal absorption: comparative studies using in situ, in vitro (CACO-2 cell monolayers) and in vivo models. Eur J Pharm Sci. 2004;22:347-356.
25. Saivin S, Hulot T, Chabac S, Potgieter A, Durbin P, Houin G. Clinical pharmacokinetics of acamprosate. Clin Pharmacokinet. 1998;35: 331-345.
26. Hammarberg A, Beck O, Eksborg S, et al. Acamprosate determinations in plasma and cerebrospinal fluid after multiple dosing measured by liquid chromatography-mass spectroscopy: a pharmacokinetic study in healthy volunteers. Ther Drug Monit. 2010;32:489-496.
27. Mason BJ, Goodman AM, Dixon RM, et al. A pharmacokinetic and pharmacodynamic drug interaction study of acamprosate and naltrexone. Neuropsychopharmacology. 2002;27:596-606.
28. Boothby LA, Doering PL. Acamprosate for the treatment of alcohol dependence. Clin Ther. 2005;27:695-714.
29. Mason BJ, Ownby RL. Acamprosate for the treatment of alcohol dependence: a review of double-blind, placebo-controlled trials. CNS Spectr. 2000;5:58-69.
30. Rubio G, Jimenez-Arriero MA, Ponce G, Palomo T. Naltrexone versus acamprosate: one year follow-up of alcohol dependence treatment. Alcohol Alcohol. 2001;36:419-425.
31. Laaksonen E, Koski-Jannes A, Salaspuro M, Ahtinen H, Alho H. A randomized, multicentre, open-label, comparative trial of disulfiram, naltrexone and acamprosate in the treatment of alcohol dependence. Alcohol Alcohol. 2008;43:53-61.
32. de Sousa A. An open randomized study comparing disulfiram and acamprosate in the treatment of alcohol dependence. Alcohol Alcohol. 2005;40:545-548.
33. Kiritze-Topor P, Huas D, Rosenzweig C, Comte S, Paille F, Lehert P. A pragmatic trial of acamprosate in the treatment of alcohol dependence in primary care. Alcohol Alcohol. 2004;39:520-527.
34. Paille FM, Guelfi JD, Perkins AC, Royer RJ, Steru L, Parot P. Double-blind randomized multicentre trial of acamprosate in maintaining abstinence from alcohol. Alcohol Alcohol. 1995;30:239-247.
35. Croissant B, Diehl A, Klein O, et al. A pilot study of oxcarbazepine versus acamprosate in alcohol-dependent patients. Alcohol Clin Exp Res. 2006;30:630-635.
36. Soyka M, Preuss U, Schuetz C. Use of acamprosate and different kinds of psychosocial support in relapse prevention of alcoholism. Results from a non-blind, multicentre study. Drugs R D. 2002;3:1-12.
37. Koeter MW, van den Brink W, Lehert P. Effect of early and late compliance on the effectiveness of acamprosate in the treatment of alcohol dependence. J Subst Abuse Treat. 2010;39:218-226.
38. Kiefer F, Witt SH, Frank J, et al. Involvement of the atrial natriuretic peptide transcription factor GATA4 in alcohol dependence, relapse risk and treatment response to acamprosate. Pharmacogenomics J. 2011;11: 368-374.
39. Ooteman W, Naassila M, Koeter MW, et al. Predicting the effect of naltrexone and acamprosate in alcohol-dependent patients using genetic indicators. Addict Biol. 2009;14:328-337.
40. Mason BJ, Heyser CJ. The neurobiology, clinical efficacy and safety of acamprosate in the treatment of alcohol dependence. Expert Opin Drug Saf. 2010;9(1):177-188.
41. Bouza C, Angeles M, Munoz A, Amate JM. Efficacy and safety of naltrexone and acamprosate in the treatment of alcohol dependence: a systematic review. Addiction. 2004;99:811-828.
42. Rosenthal RN, Gage A, Perhach JL, Goodman AM. Acamprosate: safety and tolerability in the treatment of alcohol dependence. J Addict Med. 2008;2:40-50.
43. Kennedy WK, Leloux M, Kutscher EC, Price PL, Morstad AE, Carnahan RM. Acamprosate. Expert Opin Drug Metab Toxicol. 2010;6: 363-380.
44. Mason BJ. Acamprosate and naltrexone treatment for alcohol dependence: an evidence-based risk-benefits assessment. Eur Neuropsychopharmacol. 2003;13:469-475.
45. Schwappach D, Popova S, Mohapatra S, Patra J, Godinho A, Rehm J. Strategies for evaluating the economic value of drugs in alcohol dependence treatment. Drug Alcohol Depend. 2011. [Epub ahead of print.]
46. Zarkin GA, Bray JW, Aldridge A, et al. Cost and cost-effectiveness of the COMBINE study in alcohol-dependent patients. Arch Gen Psychiatry. 2008;65:1214-1221.
47. Dunlap LJ, Zarkin GA, Bray JW, et al. Revisiting the cost-effectiveness of the COMBINE study for alcohol dependent patients: the patient perspective. Med Care. 2010;48:306-313.
48. Palmer AJ, Neeser K, Weiss C, Brandt A, Comte S, Fox M. The longterm cost-effectiveness of improving alcohol abstinence with adjuvant acamprosate. Alcohol Alcohol. 2000;35:478-492.
49. Rychlik R, Siedentop H, Pfeil T, Daniel D. Cost-effectiveness of adjuvant treatment with acamprosate in maintaining abstinence in alcohol dependent patients. Eur Addict Res. 2003;9:59-64.
50. De Sousa A. The pharmacotherapy of alcohol dependence: a state of the art review. Mens Sana Monogr. 2010;8:69-82.
51. Kiefer F, Mann K. Acamprosate: how, where, and for whom does it work? Mechanism of action, treatment targets, and individualized therapy. Curr Pharm Des. 2010;16:2098-2102.
52. Wright TM, Myrick H. Acamprosate: a new tool in the battle against alcohol dependence. Neuropsychiatr Dis Treat. 2006;2:445-453.
53. Mason BJ, Goodman AM, Chabac S, Lehert P. Effect of oral acamprosate on abstinence in patients with alcohol dependence in a double-blind, placebo-controlled trial: the role of patient motivation. J Psychiatr Res. 2006;40:383-393.
54. Gueorguieva R, Wu R, Donovan D, et al. Baseline trajectories of heavy drinking and their effects on postrandomization drinking in the COMBINE study: empirically derived predictors of drinking outcomes during treatment. Alcohol. 2011. [Epub ahead of print.]
55. Boeijinga PH, Parot P, Soufflet L, et al. Pharmacodynamic effects of acamprosate on markers of cerebral function in alcohol-dependent subjects administered as pretreatment and during alcohol abstinence. Neuropsychobiology. 2004;50:71-77.
56. Staner L, Boeijinga P, Danel T, et al. Effects of acamprosate on sleep during alcohol withdrawal: A double-blind placebo-controlled polysomnographic study in alcohol-dependent subjects. Alcohol Clin Exp Res. 2006;30:1492-1499.
57. Holter SM, Landgraf R, Zieglgansberger W, Spanagel R. Time course of acamprosate action on operant ethanol self-administration after ethanol deprivation. Alcohol Clin Exp Res. 1997;21:862-868.
58. Spanagel R, Holter SM, Allingham K, Landgraf R, Zieglgansberger W. Acamprosate and alcohol: I. Effects on alcohol intake following alcohol deprivation in the rat. Eur J Pharmacol. 1996;305:39-44.
59. Bachteler D, Economidou D, Danysz W, Ciccocioppo R, Spanagel R. The effects of acamprosate and neramexane on cue-induced reinstatement of ethanol-seeking behavior in rat. Neuropsychopharmacology. 2005;30:1104-1110.
60. Hammarberg A, Jayaram-Lindstrom N, Beck O, Franck J, Reid MS. The effects of acamprosate on alcohol-cue reactivity and alcohol priming in dependent patients: a randomized controlled trial. Psychopharmacology. 2009;205:53-62.
61. Diehl A, Ulmer L, Mutschler J, et al. Why is disulfiram superior to acamprosate in the routine clinical setting? A retrospective long-term study in 353 alcohol-dependent patients. Alcohol Alcohol. 2010;45: 271-277.
62. Kampman KM, Pettinati HM, Lynch KG, et al. Initiating acamprosate within-detoxification versus post-detoxification in the treatment of alcohol dependence. Addict Behav. 2009;34:581-586.
63. Pelc I, Ansoms C, Lehert P, et al. The European NEAT program: an integrated approach using acamprosate and psychosocial support for the prevention of relapse in alcohol-dependent patients with a statistical modeling of therapy success prediction. Alcohol Clin Exp Res. 2002;26:1529-1538.