Effectiveness of Alcohol Treatment

Alcohol Treatment Settings and Services Types of Settings and Services Pharmacological Treatment Effectiveness of Alcohol Treatment Nonpharmacological Professional Treatment Self-Help Treatment Effectiveness of Pharmacological Treatments... 

McKay, J. R., Murphy, R. T., Longabaugh, R. (1991). The effectiveness of alcoholism treatment Evidence from outcome studies. In S. M. Mirin, J. T. Gossett, M. C. Grob (Eds.), Psychiatric treatment Advances in outcome research 143-158). Washington, DC American Psychiatric Press. 

Using a primary-care model of treatment, O Malley et al. (2003) initially treated alcohol-dependent patients with open-label naltrexone for 10 weeks, in combination with either CBT or primary care management (PCM), a less intensive, supportive approach. They found no effect of psychosocial treatment on response to treatment, although CBT was associated with a lower risk of drinking. Treatment responders from this study were then randomly assigned to one of two placebo-controlled 24-week continuation studies in... 

In some pharmacotherapy studies, psychotherapy exposure has been minimized, on the basis of concern that psychotherapy may produce a ceiling effect on improvement in drug or alcohol use, making medication effects difficult to detect. However, a recent meta-analysis revealed that psychosocial interventions, in fact, may enhance pharmacotherapeutic effects (Hopkins et al. 2002). In this review we have also noted instances where psychosocial and medication treatments have had beneficial additive effects. Minimization of psychotherapy in pharmacotherapy trials may be counterproductive, because psychosocial therapies that encourage the patient to remain engaged in treatment may positively affect patients adherence to the medication regimen, a factor that has an effect on alcohol treatment outcomes (Chick et al. 2000 Volpicelli et al. 1997). 

In a previous section, the effect of plasma on PVA surface for pervaporation processes was also mentioned. In fact, plasma treatment is a surface-modification method to control the hydrophilicity-hydrophobicity balance of polymer materials in order to optimize their properties in various domains, such as adhesion, biocompatibility and membrane-separation techniques. Non-porous PVA membranes were prepared by the cast-evaporating method and covered with an allyl alcohol or acrylic acid plasma-polymerized layer the effect of plasma treatment on the increase of PVA membrane surface hydrophobicity was checked [37].The allyl alcohol plasma layer was weakly crosslinked, in contrast to the acrylic acid layer. The best results for the dehydration of ethanol were obtained using allyl alcohol treatment. The selectivity of treated membrane (H20 wt% in the pervaporate in the range 83-92 and a water selectivity, aH2o, of 250 at 25 °C) is higher than that of the non-treated one (aH2o = 19) as well as that of the acrylic acid treated membrane (aH2o = 22). 

Athyros VG, Mikhailidis DP, Didangelos TP, Giouleme OI, Liberopoulos EN, Karagiannis A et al. Effect of multifactorial treatment on non-alcoholic fatty liver disease in metabolic syndrome a randomised study. Cur Med Res Opin 2006 22(5) 873-83. 

Itching associated with retention of bile acids is ameliorated by treatment with the bile acid binding resin cholestyramine. Fat soluble vitamin (A, D and K) deficiency may require administration of supplements. Direct toxic effects of alcohol associated with dietary deficiency may require soluble B vitamin administration. 

The potential utility of delta antagonists for the treatment of alcohol abuse has excited considerable interest over the last decade for at least two reasons. First, numerous studies suggest that the abuse-related effects of alcohol are mediated, at least in part, by endogenous opioid systems [114]. Second, the relatively nonselective opioid antagonist naltrexone has acknowledged clin-... 

Helander A, Carlsson S. Use of leukocyte aldehyde dehydrogenase activity to monitor inhibitory effect of disulfiram treatment. Alcohol Clin Exp Res 1990 14(l) 48-52. 

Effectiveness of Drug Treatment Nonpharmacological Professional Treatment Self-Help Treatment Pharmacological Treatments Promising Treatment Techniques Special Topics in Alcohol and Drug Treatment... 

The history of researcli on the effectiveness of drug treatment is not nearly as long as that for alcohol, but in the last few decades a number of good studies have appeared. Our summary of what is known about drug treatment effectiveness, like that of alcohol treatment, excludes detoxification. 

Hester, R. K., Miller, W. R. (Eds.). (1989). Handbook of alcoholism treatment approaches Effective alternatives. Elmsford, NY Pergamon Press. 

Diphenoxylate is an opiate (schedule V) with antidiarrheal properties. It is usually dispensed with atropine and sold as Lomotil. The atropine is added to discourage the abuse of diphenoxylate by narcotic addicts who are tolerant to massive doses of narcotic but not to the CNS stimulant effects of atropine. Diphenoxylate shonld be used cautiously in patients with obstructive jaundice because of its potential for hepatic coma, and in patients with diarrhea cansed by pseudomembranous colitis because of its potential for toxic megacolon. In addition, it should be used cautiously in the treatment of diarrhea caused by poisoning or by infection by Shigella, Salmonella, and some strains of E. coli because expulsion of intestinal contents may be a protective mechanism. Diphenoxylate should be used with extreme caution in patients with impaired hepatic function, cirrhosis, advanced hepatorenal disease, or abnormal liver function test results, because the drug may precipitate hepatic coma. Because diphenoxylate is structurally related to meperidine, it may cause hypertension when combined with monoamine oxidase inhibitors. As a narcotic, it will augment the CNS depressant effects of alcohol, hypnotic-sedatives, and numerous other drugs, such as neuroleptics or antidepressants that cause sedation. 

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