Gabapentin Treatment for Alcohol Dependence

The Neuroimmune Transcriptome and Alcohol Dependence: Potential for Targeted Therapies

“…For example, these computational approaches, which integrate gene expression signatures of drugs and small molecules with disease, have been successful in identifying potential therapeutics for complex disorders such as obesity [146] and inflammatory bowel disease [147]. In addition, gabapentin, which has been shown to be effective in treating alcohol dependence and preventing relapse in clinical trials [148] was identified as a potential therapeutic target based on RNA-sequencing of human postmortem brain [149]. A key question is whether consistent changes in gene expression profiles and networks found in human alcoholics and animal models can be used to predict drugs that will normalize the targeted gene networks and provide new treatments for AUD.…”

The American Psychiatric Association Practice Guideline for the Pharmacological Treatment of Patients With Alcohol Use Disorder

“…Several small randomized trials of shorter duration also showed benefit of gabapentin on alcohol-related outcomes (Anton et al 2009(Anton et al , 2011Furieri and NakamuraPalacios 2007). In patients with AUD treated with gabapentin, there were no differences in the number, severity, or type of reported adverse effects (Mason et al 2014). Fatigue (23%), insomnia (18%), and headache (14%) were noted most often, but rates with gabapentin did not differ from placebo.…”

“…Gabapentin, at doses between 900 and 1800 mg/day, was associated with an increased rate of abstinence (number needed to treat [NNT]=8 for 1800 mg daily) and a reduction in heavy drinking days (NNT=5 for 1800 mg daily) in a 12-week double-blind, randomized, placebo-controlled, doseranging study (Mason et al 2014). Reductions were also noted in drinking quantity and frequency, GGT, craving, mood, and insomnia.…”

Underutilization of Pharmacotherapy for Treatment of Alcohol Use Disorders Part II-Results from a Survey of Practices among North Carolina Mental Health Providers and Brief Review of Efficacy of Available Pharmacotherapies

“…Evidence for both monotherapy [27] and adjunctive therapy to Naltrexone [28] exists. The largest and most recent shows a trend towards dose related improvement in drinking outcomes however statistical significance at the higher doses is lacking [29]. Outcomes for improvement are positive in insomnia associated with alcohol dependence [30] as well as for cravings [31].…”