The Alcohol Withdrawal Syndrome (AWS), which may occur with or without delirium, is a frequent consequence of sudden alcohol cessation in patients with moderate to severe Alcohol Dependence Syndrome (ADS). Withdrawal as a result of habituation to alcohol is part of the definition of the Alcohol Dependence Syndrome (ICD10). Since the recognition of Delirium Tremens, in the early nineteenth century, the management of the syndrome, an acute medical emergency, has proven controversial. The barbiturates, chlormethiazole, and recently the safer benzodiazepines transformed the management of these conditions. The benzodiazepines, particularly diazepam and chlordiazepoxide, are now the most used first line agents in the treatment of AWS. In addition, a number of other agents, including baclofen, a GABA-B receptor agonist, have the potential to suppress the alcohol withdrawal syndrome. In this review we review the potential use of baclofen in its role to treat AWS. We summarize initial case reports as well as more recent randomized trials of AWS treatment with baclofen. We conclude that currently there is not enough evidence to support the use of baclofen as a first line treatment for AWS. More research will be needed to determine where baclofen might have a role in second-line management of the Alcohol Withdrawal Syndrome on its own or in combination with benzodiazepines or other agents.
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http://dx.doi.org/10.3389/fpsyt.2018.00773 | DOI Listing |
BMJ
January 2025
Division of Addiction Psychiatry, Brigham and Women's Hospital, Harvard Medical School, Boston, MA, USA.
The covid-19 pandemic was associated with an unprecedented increase in alcohol consumption and associated morbidity, including hospitalizations for alcohol withdrawal. Clinicians based in hospitals must be ready to identify, assess, risk-stratify, and treat alcohol withdrawal with evidence based interventions. In this clinically focused review, we outline the epidemiology, pathophysiology, clinical manifestations, screening, assessment, and treatment of alcohol withdrawal in the general hospital population.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFMolecules
December 2024
Department of Pharmacology and Pharmacodynamics, Medical University of Lublin, Chodzki 4a, 20-093 Lublin, Poland.
The N-methyl-D-aspartate (NMDA) glutamate receptor is a major target of ethanol, and it is implicated in learning and memory formation, and other cognitive functions. Glycine acts as a co-agonist for this receptor. We examined whether Org24598, a selective inhibitor of glycine transporter1 (GlyT1), affects ethanol withdrawal-induced deficits in recognition memory (Novel Object Recognition (NOR) task) and spatial memory (Barnes Maze (BM) task) in rats, and whether the NMDA receptor glycine site participates in this phenomenon.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFJ Clin Med
December 2024
Department of Anesthesiology and Pain Medicine, Bern University Hospital, Inselspital, 3010 Bern, Switzerland.
During the COVID-19 pandemic, reducing aerosol-generating procedures became fundamental, particularly in ophthalmic surgeries traditionally performed under general anesthesia (GA). Regional anesthesia, such as sub-Tenon's block (STB), is widely used in vitreoretinal surgeries, offering a safer alternative by avoiding airway manipulation. However, the altered orbital anatomy in patients with previous scleral explant surgery creates unique challenges to STB application.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFBrain Sci
December 2024
Laboratory of Neuroimaging, National Institute on Alcohol Abuse and Alcoholism, National Institutes of Health, Bethesda, MD 20892, USA.
Substance use disorders (SUDs) and anxiety disorders (ADs) are highly comorbid, a co-occurrence linked to worse clinical outcomes than either condition alone. While the neurobiological mechanisms involved in SUDs and anxiety disorders are intensively studied separately, the mechanisms underlying their comorbidity remain an emerging area of interest. This narrative review explores the neurobiological processes underlying this comorbidity, using the Research Domain Criteria (RDoC) framework to map disruptions in positive valence, negative valence, and cognitive systems across the three stages of the addiction cycle: binge/intoxication, withdrawal/negative affect, and preoccupation/anticipation.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFDrug Alcohol Depend Rep
December 2024
Banner - University Medical Center South, 2800 Ajo Way, Tucson, AZ 85713, United States.
Background: There are many barriers to prescribing medications for opioid use disorder (MOUD). This study evaluates the prevalence, patterns, and predictors of inpatient MOUD prescribing at discharge to patients with a diagnosis of opioid use/opioid use disorder (OUD) that developed opioid withdrawal during their hospital stay.
Methods: This multicenter, retrospective cross-sectional study occurred at three hospitals in Arizona.
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