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Pill Could Help Curb Alcoholism

A medication used to treat seizures and headaches is now helping some alcoholics curb their drinking.

Christine Flemming is a survivor, overcoming anorexia, bulimia and more recently, a drinking problem.

"I used alcohol as a crutch with my eating disorder, I actually drank instead of eating," she said.

Typically, she;'d crack open her first beer around 11 a.m.

"When my husband actually said to me, you know, 'I'm coming home and you're already on your sixth, seventh beer and I'm coming home at 1:30, 2 in the afternoon,' and - there was a problem. I knew there was a problem then," she explained.

Determined to back off the booze, the mother of three took part in a study on topiramate.

The drug, marketed as topamax, is approved for epilepsy and migraines. Now research suggests it can also treat alcohol addiction. Dr. Bankole Johnson led the study on the drug.

"The first thing that it did was it reduced the drive to drink. And that resulted in people drinking less heavily," he said. "The second thing that it did was it prolonged the period of abstinence people were encountering during treatment."

Topiramate works in the brain to suppress the pleasure of drinking. Christine noticed a difference within weeks.

"The cravings weren't there. I didn't feel like I had to drink," she said.

What's more, the drug also improved some of the physical fallout from too much alcohol.

"Mainly reducing the liver enzymes and also reducing blood pressure and decreasing cholesterol," Dr. Johnson said.

The doctor says the findings could reduce the stigma of alcoholism and make treatment more private.

"I think that one of the cornerstones of what we've done is to demonstrate that the treatment for alcoholism can be like a treatment for blood pressure or like the treatment of diabetes which is uncomplicated," he said. "You should be able to go to your doctor, tell them about your drinking, have a pill that will help you, with some psychological support, and be followed up by your doctor."

It's an important breakthrough that could help those who want to help themselves.

Larger studies are underway at the University of Virginia. For more information visit: www.uvaaddictiontrials.com/about_topiramate.cfm  or www.clinicaltrials.gov  and put NCT00223639 in the search box.

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