Gamma Hydroxybutyric Acid (GHB) for the Treatment of Alcohol Dependence: A Review

Gamma-hydroxybutyric acid (GHB) is a short-chain fatty acid structurally similar to the inhibitory neurotransmitter γ-aminobutyric acid. Clinical trials have demonstrated that 50-100 mg/kg of GHB fractioned into three or six daily doses is able to suppress alcohol withdrawal symptoms and facilitates...

Full description

Saved in:
Bibliographic Details
Published inInternational journal of environmental research and public health Vol. 6; no. 6; pp. 1917 - 1929
Main Authors Caputo, Fabio, Vignoli, Teo, Maremmani, Icro, Bernardi, Mauro, Zoli, Giorgio
Format Journal Article
LanguageEnglish
Published Switzerland MDPI AG 01.06.2009
Molecular Diversity Preservation International (MDPI)
Subjects
Addictions
Alcohol use
Alcoholism - drug therapy
Fatty acids
Humans
Hydroxybutyrates - therapeutic use
Motivation
Randomized Controlled Trials as Topic
Review
Substance Withdrawal Syndrome - drug therapy
alcohol withdrawal syndrome
gamma-hydroxybutyric acid
anti-craving drug
Online AccessGet full text
ISSN1660-4601
1661-7827
1660-4601
1661-7827
DOI10.3390/ijerph6061917

Cover

More Information
Summary:Gamma-hydroxybutyric acid (GHB) is a short-chain fatty acid structurally similar to the inhibitory neurotransmitter γ-aminobutyric acid. Clinical trials have demonstrated that 50-100 mg/kg of GHB fractioned into three or six daily doses is able to suppress alcohol withdrawal symptoms and facilitates the maintenance of abstinence from alcohol. These studies have also shown that GHB craving episodes are a very limited phenomenon (about 10-15%). Thus, physicians with access should consider the clinical efficacy of GHB as a valid pharmacological tool for the treatment of alcohol addiction.
Bibliography:ObjectType-Article-2
SourceType-Scholarly Journals-1
ObjectType-Feature-1
content type line 14
content type line 23
ObjectType-Article-1
ObjectType-Feature-2
ObjectType-Review-3
ISSN:1660-4601
1661-7827
1660-4601
1661-7827
DOI:10.3390/ijerph6061917