Alcohol Rehab Should Not Be Replaced By Topamax Drug Treatment

October 23, 2009 at 9:10 pm · Filed under Alcohol Rehab

no advertising that can help alcoholics is bound to attract attention. What better way for a producer of drugs to increase sales of one of its drugs for the publication of a study that is only a question? The problem is that it is misleading or even ethical to suggest that a pill can be a substitute for the true spirit rehab.

Only one study, funded by Ortho-McNeil Pharmaceuticals, a division of Johnson & Johnson, Ortho McNeil and implemented by many counselors, published in the October 10 edition of the Journal of American Medical Association. The study concludes that the seizure and migraine drug Topamax (topiramate) is a promising treatment for alcohol dependence. However, treatment of alcohol dependence is more to achieve a relative reduction of excessive consumption of alcohol, which is what the study of his therapy. Treatment for alcoholism is necessary to obtain an alcoholic life through the detoxification alcohol, then through the rehabilitation of alcohol, and then through the months without a reconstruction of alcohol problem.

The results of the study, however, trumpeted national media, and Ortho-McNeil has a new advertisement that could lead to a lot of doctors prescribe to their patients instead of Topamax and alcohol in achieving an adequate and effective long-term alcohol rehabilitation program.

is illegal for a company pharmaceutical industry to promote the use of a medication to anyone else, the FDA approved its use – for FDA approval were Topamax for migraines and seizures. However, any doctor can legally prescribe a drug not approved by the FDA "off-label use. The problem facing big pharma is getting doctors to prescribe the drug label, without breaking the law for the promotion that Ortho-McNeil them.

could apply to the FDA for approval of Topamax treatment of alcoholism "But there are reports that the company has no intention to do so because their patent on Topamax will expire soon. Of course, this raises the question of why the company would pay for a study point.

Meanwhile, the consumer advocacy group Public Citizen published a letter urging the FDA to take action against Ortho-campaign "illegal and dangerous promotion McNeil "for off-label prescription Topamax. Ortho-McNeil, said the letter, released a media kit with a Q & A sheet that says, "Why is FDA approved topiramate for seizures and migraines, is available for physicians to prescribe it off – label. Public Citizen said that clearly violates the prohibition of off-label promotion, because the patients were "explicitly urged / encouraged to ask the doctor about topiramate to treat his addiction to alcohol seriously." In any case, family physicians are not specialists in drug addiction, and should be the sending of alcoholic patients in alcohol rehabilitation professional, not off-label prescriptions pills.

Moreover, the current FDA labeling states Topamax "is should avoid drinking alcohol while taking Topamax. Topamax alcohol can cause side effects such as drowsiness and dizziness worse. " The list of other side effects include eye problems, kidney stones, decreased sweating leading to dangerous overheating, and tingling of the extremities. The study, according to Public Citizen, has found a significant increase dizziness (two times), accidents (two), and impaired concentration and attention (four times) in patients treated with Topamax compared to those treated with placebo. The group also said that the two sets of tests were still "very safe at the end of the study €? And most people who Topamax study the placebo group. The study showed that "only a modest improvement in the percentage of days of heavy drinking in people with Topamax, compared with subjects with a placebo," the group said. further reasons for physicians to avoid prescribing off-label and stick to a
encourage their patients to enroll in alcohol rehabilitation lcoholic recognized programs.

medications for alcoholism have not been able to make a dent in a manner significant drinking habits of the 15 million or more of alcoholics in this country. The increase in sales of additional drugs in promoting "the label" prescriptions, particularly from doctors who are not trained in the treatment of addiction is not a substitute for the rehabilitation of alcohol. Who will manage the effects of concern? The pills are not the answer to dependence on alcohol. If someone is addicted to drugs or alcohol, the solution is a bona fide drug or alcohol rehabilitation program.

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