Wayne Macfadden MD, works at the Spirit Lake Indian Nation Tribe Health Center in Fort Totten, North Dakota, where his responsibilities include evaluating and treating Alcohol Use Disorder. Wayne Macfadden, MD, often uses medication-assisted therapy (MAT) when treating alcohol abuse.
Medication-assisted treatment is not always a widely used option for treating Alcohol Use Disorder, but there are FDA approved medications for this purpose. These drugs are for patients trying to prevent a return to heavy alcohol drinking. Only those trained in its administration should be using this treatment option.
Disulfiram, also known as Antabuse, was the first FDA approved drug for Alcohol Use Disorder. This medication, approved in 1951, induces adverse reactions in the alcohol drinker, causing nausea, vomiting, headaches, and hangovers. These adverse reactions may be serious, and have thus deterred many people from using this medication.
Naltrexone comes as a pill and a long acting injection solution. This drug blocks the high a substance user derives from drinking alcohol. It was previously used only for drug use, but was approved for the treatment of alcohol abuse by the FDA in 1994. It also reduces the craving for alcohol in some substance users.
Acamprosate, is the newest (oral) drug approved for alcohol abuse by the FDA (2004). However, it has been used in Europe since the early 1980s. This medication reduces the severity of the withdrawal symptoms like insomnia, restlessness, and anxiety felt by those who stop drinking alcohol.
Medication-assisted treatment is not always a widely used option for treating Alcohol Use Disorder, but there are FDA approved medications for this purpose. These drugs are for patients trying to prevent a return to heavy alcohol drinking. Only those trained in its administration should be using this treatment option.
Disulfiram, also known as Antabuse, was the first FDA approved drug for Alcohol Use Disorder. This medication, approved in 1951, induces adverse reactions in the alcohol drinker, causing nausea, vomiting, headaches, and hangovers. These adverse reactions may be serious, and have thus deterred many people from using this medication.
Naltrexone comes as a pill and a long acting injection solution. This drug blocks the high a substance user derives from drinking alcohol. It was previously used only for drug use, but was approved for the treatment of alcohol abuse by the FDA in 1994. It also reduces the craving for alcohol in some substance users.
Acamprosate, is the newest (oral) drug approved for alcohol abuse by the FDA (2004). However, it has been used in Europe since the early 1980s. This medication reduces the severity of the withdrawal symptoms like insomnia, restlessness, and anxiety felt by those who stop drinking alcohol.
