Are drugs the answer to alcoholism?

• Position: Addictions - Brief article

The anti-seizure drug ezogabine reduced alcohol consumption in an experimental model, report researchers from the Boston (Mass.) University School of Medicine. The findings may lead to more effective treatments for alcoholism.

Excessive consumption of alcohol is one of the leading causes of illness and death In the U.S., and has significant negative economic impact by limiting the productivity of workers and necessitating huge health care expenditures.

"This finding is of importance because ezogabine acts by opening a particular type of potassium channel in the brain, called the Kv7 channel, which regulates activity in areas of the brain that are believed to regulate the rewarding effects of alcohol," explains lead author Clifford Knapp, associate professor of psychiatry.

Previous studies conducted by this research group helped to establish the value of anti-seizure drugs as medications...