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Alcohol might be legal in the U.S., but that doesn’t mean drinking alcohol won’t come with a range of risks and side-effects. Among people ages 15 to 24, alcohol abuse is a significant factor in the top three leading causes of death for this age group – suicides, homicides, and accidents. Drinking too much raises anyone’s risk profile for getting injured or even killed in a crash. Out of all fatal drownings and homicides, alcohol use accounts for 60% of all fatalities. When it comes to fatal car crashes, alcohol is responsible for up to 40% of wrecks involving wrongful death.
Excessive alcohol use and addiction are also associated with a range of health problems, including cancer, liver disease, heart disease, stroke, and depression. Drinking while pregnant can also lead to congenital disabilities. In addition to the health problems and physical risks associated with problem drinking, alcohol is a highly addictive substance. An estimated 15.1 million U.S. adults have an alcohol use disorder. In a given year, around 6.7% of adults will receive treatment for alcoholism. A combination of different therapies and the use of certain medications can help people in recovery for alcoholism achieve and maintain sobriety. Acamprosate and Campral are two medications that are prescribed to help people in recovery for alcohol abuse and addiction.
What are Acamprosate and Campral?
The FDA approved the medication Acamprosate in 2004, and the prescription was initially intended to treat alcohol use disorder. It wasn’t until 2005 that the medication became widespread in rehab centers, pharmacies, and private clinics throughout the U.S. The brand name for the drug Acamprosate is called Campral. The medicine is prescription only and comes in a tablet that is administered between two and three times per day.
Acamprosate or Campral can only be used once a patient has wholly detoxed from alcohol. This medication is used as part of an ongoing maintenance program to help prevent relapses. The medicine curbs a person’s cravings for alcohol, and can also help cut down on the physical symptoms of withdrawal like tremors. In most cases, the detox timeline for alcohol use will last about two weeks. But every patient is different. Long-term alcohol abuse and alcohol abuse combined with other drugs can make the detox timeline more pronounced and longer-lasting.
It’s critical for people to understand that medicines used to prevent relapse, like Acamprosate, are not “cures” for alcoholism. Alcoholism and drug addiction are chronic, life-long conditions that require ongoing, integrated treatment models for maximum success. Using medication to prevent withdrawals is just one tool that clinicians and patients can use to treat alcohol use disorder. But this condition isn’t something that can be cured. However, it can be managed, and people can go on to achieve and maintain initial sobriety from alcohol. Acamprosate can be a part of a productive, holistic recovery plan.
How would someone use Acamprosate or Campral?
Acamprosate is best used when it is combined with therapy and any other prescription medications a person may need. Alcoholism is associated with an increased risk of co-occurring mental health disorders such as depression and anxiety. In patients who also have these issues, treating mental health disorders is critical to helping patients in recovery for addiction.
Patients who are prescribed Acamprosate or Campral must take the medicine orally up to three times per day. The medication can be taken with or without food, and Acamprosate is usually prescribed for about a year, although some people will need to use the drug for longer or shorter periods. In many cases, people who are prescribed Acamprosate will also take other medications for addiction, including Disulfiram or Naltrexone. Taking these drugs, in conjunction with Acamprosate, can improve the efficiency of Acamprosate without diminishing the effectiveness of the other medicines.
What are the benefits of taking Acamprosate?
Addiction is a painful condition to treat, and patients often need an arsenal of tools at their disposal to achieve and maintain their sobriety. A medicine like Acamprostate increases a person’s chances of success with few downsides, although the drug does come with a range of side effects. But, some of the most significant benefits of using Acamprosate include:
- The medicine gets absorbed via the digestive tract instead of the liver. For many recovering alcoholics, liver damage is an issue. Taking Acamprosate won’t add to someone’s risk of experiencing liver dysfunction and impairment.
- Acamprosate is not known to interact with other medications and substances and generally comes with fewer side effects than other medicines used to treat addiction.
- The medicine is highly effective at decreasing cravings for alcohol by impacting neurotransmitters in the brain. Other medications typically reduce the pleasurable effects of abusing alcohol or create adverse effects when people relapse. For some patients, Acamprosate might be a more effective medical treatment option for alcoholism.
Can this medicine be abused?
Acamprosate or Campral is not typically abused. These medicines do not come with a risk of addiction or fatal overdose. If someone takes too much of the drug, they will experience diarrhea. The medications are contraindicated for people with renal impairment or dysfunction, and people with hypersensitivity to acamprosate calcium or any chemical components of acamprosate calcium.
Unfortunately, no medication is without the risk of side effects. For Acamprosate and Campral, these medicines can increase the risk of suicide and depression. People in recovery for addiction and those who are taking prescription medicines like Campral require supervision from a team of medical professionals who can address mental health disorder symptoms and other risk factors and side effects.
What are the other side effects of Acamprosate?
Acamprosate takes a few days to take effect, and during this period is when people will experience the most side effects. Usually, side effects will diminish after the body becomes accustomed to Acamprosate. The most common side effects of Campral include the following:
- Dizziness
- Muscle weakness
- Sleep issues
- Headaches
- Stomach upset
In rare cases, patients can experience more severe side effects:
- Changes in heart rhythm
- Suicidal thoughts
- Changes in hearing and vision
- Fainting
- Difficulty urinating
How does Acamprosate work to treat alcoholism?
The FDA has only approved two other medications specifically for treating alcoholism. Campral is the most commonly prescribed medication out of these three drugs because it is incredibly useful and comes with less risk than other medicines. Other medicines that are used to treat alcoholism tend to work by either diminishing the pleasurable impacts of alcohol or by creating severe, unpleasant side effects if someone relapses and drinks after detox. In contrast, Acamprosate reduces the brain’s dependence on alcohol, effectively reducing cravings to use alcohol in the first place.
When someone is addicted to alcohol, the substance changes a person’s brain chemistry and the way their brain functions. When alcohol is abused, the brain starts to need to drink to properly function. Without it, severe and potentially dangerous side effects occur. Alcohol withdrawals can be incredibly intense, long-lasting, and possibly fatal.
The mechanisms in the brain that cause dependence and withdrawal are directly impacted when someone starts taking prescription Acamprosate. Scientists do not entirely understand how Acamprostate’s chemical compounds interact with the neurotransmitter system in the human brain, but the drug helps to normalize and regulate brain activity that is imbalanced during alcohol cessation and withdrawal.
What scientists do understand is that the medicine impacts both glutamate and the brain’s GABA systems. Because these systems are also impacted by Acamprosate use, patients taking the drug may also find that it reduces other withdrawal symptoms, such as restlessness, anxiety, and even insomnia. Acamprosate is also safer than other alternative medications because it bypasses the liver. The medicine is safe for people to use if they have liver damage as a result of severe, long-term alcohol abuse.
Can Acamprosate alone treat alcoholism?
There is no “magic pill” or silver bullet for addiction and alcoholism. Acamprosate was never intended as a cure-all, and it only addresses the cravings people get after they quit an addictive substance. Addiction is far more than mere cravings for drugs or alcohol. Addiction is a disease that impacts all areas of a person’s life, and the roots of addiction are often complicated, multi-faceted, and significantly vary from person to person.
Disorders like alcoholism are best treated with comprehensive recovery plans that address the whole person. Medically-assisted therapy is only one aspect of an adequate treatment regimen. Compressive treatment plans that include inpatient or outpatient rehab, medically-assisted detox, and long-term maintenance and counseling give patients the highest chances of success. Also, no recovery plan will look the same from one patient to the next. Plans must be customized and tailored to the individual patient’s needs and medical history.
Are you or a loved one struggling with alcohol abuse and addiction? The counselors and doctors at Mission Harbor Behavioral Health can assist. Mission Harbor offers patients comprehensive, customized treatment plans that include therapy, support, rehab, and medically-assisted detox. Please contact Mission Harbor today to learn more about our rehabilitation options for alcoholism and drug addiction.
The facilities at Mission Harbor are staffed with trained experts to best assist patients with their mental health issues. We are capable of dealing with any and all cases with a licensed staff, equipment, and approved techniques. Our mission is to help those who want to help themselves, and we support your decision in seeking help.
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