Many Patients with Alcohol Use Disorders Not Offered Medications
An exhaustive and brand new meta-analysis and systematic review , published today in the Journal of the American Medical Association , paints a disappointing picture of medication access for those with alcohol use disorders (AUD) in the US. The authors included 123 studies, involving nearly 23,000 participants, and determined that while acamprosate and naltrexone have been shown to be effective treatments, fewer than 10% of those who might benefit are ever prescribed an AUD medication. Here's the Abstract, via JAMA: IMPORTANCE Alcohol use disorders cause substantial morbidity and early mortality yet remain greatly undertreated. Medications are considerably underused. OBJECTIVE To conduct a systematic review and meta-analysis of the benefits and harms of medications (US FDA-approved and others) for adults with alcohol use disorders. DATA SOURCES PubMed, Cochrane Library, PsycINFO, CINAHL, EMBASE, FDA website, and clinical trials registries (January 1, 1970, to March 1, 2014). STUDY ...