Jack And Bud Be Gone
That's Jack Daniels And Budweiser, if this French doctor is right about this muscle relaxant being a sort of cure for the jones for a drink. Hugh Schofield writes for the BBC:
Dr Olivier Ameisen, 55, one of France's top heart specialists, says he overcame his own addiction to alcohol by self-administering doses of a muscle-relaxant called baclofen.He has now written a book about his experience - Le Dernier Verre (The Last Glass) - in which he calls for clinical trials to test his theory that baclofen suppresses the craving for drink.
Widespread media coverage of his book in France has led to a rush of demands from alcoholics for similar treatment, and some doctors have reported unexpected successes after prescribing it.
But many other specialists are sceptical, warning of the dangers of so-called miracle cures.
...Dr Ameisen says he tried every known remedy to end his dependence. Between 1997 and 1999 he spent a total of nine months confined in clinics - but nothing worked.
Fearing for his own patients, he gave up his practice and returned to Paris. Then, in 2000, he read an article about an American man who was treated with baclofen for muscle spasms and found that it eased his addiction to cocaine.
Further investigation uncovered research showing that the drug worked on rats to cut addiction to alcohol or cocaine.
Some experts say curing alcoholism takes more than just a drug
But, strangely, Dr Ameisen found that baclofen was unknown to specialists on dependence.
In March 2002 he began treating himself with daily doses of five milligrams.
"The first effects were a magical muscular relaxation and baby-like sleep," he says. Almost immediately he also detected a lessening in his desire for drink.
Gradually, he increased the daily dosage to a maximum of 270mg, and found that he was "cured". Today he continues to take 30 to 50mg a day.
"Mine is the first case in which a course of medicine has completely suppressed alcohol addiction," he says.
"Now I can have a glass and it has no effect. Above all, I no longer have that irrepressible need to drink."
...However, many specialists fear that media excitement over Dr Ameisen's theory is obscuring the complex nature of alcoholism.
"Encouraging people to think that there is a miracle molecule is to completely misunderstand the nature of alcoholism, and is extremely irresponsible, " says Dr Michel Reynaud of Paul-Brousse hospital in Paris.
"We need comprehensive tests to determine how this drug acts, if it is effective and at what dosage, and if it is genuinely harmless in the longer term, " says Alain Rigaud, president of the National Association for the Prevention of Alcoholism and Addiction.
"But even if it turns out to work, that does not mean a drug alone is the solution."
People hate the idea that a pill could solve a problem -- and no, it doesn't solve underlying psychological problems that the addict is trying to shove away with alcohol. Maybe the alcohol addiction will soon be replaced with another (if the pill does indeed remove the craving). Or maybe the alcoholic will stop taking the pills. But, maybe at least some alcoholics can more ably deal with the underlying cause if they aren't feeling so compelled to get tanked all the time.
I would love for this to be available for my dad - I'm convinced that he drinks out of boredom, and because he seems to also be suffering from some minor depression, I think his drinking exacorbates the depression. He reasons with me that "I've lived my life, I've raised my family, I'm retired and I can do what I want" while he has yet another drink, and I say that's fine, do what you want, but dammit stop drinking yourself to death! It's not fair to my mom, it's not fair to my girls, but most of all, it's not fair to him.
Flynne at December 8, 2008 6:37 AM
If they can test it and it works, it might be used in a similar vein of the 'housing first' homeless program or like methadone for heroin addicts.
Sometimes if you can solve the part of the problem the rest comes together a lot easier.
Jim P. at December 8, 2008 10:18 AM
"Today he continues to take 30 to 50mg a day."
From one addiction on to the next. Is this suppsoed to be an improvement?
Jim at December 8, 2008 3:23 PM
Amy Alkon
http://www.advicegoddess.com/archives/2008/12/08/jack_and_bud_be.html#comment-1611771">comment from JimUm, an addiction is something that stops your life, that causes you to fail at your job, lose your wife, do all sorts of hurtful things to yourself and other people. It's an abuse of a substance. That's why not all drug use is abuse. Some people -- me, for example -- drink a little bit and stop. And some other people smoke pot or use other drugs in moderation. This guy is not driving over the center line because he takes these pills, etc. Do you really not understand the difference?
Amy Alkon
at December 8, 2008 4:19 PM
By Jim's reasoning, I guess millions of people are "addicted" to lithium, Risperdal, epilepsy meds, etc....
marion at December 8, 2008 9:01 PM
Amy Alkon
http://www.advicegoddess.com/archives/2008/12/08/jack_and_bud_be.html#comment-1611915">comment from marionAnd I'm "addicted" to Ritalin, only I somehow managed to be temporarily cured, as I haven't taken a single pill this week because I haven't been writing.
Amy Alkon
at December 9, 2008 1:20 AM
Thank you for this article, Amy.
Being a recovering alcoholic myself, I can tell you...I got better in a program, and the need for pills and my meds for anxiety went with it. It was freedom for me once I finally figured it out, and thank goodness I didnt have to hit a severe bottom to do it.
Whatever works to help you live a happy productive life - best wishes to him and his research. This is a really neat story.
Funny thing about this disease though, people won't get the help they need until they realize they have a problem (you would think this would be so simple...I'm embarassed to admit, it's just not the case sometimes). Denial is a bitch. It's hard to get a pill to cure that.
Cheers.
Feebie at December 10, 2008 7:04 PM
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