View clinical trials related to Alcoholism.
Filter by:The purpose of the study is to reveal the most promising procedure for implementing alcohol screening and intervention in general hospitals and to find out, if and to which extent non-specialist health professionals can be qualified to carry out motivational intervention on their own or if there is a need for a specialized counseling services. In a randomized controlled trial, patients recruited in general hospitals and fulfilling criteria for alcohol dependence, alcohol abuse, at-risk drinking or heavy episodic drinking will be allocated to three conditions: (1) Intervention by a liaison service (LC): Counselling based on the Transtheoretical Model of behaviour change (TTM) which will be provided by staff of the study (psychologists/ social worker) trained in Motivational Interviewing (MI), (2) Intervention by hospital physicians (PC): Counselling will be provided by hospital physicians trained in MI, and (3) Control group (CC): Treatment as usual, assessment only. Outcome assessment will be conducted after 12 months and includes abstinent point prevalence rates, drinks per day, help-seeking, stage progress and cost-effectiveness analysis.
A randomized study of Alcohol Care Management for the treatment of alcohol dependence in primary care settings.
The purpose of this study is to evaluate the efficacy of prize contingency management (CM) in reducing in-patient detoxification services for chronic recidivist alcohol-dependent patients.
In this study the influence of zonisamide administration over a 13 week period on alcohol consumption in alcoholic (alcohol dependent) subjects will be examined. The dose of zonisamide given to subjects will be slowly increased over a period of several weeks. They will receive a full dose over a 5 week period. This will be a pilot study in which all of the subjects will only receive zonisamide. A primary objective of this study is to determine the possible size of the effect that zonisamide administration has on drinking (i.e. drinks consumed per day) to allow us to plan for a larger clinical trial of the effects of zonisamide on alcohol dependence.
This study will examine the relationship between variations in a gene called OPRM1 and the response to alcohol. The OPRM1 (Mu-opioid Receptor-1) gene helps regulate brain pathways involved in experiencing pleasure. Brain pathways use a chemical called dopamine. Different forms of the OPRM1 gene may lead to differences in how dopamine is released and subsequently to differences in a person's response to alcohol. Healthy non-smokers between 21 and 45 years of age may be eligible for this study. Candidates are screened with a medical and psychiatric history and physical examination, blood and urine tests, and breathalyzer (breath alcohol test). A blood test is also done to determine the variant of OPRM1 gene. Participants undergo the following procedures in three study sessions: Session 1 " Breathalyzer test, urine test for illicit drugs and pregnancy test for women who can become pregnant. " Insertion of catheters (plastic tubes) into a vein in one arm for infusing alcohol and into the other arm for drawing blood samples. " Completion of questionnaires on how intoxicated the subject feels. " Blood draw for research studies. " Eye movement test (a visor with a digital camera tracks the subject's eye movements while he or she watches lights on a computer screen). " 45-minute alcohol infusion (up to 0,08 grams per deciliter - a level considered in most states as driving under the influence of alcohol). " Repeat breathalyzer, questionnaires, eye movement test and blood draw every 15 minutes during the infusion and again after the infusion is complete. " Subjects remain in the clinic until their blood alcohol content falls below 0.02 g/dL, determined by a breathalyzer test done every 15 minutes. Subjects can usually return home about 3 to 4 hours after the alcohol infusion stops. Sessions 2 and 3 The procedure is the same as for session 1, except subjects receive an infusion of alcohol one session and an infusion of saline (salt water) the other. Also, subjects undergo positron emission tomography (PET) scanning during the infusions. For this test, the subject lies on a bed that slides in and out of a doughnut-shaped scanner. A custom-molded mask is used to support the head and prevent it from moving during the scanning. A small amount of radioactive substance called C-11 raclopride is injected through one of the catheters to trace brain dopamine activity.
Iron excess is increasingly regarded as an important cofactor in the morbidity attributed to many disorders. Assessment of body iron stores by measurement of serum ferritin concentrations has poor specificity and the most reliable method is histological or biochemical assessment from a liver biopsy. Because liver biopsy is an invasive procedure, imaging methods have been developed to detect and quantify hepatic iron content. The aim of the study is to use a simplified magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) technique to quantify simultaneously iron and fat contents in the liver and to compare the results to the quantification obtained biochemically.
This is a pilot study in which our intent is to establish an alcohol administration laboratory in which we will be able to test the effect of the anticonvulsant medication zonisamide as compared to placebo on alcohol self administration and on cognitive functioning in non treatment seeking heavy users of alcohol. Our first goal is to establish the safety of zonisamide when used together with alcohol. Our second goal is to test the effect of an acute dose of zonisamide on alcohol consumption and show that it may reduce the consumption of alcohol. To achieve this goal we seek subjects with a history of heavy drinking to be tested on the self-administration procedures described below in two sessions with either zonisamide or placebo. These procedures will involve first, the administration of a challenge dose of ethanol to evaluate the effect of alcohol on performance on neuropsychological tests. This initial challenge will be followed by a period of alcohol self-administration in which the research subject can choose to select either ethanol or another reinforcer, money.
Gabapentin treatment for alcohol dependence
The purpose of this study is to learn whether ondansetron is safe and effective in the treatment of alcohol dependence. We also want to learn whether the study drug ondansetron combined with Cognitive Behavioral Therapy will assist researchers to determine whether having a certain gene is responsible for determining how a person benefits or does not benefit from the use of ondansetron for alcohol dependence.
This is a study of a medication, acamprosate, which is an FDA approved medication for alcohol problems. We will be examining whether acamprosate compared to a sugar pill (placebo) is more effective for helping with drinking in a Family Medicine clinic.