A placebo-controlled, randomized clinical trial of vigabatrin in the management of acute alcohol withdrawal
Professor Jon Currie
120 participants
Sep 3, 2007
Interventional
Conditions
Summary
The purpose of this project is to assess a new treatment for alcohol withdrawal in patients who are admitted to hospital. Alcohol withdrawal can be a severe condition. Usually it is treated with benzodiazepines such as diazepam, but these medications can have dangerous side-effects such as excessive sedation and depression of respiration. The new treatment uses a medication called vigabatrin. Vigabatrin is usually used for treating epilepsy, but it has been found in preliminary studies to also be useful in treating alcohol withdrawal because it reduces the severity of alcohol withdrawal symptoms, shortens the duration of alcohol withdrawal and may also prevent alcohol withdrawal seizures, without causing sedation or depressing respiration.
Eligibility
Plain Language Summary
Simplified for easier understanding
This summary was AI-generated to explain the trial in plain language. It is not medical advice. Always discuss eligibility with your doctor before enrolling in a clinical trial.
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Interventions
Patients entered into the trial will be randomized to receive either vigabatrin 500mg x 4 tablets (=2 gram total per dose) statim, and then vigabatrin 500mg x 4 tablets (=2 gram) each morning for 3 days, or placebo 4 tablets statim and then 4 tablets each morning for 3 days. The trial will examine the effect of vigabatrin versus placebo on the outcome of conventional treatment of alcohol withdrawal which all subjects will receive benzodiazepines prescribed as needed according to the severity of alcohol withdrawal as measured by the Clinical Institute Withdrawal Assessment for Alcohol - revised (CIWA-Ar) alcohol withdrawal scale
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ACTRN12607000362493