Predicting Alcoholics' Treatment Responses to a Selective Serotonin Re-uptake Inhibitor (SSRI)

Summary

This study is being done to determine if citalopram is safe and effective in the treatment of alcohol dependence. A second purpose is to evaluate whether alcohol dependent individuals who differ in a specific genetic marker respond differently to citalopram. Citalopram is a drug approved by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) for the treatment of depression. It belongs to a category of medications called selective serotonin re-uptake inhibitors or SSRIs. The U.S. FDA has not approved citalopram for the treatment of alcohol dependence. Therefore, it is being used "off-label" in this study.

Timeline

Start

2005-02

Primary completion

2010-10

Completion

2010-10

Publications

• Thompson RD, Heffner JL, Strong JA, Blom TJ, Anthenelli RM. Relationship between the serotonin transporter polymorphism and obsessive-compulsive alcohol craving in alcohol-dependent adults: a pilot study. Alcohol. 2010 Aug;44(5):401-6. doi: 10.1016/j.alcohol.2010.05.008. Epub 2010 Jul 3.
• Heffner JL, Tran GQ, Johnson CS, Barrett SW, Blom TJ, Thompson RD, Anthenelli RM. Combining motivational interviewing with compliance enhancement therapy (MI-CET): development and preliminary evaluation of a new, manual-guided psychosocial adjunct to alcohol-dependence pharmacotherapy. J Stud Alcohol Drugs. 2010 Jan;71(1):61-70. doi: 10.15288/jsad.2010.71.61.

Drugs

Indications