![]() The OCDS reflects obsessive and compulsive characteristics of drinking-related thoughts, urges to drink, and the ability to resist the urge to drink. All subjects experienced a reduction in craving as measured by the Obsessive Compulsive Drinking Scale (OCDS) and the Visual Analogue Scale (VAS). ![]() Six of the subjects remained alcohol-free throughout the study. The researchers treated 13 detoxified alcohol-dependent subjects with flexible doses of aripiprazole for 16 weeks. Researchers from the Catholic University Medical School in Rome noted that dopamine receptor partial agonists had not been investigated in alcohol use disorders, and they set out to examine the effect of aripiprazole on alcohol-dependent subjects (Martinotti, Di Nicola & Janiri, 2007). ![]() Various dopamine receptor agonists and antagonists have been studied as pharmacotherapies in alcohol recovery, and results have been mixed. (Examples of dopamine agonists include ropinirole (Requip) and pramipexole (Mirapex), which are both approved by the FDA for the treatment of restless leg syndrome.) A partial agonist such as aripiprazole binds to the receptor and triggers a response, but the response is not as strong as that from a full agonist. Naltrexone, for instance, is an antagonist that blocks the effects of opiate drugs. Antagonists, on the other hand, bind to the receptor and block the effects of drugs. For example, methadone is an opioid agonist that mimics the effects of opiates. AgonistĪn agonist binds to a specific receptor and triggers a response that often mimics the response of another drug or naturally occurring substance. Might a dopamine receptor partial agonist have a useful role in alcohol recovery? Antagonist vs. Although other FDA-approved atypical antipsychotics (clozapine, risperidone, olanzapine, quetiapine, and ziprasidone) antagonize the D2 dopamine receptor, aripiprazole acts as a dopamine receptor partial agonist. Aripiprazole (Abilify) in Alcohol Treatment & RecoveryĪripiprazole (Abilify) has been approved by the FDA for the treatment of schizophrenia and acute manic and mixed episodes of bipolar disorder and as an adjunct for the treatment of major depressive disorder.
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