Mecamylamine Treatment for Alcohol Dependence: A Randomized Controlled Trial
Abstract
Background and aims The nicotinic acetylcholine receptor antagonist, mecamylamine, is a potential novel pharmacotherapy for alcohol use disorder. The aims were to compare alcohol consumption between mecamylamine and placebo and test if smoking status modified treatment effects. Design Outpatient, randomized, double-blind clinical trial for 12 weeks of treatment with mecamylamine (10mg) (n=65) vs. placebo (n=63). Setting Connecticut, USA. Participants Individuals had current alcohol dependence (n=128), had an average age of 48.5 (SD=9.4), 110 (85.9%) were men, and included 74 smokers (57.8%) and 54 non-smokers (42.2%) Intervention and comparator Participants were randomized to mecamylamine 10mg per day or placebo. All subjects also received Medical Management therapy administered by trained research personnel. Measurements Primary outcome was percent heavy drinking days during the last month of treatment; other outcomes included drinking days, drinks per drinking days, alcohol craving, smoking, symptoms of nicotine withdrawal and side effects. Findings There were no significant differences in the percent of heavy drinking days at 3 months between the mecamylamine (mean=18.4, SD=29.0) and placebo treatment groups (mean=20.4, SD=29.2) (F1, 100 =1.3, p=0.25; effect size d=0.07; mean difference=2.06, 95% confidence interval (CI) =−8.96 to 13.08). There were no significant differences in percent of drinking days or in drinks per drinking day at month 3 between the mecamylamine and…
How strong is the evidence?
Evidence Hub reads this as a randomized trial, done in people. Its evidence level is 2 of 5 (High · randomized trial). Randomized trials of a reasonable size are the strongest single-study design. Reported size: 128 participants or records.
Read the paper
Related studies
- Sarcopenia, sarcopenic overweight/obesity and risk of cardiovascular disease and cardiac arrhythmia: A cross-sectional study
- Workplace Violence Is Associated With Impaired Work Functioning in Nurses: An Italian Cross-Sectional Study
- Vagus Nerve Dysfunction in the Post-COVID-19 Condition: a pilot cross sectional study
- Association Between Metabolic Associated Fatty Liver Disease and Chronic Kidney Disease: A Cross-Sectional Study from NHANES 2017–2018
- Efficacy and safety of solifenacin succinate 10 mg once Daily: A multicenter, phase III, randomized, double-blind, placebo-controlled, parallel-group trial in patients with overactive bladder
- Association between triglyceride glucose‐body mass index and hypertension in Chinese adults: A cross‐sectional study
Go deeper in Evidence Hub
Evidence Hub adds a study data sheet (design, sample size, evidence level, key numbers), an AI summary and a chat grounded in the paper's text.