Both acamprosate and oral naltrexone were associated with reduction in return to drinking. When directly compared with one another, no significant differences were found between acamprosate and naltrexone for controlling alcohol consumption. Factors such as dosing frequency, potential adverse events, and availability of treatments may guide medication choice.

jor public health problem, which worldwide is the fourth leading cause of disability. 1 Alcohol dependence is present in approximately 4% of the US adult population, 2 is common among primary care patients, 3,4 and may contribute to more than 100 000 preventable deaths per year. 5 Addiction counseling, behavioral treatments, and self-help groups (eg, Alcoholics Anonymous) are the primary interventions used to treat alcohol dependence in the United States. Although these treatments are often effective, a substantial number of patients fail to complete them or relapse. 6 Similar to diabetes, hypertension, and asthma, alcohol dependence is increasingly recognized as a chronic disease in which genetic vulnerability and social and environmental factors are involved in the etiology and course of the disease. 7 As with other chronic diseases, long-term comprehensive man-

Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality.

No abstract

Background-Recent clinical trials and case-reports indicate that baclofen, a GABA B agonist, may have efficacy for alcohol dependence. Baclofen has been shown to enhance abstinence, to reduce drinking quantity, to reduce craving, and to reduce anxiety in alcohol dependent individuals in two placebo-controlled trials in Italy. However, the clinical trial data with baclofen is limited. The purpose of the present study was to test the efficacy and tolerability of baclofen in alcohol dependence in the United States.