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Cited by 115Substance Abuse Treatment and OutcomesNeurotransmitter Receptor Influence on BehaviorAlcohol Consumption and Health Effects

Proof-of-concept human laboratory study for protracted abstinence in alcohol dependence: effects of gabapentin

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Mason, Barbara J., Light, John M., Williams, Lauren D., Drobes, David J.·2009·Addiction Biology
DOI 10.1111/j.1369-1600.2008.00133.xPMC PMC2758315
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Abstract

There is a need for safe medications that can effectively support recovery by treating symptoms of protracted abstinence that may precipitate relapse in alcoholics, e.g. craving and disturbances in sleep and mood. This proof‐of‐concept study reports on the effectiveness of gabapentin 1200 mg for attenuating these symptoms in a non‐treatment‐seeking sample of cue‐reactive, alcohol‐dependent individuals. Subjects were 33 paid volunteers with current Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders‐IV alcohol dependence and a strength of craving rating 1 SD or greater for alcohol than water cues. Subjects were randomly assigned to gabapentin or placebo for 1 week and then participated in a within‐subjects trial where each was exposed to standardized sets of pleasant, neutral and unpleasant visual stimuli followed by alcohol or water cues. Gabapentin was associated with significantly greater reductions than placebo on several measures of subjective craving for alcohol as well as for affectively evoked craving. Gabapentin was also associated with significant improvement on several measures of sleep quality. Side effects were minimal, and gabapentin effects were not found to resemble any major classes of abused drugs. Results suggest that gabapentin may be effective for treating the protracted abstinence phase in alcohol dependence and that a randomized clinical trial would be an appropriate next step. The study also suggests the value of cue‐reactivity studies as proof‐of‐concept screens for potential antirelapse drugs.

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Crossref · 10.1111/j.1369-1600.2008.00133.x

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  • Gabapentin blocked craving in non-treatment-seeking AUD subjects and was effective treatment of AUD in a double-blind placebo-controlled clinical trial.

    “In human studies, gabapentin blocked craving in a human laboratory study in non-treatment-seeking AUD subjects (Mason et al., 2009) and was shown to be an effective treatment of AUD in a double-blind placebo-controlled clinical trial (Mason et al., 2014).”

    From Drug Addiction: Hyperkatifeia/Negative Reinforcement as a Framework for Medications Development (2021) · cites this paper as Mason et al., 2009

    The Abstract identifies a human laboratory study of non-treatment-seeking, alcohol-dependent participants, and the Discussion reports that gabapentin significantly attenuated several measures of cue-induced craving. “Blocked craving” overstates that result: the Results report no significant difference in general craving. The clinical-trial claim is attributed to Mason et al. (2014), not this source. (LLM, conf=0.84)

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Research works printed but not linked: 2

  1. First MB Spitzer RL Gibbon M Williams JBW 1996 Structured Clinical Interview for DSM-IV Axis I Disorders Patient Edition (SCID-I/P, Version 2.0) Biometrics Research Department, New York State Psychiatric Institute New York
  2. Marlatt GA Marlatt GA Gordon JR 1985 Situational Determinants of Relapse and Skill-Training Interventions Relapse Prevention Guilford Press New York 71 127

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Authors
Mason, B. J., Light, J. M., Williams, L. D., & Drobes, D. J.
Affiliations
  • Scripps Research Institute (US)
  • Oregon Research Institute (US)
  • University of Miami (US)
  • University of South Florida (US)
Corresponding author
Mason, Barbara J.
ORCID
Light, John M.
Venue
Addiction Biology
Publisher
Wiley
Published
2008-12-04
Volume
14
Issue
1
Pages
73-83
ISSN
  • 1355-6215 (ISSN-L)
  • 1369-1600
DOI
10.1111/j.1369-1600.2008.00133.x
PMC
PMC2758315
OpenAlex
W1924646378
Cited by
115
References
63
Citations by year
2026: 5 · 2025: 2 · 2024: 11 · 2023: 5 · 2022: 7 · 2021: 3 · 2020: 12 · 2019: 7 · 2018: 6 · 2017: 8 · 2016: 9 · 2015: 8 · 2014: 6 · 2013: 3 · 2012: 5
FWCI
4.45
Type
journal article
Language
en
Open access
Licence
onlinelibrary.wiley.com/termsAndConditions#vor (vor)
Locations
  • Addiction Biology (publishedVersion)
  • PubMed (publishedVersion)
  • PubMed Central (acceptedVersion)
Funders
National Institute on Alcohol Abuse and Alcoholism (R01AA012602)
Topics
  • Health Sciences › Medicine › Epidemiology › Substance Abuse Treatment and Outcomes
  • Life Sciences › Neuroscience › Cellular and Molecular Neuroscience › Neurotransmitter Receptor Influence on Behavior
  • Health Sciences › Medicine › Pathology and Forensic Medicine › Alcohol Consumption and Health Effects
Keywords
gabapentin, alcoholism, protracted abstinence, alcohol craving, cue reactivity, relapse prevention, sleep quality, mood
MeSH terms
Gabapentin, Adult, Affect, Alcohol Deterrents, Alcohol Withdrawal Delirium, Alcoholism, Amines, Arousal, Cues, Cyclohexanecarboxylic Acids, Electromyography, Female, gamma-Aminobutyric Acid, Galvanic Skin Response, Heart Rate, Humans, Male, Middle Aged, Motivation, Pain Measurement, Sleep, Temperance, Treatment Outcome, Secondary Prevention

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