Pharmacotherapy of Alcoholism in Patients with Co-morbid Psychiatric Disorders

There has been an exponential increase in recent years of literature pertaining to the treatment of individuals with alcohol use disorders and co-morbid psychiatric disorders. Patients with mood and anxiety disorders in particular have a very high prevalence of alcoholism. Alcoholism confers significant morbid risks to patients with psychiatric disorders, and vice versa, including markedly increased risk of suicide. Only recently have studies examined the impact of various psychiatric medications on alcohol use among patients with these disorders. Evidence supporting the benefits of antidepressants for co-morbid alcoholism and depression continues to mount. Although these studies have demonstrated benefits in terms of quantitative decreases in the volume and frequency of consumption, the benefits in terms of remission from alcoholism have yet to be shown conclusively. The first randomised, controlled trial involving subjects with co-morbid alcoholism and bipolar disorder was recently conducted, yielding promising results for valproate in this population. The literature regarding co-morbid alcoholism and anxiety disorders has also seen recent progress, particularly in the study of post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD). A placebo-controlled study of sertraline suggests some benefit in terms of alcohol use among individuals with early-onset PTSD and less severe alcohol dependence. Atypical antipsychotics such as olanzapine and quetipaine have been examined in several open studies of subjects with alcoholism co-morbid with a variety of psychiatric conditions including bipolar disorder, PTSD and schizophrenia. This paper selectively reviews the evidence that is currently available for the pharmacological management of alcoholism among persons with co-morbid psychiatric illness. Effectiveness, safety and tolerability are considered, and directions for future study are discussed.