Commentary: Doxazosin for Alcoholism

Overview

Journal Alcohol Clin Exp Res

Specialty Psychiatry

Date 2013 Jan 3

PMID 23278505

Citations 2

Authors

Lorenzo Leggio

George A Kenna

Affiliations

Soon will be listed here.

Abstract

Recent preclinical and clinical evidence using prazosin indicates that α(1) -blockade may represent a new approach to treat alcohol dependence (AD). While most of the alcohol research on α(1) -blockade has been conducted testing prazosin, O'Neil and colleagues recently performed a set of preclinical experiments testing another α(1) -blocker, doxazosin, which has a longer half-life that may enhance clinical utility. Doxazosin and prazosin share the same chemical structure, in which the central element is a piperazine ring. O'Neil and colleagues' main results are that doxazosin significantly reduced alcohol intake without affecting locomotor activity. As such, O'Neil and colleagues provide the first preclinical evidence of the possible role of doxazosin in AD. Additional translational research is needed to further test this hypothesis.

Citing Articles

Novel Agents for the Pharmacological Treatment of Alcohol Use Disorder.

Burnette E, Nieto S, Grodin E, Meredith L, Hurley B, Miotto K Drugs. 2022; 82(3):251-274.

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Higher pretreatment blood pressure is associated with greater alcohol drinking reduction in alcohol-dependent individuals treated with doxazosin.

Haass-Koffler C, Goodyear K, Zywiak W, Magill M, Eltinge S, Wallace P Drug Alcohol Depend. 2017; 177:23-28.

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