Medications for Alcohol Use Disorder that Help
Originally posted in September 7th, 2023, updated on February 10th, 2026
Have you ever wondered if there are any medications that are not addictive, and can also help with an alcohol use disorder?
Some of the most reliable, useful, and brief information sources for details of this kind, and that are written for the public, can be found at the:
- National Institute on Alcohol Abuse and Alcoholism (NIAAA)
- National Institute on Drug Abuse (NIDA)
- Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration (SAMHSA)
These are easy to find with an internet search.
Fortunately, there is a very recent review article1 that helps answer this question.
The authors have noted three medications that are currently approved by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) to help people stop or reduce their drinking and prevent a return to drinking: disulfiram, naltrexone, and acamprosate. All these medications are non-addictive, and can be used alone or combined with counseling or mutual-support groups.
Disulfiram (e.g. Antabuse)
medication for alcohol use disorder that helps
Disulfiram was the first FDA-approved drug for the treatment of alcohol dependence. It inhibits an enzyme, and through a chain of effects causes unpleasant sensations after drinking (i.e., tachycardia, shortness of breath, tachypnea, sensation of heat, anxiety, panic, headache, nausea, and vomiting). The authors note disulfiram looks like a more effective drug in open-label studies compared with naltrexone and acamprosate. However, this has yet to be shown true in double-blinded random-controlled trials. The major limitation to taking disulfiram is patient cooperation and that working best with supervised medication compliance. Studies have shown the effect of disulfiram comes from its ability to prevent drinking, as a deterrent, and the best results happen when patients also receive psychoeducational training, family support, and therapy monitoring while taking disulfiram. Due to its ability to produce unpleasant effects when someone drinks, patient compliance can be a problem.
Naltrexone (e.g. Revia, Vivitrol)
medication for alcohol use disorder that helps
Naltrexone is associated with the suppression of the reward system and reduction of the pleasure experienced after drinking. It was approved by the FDA for medication-assisted therapy of alcoholism in 1984, including in extended-release form. It is also used for opioid dependence. Naltrexone can have some side effects at higher doses. In a study that examined a large group of studies, naltrexone was more effective than acamprosate in reducing heavy drinking and alcohol craving, especially if patients underwent detoxification and maintained a sufficiently long abstinence period before starting naltrexone. Both oral and extended-release naltrexone reduce alcohol consumption. Extended-release naltrexone is associated with prolonged abstinence due to improved patient compliance, so it could be considered for people struggling with the problem of alcohol abuse.
Acamprosate (Campral)
medication for alcohol use disorder that helps
Acamprosate is approved by the FDA for the treatment of alcohol dependence. It reduces alcohol craving and unpleasant withdrawal symptoms, improves abstinence rates and physician cooperation, and is associated with significantly higher treatment completion rates. A Cochrane review (a very rigorous method of gathering and summarizing a large number of different research studies) of acamprosate found it reduced alcohol consumption compared with a placebo. Acamprosate is used primarily to achieve and maintain complete abstinence rather than reduce or prevent relapse. Combined with psychosocial interventions it may help improve abstinence maintenance outcomes in people with serious use disorders.
If you’re interested in medically-managed alcohol detox, different medications are used for that. Alcohol withdrawal can be life threatening. You wouldn’t want to try a self-directed home detox for alcohol; to be safe, have a competent and skilled medical professional guide your detox from alcohol.
Medications for Alcohol Use Disorder that Help
GLP-1s
medication for alcohol use disorder that helps
What about GLP-1s, you might ask? A more recent focused review paper2 looked at the effects of GLP-1s in the context of alcohol use disorder. The authors have noted that GLP-1s are approved for treating Type 2 diabetes and obesity, given their effect on regulating glucose levels and related satiety (feeling satisfied). Given the recent attention GLP-1s have received, work is underway in examining their possible use as a novel treatment strategy for alcohol use disorder.
Pre-clinical studies are discussed in the article, as are case stories, and other reports. The authors describe how in the only random controlled trial of GLP-1s to-date, in patients with a primary alcohol use disorder, the medication was not superior to placebo. They go on to say that researchers remain hopeful however, given the effectiveness GLP-1s show in normalizing brain responses to food cues in obesity, and the apparent side-effect of reducing alcohol intake. And the plausible explanation that overlapping brain circuits are involved in obesity and addiction.
For those that might be interested, there’s a helpful “Understanding Alcohol Use Disorder” fact sheet at the NIAAA website.
https://www.niaaa.nih.gov/publications/brochures-and-fact-sheets/understanding-alcohol-use-disorder.
For those seeking residential treatment, here is more information on how we address alcohol use disorder: https://www.pavillon.org/about/alcohol-use-disorder/
Reference
1Stokłosa I, Więckiewicz G, Stokłosa M, Piegza M, Pudlo R, Gorczyca P. Medications for the Treatment of Alcohol Dependence – Current State of Knowledge and Future Perspectives from a Public Health Perspective. International Journal of Environmental Research and Public Health. 2023. 20(3):1870. doi:10.3390/ijerph20031870.
2 Klausen, M., Knudsen, G., Vilsbøll, T. and Fink-Jensen, A. (2025), Effects of GLP-1 Receptor Agonists in Alcohol Use Disorder. Basic Clin Pharmacol Toxicol, 136: e70004. https://doi.org/10.1111/bcpt.70004