Off-label treatment for alcohol use disorder is linked to slower liver decline, study suggests Isabella Cueto By Isabella Cueto May 22, 2024

Off-label treatment for alcohol use disorder is linked to slower liver decline, study suggests Isabella Cueto By Isabella Cueto May 22, 2024 https://www.statnews.com/2024/05/22/alcohol-use-liver-disease-gabapentin/?utm_campaign=morning_rounds&utm_medium=email&_hsenc=p2ANqtz-980jQInL_aLSDwCZAzNI1fkcem-HbE0Cd_h61H8FF0CG_j8gDwXynEl9vZHxKuOrNVLqTBQPgvLBrttAABIESzkw2l7w&_hsmi=308143698&utm_content=308143698&utm_source=hs_email An anti-seizure drug may help manage liver disease in patients with alcohol use disorder Doctors only have three FDA-approved medications to manage alcohol use disorder. But STAT’s Isa Cueto reports on a new study that suggests anti-seizure drugs known as gabapentinoids could be an improvement over some of those approved drugs in treating alcohol-associated liver disease. Among over 24,000 VA patients with alcohol use disorder, those who were prescribed gabapentinoids were less likely to experience progression of alcohol-associated liver disease compared to those who received an approved alcohol dependence drug, acamprosate. In veterans with pre-existing liver disease, 30.4% on acamprosate got worse compared to 25.8% on gabapentinoids. The drugs may also be able to reduce the need to drink, which could “kill two birds with one stone,” said lead author Raj Shah: “Treat their pains as well as their alcohol use disorder.”