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Spironolactone is commonly used to treat heart problems and high blood pressure, but a recent study published in Molecular Psychiatry suggests that it may also be effective in treating alcohol use disorder (AUD). This is excellent news for the 14.5 million people aged 12 and older who have AUD, according to the 2019 National Survey on Drug Use and Health (NSDUH).
The recent study conducted by researchers at the National Institutes of Health and their colleagues at the Yale University of Medicine involved mice, rats, and humans. The evidence is said to be significant because it converged across three species and involved different types of studies.
At SMART Recovery (SMART), the use of medication for treating AUD is seen as a valid approach to achieving Life Beyond Addiction. It fits right in with our science-based approach, where the latest addiction research keeps us evolving into an even stronger pathway for recovery.
The use of doctor-prescribed medication is called Medication Assisted Treatment, or MAT. There is also a growing trend to call it Medication Assisted Recovery (MAR), since that is the positive and desirable state for those who seek to treat their AUD.
SMART is interested in combining different practical approaches to recovery: our mutual support group meetings, tools based on Cognitive Behavioral Therapy (CBT) principles and practices, personal reflection, and MAT.
Spironolactone is not the first drug identified as a potential aid. There are currently three drugs approved to treat AUD: Naltrexone, Acamprosate, and Disulfiram.
Naltrexone blocks the brain receptors related to craving alcohol, Acamprosate lessens negative symptoms of prolonged abstinence, and Disulfiram causes unpleasant conditions like nausea and flushing of the skin after someone drinks.
What Spironolactone does is work to block mineralocorticoid receptors, which, in higher concentrations, seem to play a part in increased alcohol consumption. Blocking them decreases the “signaling” action of the receptors, reducing their influence.
Since SMART participants are in charge of their own recovery, self-empowered, choosing to use any of these drugs is not frowned upon. Just as SMART does not use labels such as addict or alcoholic, there is no reason for judging or, worse, ostracizing individuals who are availing themselves of this science-based approach.
This is also the view of a strong voice in the recovery community, Dr. Nora Volkow, director of the National Institute on Drug Abuse. “Just like for any other medical condition, people with substance use disorders must have a range of treatment options. In addition, we must address the stigma and other barriers that prevent many people with alcohol use disorder from accessing [treatment].”
With ongoing research into drugs like Spironolactone, there is hope that more people will receive treatment. SMART stands ready to help.
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