Results of this review do not provide sufficient evidence in favour of anticonvulsants for the treatment of AWS. There are some suggestions that carbamazepine may actually be more effective in treating some aspects of alcohol withdrawal when compared to benzodiazepines, the current first-line regimen for alcohol withdrawal syndrome. Anticonvulsants seem to have limited side effects, although adverse effects are not rigorously reported in the analysed trials.
Treatment of alcohol withdrawal symptoms in hospitalized patients. A randomized, double-blind comparison of carbamazepine (Tegretol) and barbital (Diemal).
Seventy-two hospitalized patients with alcohol withdrawal symptoms were treated with either carbamazepine (Tegretol) or barbital ( Diemal ) in a randomized, double-blind trial. The dose of trial medication as well as the duration of treatment was individual, corresponding to the conventional treatment schedule. During the trial period daily records were kept of target withdrawal symptoms, global evaluation, the patient's subjective feeling and unwanted effects. Sixty patients completed the treatment successfully. The two treatment groups were homogeneous as regards patient characteristics, pre-treatment disease severity and drop-out rate. No statistically significant differences were found in efficacy between the two treatments, and both drugs were well tolerated. It is concluded that carbamazepine is a valuable alternative drug in the treatment of mild and moderate alcohol withdrawal symptoms.