Select to access online summaries of these evidence reports, cervical cytology , treatment of depression , alcohol dependence , urinary tract infections in paralyzed persons , androgen suppression in the treatment of advanced prostatic cancer , as well as two earlier reports on sleep apnea and traumatic brain injury . Pharmacotherapies for alcohol dependence. The medications appear to reduce the urge to drink, decrease the frequency of a person's drinking, and, in some studies, improve abstinence. Naltrexone has been in use in the United States for the treatment of alcoholism only since 1994. Alcohol dependence or alcoholism is a chronic and progressive disorder that afflicts approximately 9.6 percent of men and 3.2 percent of women in the United States at some point in their lives.
Alcoholism can develop as early as adolescence and continue in older age groups.
Those at highest risk are men and women from 18 to 29 years of age. About 100,000 Americans die each year from alcohol-related diseases such as cirrhosis of the liver and esophageal or stomach cancer, and from traumatic injuries such as overdose, suicide, homicide, and traffic accidents. Naltrexone and acamprosate are used to treat the primary symptoms of alcohol dependence. Although they can diminish the frequency of drinking, enhance abstinence, and minimize relapse, the evidence indicates that these medications will not eliminate the problem of alcohol dependence. Many individuals continued to drink even while taking the medications.