Posted on 09/21/2022 7:55:20 AM PDT by ConservativeMind
A medication for heart problems and high blood pressure may also be effective for treating alcohol use disorder. The study presents converging evidence from experiments in mice and rats, as well as a cohort study in humans, suggesting that the medication, spironolactone, may play a role in reducing alcohol drinking.
Currently there are three medications approved for alcohol use disorder in the United States. Given the diverse biological processes that contribute to alcohol use disorder, new medications are needed to provide a broader spectrum of treatment options.
Previous research has shown that mineralocorticoid receptors, which are located throughout the brain and other organs and help regulate fluid and electrolyte balance in the body, might play a role in alcohol use and craving. Preclinical research suggests that higher mineralocorticoid receptor signaling contributes to increased alcohol consumption. The current study sought to expand this line of research by testing spironolactone, a medication with multiple actions, including blocking mineralocorticoid receptors. Spironolactone is used in clinical practice as a diuretic and to treat conditions like heart problems and high blood pressure.
In experiments conducted in mouse and rat models of excessive alcohol drinking, researchers found that increasing doses of spironolactone decreased alcohol consumption in male and female animals, without causing movement or coordination problems, and without affecting their food or water intake.
In a parallel study, researchers examined health records of a large sample of people to assess potential changes in alcohol drinking after spironolactone was prescribed for its current clinical indications (e.g., heart problems, high blood pressure). They found a significant association between spironolactone treatment and reduction in self-reported alcohol consumption, as measured by the Alcohol Use Disorders Identification Test-Consumption, a screening tool. Of note, the largest effects were observed among those who reported hazardous/heavy episodic alcohol consumption before starting spironolactone treatment.
(Excerpt) Read more at medicalxpress.com ...
The side effects sound unpleasant. Gynecomastia in men...not that overdoing the booze can’t cause the same thing, but I don’t know...
Meds are not the cure. I’m a firm believer in behavior modification.
I am really bothered by these articles about repurposing one drug to treat a different illness after the ridiculous Hydroxychloroquine and Ivermectin debacles. They remind me that the government and medical powers that be laughed at the notion of those proven and safe drugs being repurposed to fight COVID.
I’d just stick with good old L-Glutamine for alcohol or sugar cravings.
My BP meds help make the thought of drinking just sickening. It’s a great side effect to have! Lost 15 lbs of beer weight.
How about treating Alcohol Use Disorder by not going to the bar?
Crud, that’s a lot of beer.
Please don’t go back to it. There are so many great things in life and none require alcohol to be a part of it.
Keep up the great work!
A very old heart failure med that has profoundly negative side effects-—which in commode hugging drunks could be considered an acceptable risk to already majorly damaged organ systems (as in renal failure, liver toxicity, hypertension and stroke endothelial destabilization).
Spironolactone is a very old drug, from 1957 and is primarily used for reduction of fluid retention in heart failure patients (stop the fluid build up in the lungs resulting in lower oxygen blood levels, for example). Notably the “revival” of this drug serves an odd purpose to up manufacture— as it is used as aiding feminizing hormone therapy in transgender femininization (of males). It is a steroid that blocks the effects of the hormones aldosterone and testosterone and has some estrogen-like effects— one of the major side effects for it’s non-use in male heart failure patients. Feminization by a steroid which has a diuretic (fluid reduction) effect.
There is a non medical solution that also works
It works very well because it changes one’s life
There are rooms where one can do that. Very successfully
HAH!
And all these years I've thought I was just a drunk.
I’ve been on this medication for several years.
Thank you so much!! Yeah, it’s been so very damaging. Always appreciate you on here!
What are some off-label uses for spironolactone?
Spironolactone is sometimes prescribed for other conditions in ways that aren’t FDA approved. This is called “off-label” use.
Common off-label uses for spironolactone include:
Acne for females
Hirsutism (male-pattern hair growth in females)
Part of estrogen-based gender-affirming hormone therapy (GAHT)
Part of a medication regimen some people take after having a heart attack
https://www.goodrx.com/spironolactone/spironolactone-treatment
Apparently, “alcoholism” is out under Newspeak.
I was on a different BP med, can’t remember the name. But my BP would fluctuate drastically, getting dangerously low sometimes. So the cardiologist switched me to Spironolactone and I haven’t had any problems. I’m on a low dose.
COVID-19-The Potential Beneficial Therapeutic Effects of Spironolactone during SARS-CoV-2 Infection
https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/33477294/
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