Ondansetron May Reduce Craving

Used to Prevent Nausea in Cancer Patients

By Buddy T, About.com Updated: June 11, 2006

About.com Health's Disease and Condition content is reviewed by Steven Gans, MD

A drug currently used to fight nausea in cancer patients may help the hardest to treat alcoholics reduce their drinking, according to new research.

As researchers continue to find medications that will reduce craving in those who are trying to stop drinking, scientists at the University of Texas Health Science Center at San Antonio discovered that the medication ondansetron may be an effective therapy -- especially for patients with early-onset alcohol dependence.

Ondansetron appears to work by acting on serotonin, one of the brain's many neurotransmitters. An imbalance between two chemical messengers in the brain, serotonin and dopamine, is believed to create a craving for alcohol.

In the study, 271 patients with diagnosed alcoholism were randomly selected to receive one of three different doses of either ondansetron or a placebo for 11 weeks.

The ondansetron patients with early-onset alcoholism had fewer drinks per day and reported more days without drinking at all, compared to the other groups in the study. Everyone in the study group also participated in weekly group cognitive behavioral psychotherapy.