dependence treatment naltrexone produced a 54 percent abstinence rate in patients with both major
depression and alcohol dependence, whereas the rates were only 21 to 28 percent for patients taking a
placebo, sertraline only, or naltrexone only.
This study shows an important advancement in the treatment of patients who live with both alcoholism
and depression because the co-occurrence of these disorders is common in clinical practice, yet
antidepressants alone are not sufficient for reducing excessive drinking in these patients.
All 170 patients also received cognitive-behavioral therapy, and the four treatment groups all showed
clinical reductions in depressive symptoms over the 14-week study, which was conducted by Helen
Pettinati, Ph.D., and colleagues of the University of Pennsylvania.
In addition to a higher abstinence rate, the group receiving combination treatment had a longer interval
before resumption of drinking: a median of 61 days compared with 15 days for the other groups
combined. Serious adverse events were actually less frequent in the group receiving both medications,
since the most common serious event was hospitalization for detoxification or rehabilitation.
"When depression and alcohol dependence occur together, each condition has a negative influence on the
outcome of the other, so not only does this pairing of illnesses affect a lot of patients, it also makes the
individual disorders worse," Dr. Pettinati stated. "Combining sertraline and naltrexone could be a
The study will appear on March 15 at AJP in Advance , the online advance edition of The American
Journal of Psychiatry (AJP), the official journal of the American Psychiatric Association. Funding for this
study was received from the National Institute on Alcohol Abuse and Alcoholism. Pfizer Pharmaceuticals
donated sertraline and a matching placebo.
The American Journal of Psychiatry is the oldest continuously published medical specialty journal in the
United States and was recently named one of the "Most Influential Journals in Biology & Medicine of the
Last 100 Years." Statements in this press release or the articles in the Journal are not official policy
statements of the American Psychiatric Association.
View drug information on Naltrexone Hydrochloride Tablets.