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Post‐Treatment Outcomes in a Double‐Blind, Randomized Trial of Sertraline for Alcohol Dependence
Author(s) -
Kranzler Henry R.,
Armeli Stephen,
Tennen Howard
Publication year - 2012
Publication title -
alcoholism: clinical and experimental research
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 1.267
H-Index - 153
eISSN - 1530-0277
pISSN - 0145-6008
DOI - 10.1111/j.1530-0277.2011.01659.x
Subject(s) - sertraline , placebo , medicine , randomized controlled trial , alcohol dependence , alcohol , antidepressant , biochemistry , chemistry , alternative medicine , pathology , hippocampus
Background: Pharmacotherapy studies in alcohol dependence (AD) are generally of short duration and do not include post‐treatment follow‐up. We examined the durability of treatment effects in a placebo‐controlled trial of sertraline for AD. Methods: As previously reported, patients received 12 weeks of treatment with sertraline ( n = 63) or placebo ( n = 71), followed by assessments at 3 and 6 months post‐treatment (Kranzler et al., 2011, J Clin Psychopharmacol 31:22–30). We examined the main and interaction effects with time of 3 between‐subject factors (medication group, age of onset of AD [late‐onset alcoholics, LOAs, vs. early‐onset alcoholics, EOAs], and the tri‐allelic 5‐HTTLPR genotype) on drinking days (DDs) and heavy drinking days (HDDs). Results: The medication group effect, which was significant during treatment, remained significant during the 3‐month follow‐up period for L’/L’ LOAs, with the sertraline group having fewer DDs than the placebo group ( p = 0.027). However, the medication group effect seen in L’/L’ EOAs during treatment was no longer significant ( p = 0.48). There were no significant effects in S’ carriers at the 3‐month follow‐up visit, or in either genotype group at the 6‐month follow‐up. Conclusions: The beneficial effects of sertraline observed in LOAs during treatment persisted during the 3‐month post‐treatment period. Additional studies are needed to validate these pharmacogenetic findings, which together with the effects seen during active treatment support the use of sertraline only in LOAs.