Doctor Stirs Furor Over "Cure" for Alcoholism
An alcoholism-conquering testimonial by a French cardiologist is helping an obscure muscle relaxant become a lightning rod in the global medical community. Olivier Ameisen, one of the top heart specialists in France and an associate professor of medicine at Cornell University’s Weill Cornell Medical College, wrote a book that’s now being published in the United States called The End of My Addiction, in which he details how he overcame his dependence on alcohol by self-administering the spasticity drug baclofen (Kemstro or Lioresal).
In the book, he calls for clinical trials to test baclofen’s effectiveness in suppressing the craving for alcohol. He has also written articles on the subject in the journal Alcohol and Alcoholism and the Journal of the American Medical Association. The media stir he has caused has aroused a clamor from the alcoholic community for off-label prescriptions of the drug, and a chorus of criticism from some scientists.
Skeptical specialists warn of the danger and false hope of supposed “miracle cures.” They fear that the media furor caused by Ameisen’s theory is overshadowing the complex nature of alcoholism. “Encouraging people to think that there is a miracle molecule is to completely misunderstand the nature of alcoholism, and is extremely irresponsible,” said Michel Reynaud of Paul-Brousse hospital in Paris.
However, some physicians have undertaken informal experiments with baclofen, and have reported intriguing results.“I prescribed it to two alcoholics who were really at the end of the road,” said Renaud de Beaurepaire of the Paul-Guiraud hospital at Villejuif near Paris. “To be honest, it was pretty miraculous.”
And in Geneva, Switzerland, Pascal Garche used the drug on 12 patients, and seven reported marked improvements. “I have never had reactions like this before,” he said. “We cannot ignore findings such as this.”
In his book, Ameisen testified that he stumbled across a couple of minor reports in the medical literature about baclofen’s easing of cocaine and alcohol addiction in rats. But he could find no addiction specialists familiar with its action. So he determined to try it himself. After being hopelessly dependent on alcohol for many years, Ameisen began in March 2002 by treating himself with 5 milligrams a day of baclofen.
“The first effects were a magical muscular relaxation and baby-like sleep,” he said. Almost at once, he also felt a reduction in his desire for drink. Gradually, he boosted his daily dose to a peak of 270 milligrams a day. He soon felt he was “cured.” Today, he still takes 30 to 50 milligrams a day.
“Mine is the first case in which a course of medicine has completely suppressed alcohol addiction,” he said. “Now, I can have a glass and it has no effect. Above all, I no longer have that irrepressible need to drink.”
Disclaimer
Featured Doctors
Back Pain Port Chester, Westchester NY
Jonathan Donath
Westchester Spinal Decompression Center
1241 Mamaroneck Ave
White Plains, NY 10605
Call: 888-543-4224
Optimal Wellness
Optimal Wellness
25 Mountainview Boulevard
Basking Ridge,, NJ 07920
Call: 888-999-9735
Back Pain Westchester
Jonathan Donath
Westchester Spinal Decompression Center
1241 Mamaroneck Ave
White Plains, NY 10605
Call: 888-543-4224
Herniated Disc Treatment Clifton, NJ
Damon Noto, MD
Spine & Joint Center
777 Terrace Avenue, 4th Floor
Hasbrouck Heights, New Jersey 07604
Call: 866-385-8138
Back Pain Brooklyn, NY
Melinda Keller, D.C.
Keller Chiropractic
729 Wythe Ave.
Williamsburg, NY 11211
Call: 888-258-6297
Tennis Elbow White Plains, NY
Jonathan Donath
Joint Effort Chiropractic
1241 Mamaroneck Ave
White Plains, NY 10605
Call: 888-543-4224
Fibromyalgia Treatment Las Vegas
Daniel Royal
Royal Medical Clinic
9065 S. Pecos Rd., Ste. 250
Henderson, NV 89074
Call: 888-664-7161
Treatment for Sciatica Manhattan, NYC
Steven S. Moalemi, M.D.
Empire Physical Medicine & Pain Management
551 5th Avenue Ste. 525
Manhattan, NY 10176
Call: (888) 898-7795
Spinal Decompression Scarsdale, Westchester, NY
Jonathan Donath
Westchester Spinal Decompression Center
1241 Mamaroneck Ave
White Plains, NY 10605
Call: 888-543-4224
Physical Therapy Monmouth County, NJ
Peter Ferraro, D.C.
Ferraro Spine & Rehabilitation
2399 Route 34, Bldg. A ,Ste. 5
Wall Township, NJ 08736
Call: 888-895-3840
Neck Pain Uptown Manhattan, New York City
Steven S. Moalemi, M.D.
Empire Physical Medicine & Pain Management
551 5th Avenue Ste. 525
New York, NY 10176
Call: (888) 898-7795
Richard DioGuardi
DioGuardi & Murdock
1940 Commerce Street, Suite 108
Yorktown Heights, NY 10598
Call: 914-245-0700
Chiropractor Eastchester, Westchester, NY
Jonathan Donath
Joint Effort Chiropractic
1241 Mamaroneck Ave
White Plains, NY 10605
Call: 888-543-4224
Integrative Medicine Fairfield, Connecticut
Associates in Family Chiropractic & Natural Health Care, P.C.
156 East Avenue
Norwalk, CT 06851
Call: (203) 242-0165
Spinal Decompression Middlesex County, NJ
Ronald Spiaggia
Performance Rehabilitation & Sports Injury Center
459 Watchung Avenue
Watchung, NJ 07069
Call: 888-897-4870
Degenerative Disc Disease NY
Jonathan Donath
Westchester Spinal Decompression Center
1241 Mamaroneck Ave
White Plains, NY 10605
Call: 888-543-4224
Uterine Fibroid Embolization (UFE) Westchester, New York
Carlos Tulla, M.D.
Lawrence Hospital Center
55 Palmer Avenue
Bronxville, NY 10708
Call: 914-787-4723
Uterine Fibroid Embolization (UFE) Westchester, New York
Carlos Tulla, M.D.
Lawrence Hospital Center
55 Palmer Avenue
Bronxville, NY 10708
Call: 914-787-4723
Back Pain Greenburgh, Westchester, NY
Jonathan Donath
Westchester Spinal Decompression Center
1241 Mamaroneck Ave
White Plains, NY 10605
Call: 888-543-4224
Neck Pain Treatment Uptown Manhattan, New York City
Steven S. Moalemi, M.D.
Empire Physical Medicine & Pain Management
551 5th Avenue Ste. 525
Manhattan, NY 10176
Call: (888) 898-7795
Specialities
- Acupuncture
- Alternative Medicine
- Bariatric Surgery
- Breast Cancer
- Breast Surgery
- Cancer Treatment
- Cardiology
- Chiropractic
- Cosmetic Dentistry
- Cosmetic Surgery
- Dentistry
- Dermatology
- Endocrinology
- Facial Enhancement
- Fertility Treatment
- Foot Specialist
- Foot Surgery
- Gastroenterology
- General Surgery
- Geriatrics
- Hair Replacement
- Hematology
- Infectious Diseases
- Infertility Treatment
- Integrative Medicine
- Internal Medicine
- LASIK
- Laser Hair Removal
- Medical Editorial Board
- Medical Spa
- Medical Testing
- Neurology
- Neuropathy
- Nursing Home Services
- Nutrition and Diet
- Obstetrician & Gynecology
- Oncology & Cancer
- Oncology Center
- Ophthalmology
- Orthopedic Surgery
- Orthopedics
- Pain Management
- Physical Therapy
- Plastic Surgery
- Podiatry
- Spinal Decompression
- Spine Surgery
- Sports Medicine
- Stem Cell Therapy
- Thoracic Surgery
- Vascular Surgery
- Vein Surgery
- Weight Loss