TORONTO – Long-term treatment with extended-release naltrexone selectively inhibited the hedonic response associated with drinking alcohol while sparing the experience of pleasure associated with other activities such as reading and listening to music, a study has found.
A total of 74 patients who participated in a 4-year trial comparing two doses of injectable extended-release naltrexone (Vivitrol) with placebo or a 3-year trial comparing the injectable drug with the oral formulation agreed to participate in an extension phase involving high- or low-dose naltrexone and a questionnaire, according to Dr. Charles O'Brien, Kenneth Appel Professor of Psychiatry, University of Pennsylvania, Philadelphia.
The activities ranged from drinking alcohol to eating good food, and for each activity, respondents rated how pleasurable the activity was, Dr. O'Brien reported in a poster at the annual conference of the American Society of Addiction Medicine.
Those who had consumed alcohol within the previous 90 days showed relatively low ratings of pleasure from drinking.
Dr. O'Brien reported no financial conflicts of interest.