Nausea drug may aid alcoholism treatment
By Bruce Bower
A drug that lowers the activity of serotonin and other chemical messengers in the brain may boost the effectiveness of psychological treatments for a severe form of alcoholism, at least over a short time period, a new study finds.
Ondansetron, a medication currently prescribed to quell nausea and vomiting in chemotherapy patients, helps to reduce drinking and foster abstinence among adults who developed alcoholism before age 25, report psychiatrist Bankole A. Johnson of the University of Texas Health Science Center in San Antonio and his colleagues.