주정 중독 환자에서 Fluoxetine 장기 투여가 음주 욕구에 미치는 영향

Effect of Chronic Administration of Fluoxetine on Alcohol Craving in the Patients with Alocoholism

Effects of long-term medication of fluoxetine and nortriptyline on alcohol craving in alcoholic patients were studied. The subjects were hospitalized male alcoholics recovered from acute intoxication and withdrawal symptoms. They were divided into placebo, nortriptyline(1 OOmg), fluoxetine(40mg) and fluoxetine(60mg) groups. Alcohol craving was measured at the start, 2 weeks and 4 weeks after medication by means of visual analogue scale, verbal rating scale and the amount of alcohol consumed during the taste test. The results were as follows : 1) Alcohol craving as measured by VAS was significantly reduced after 4 weeks of treatment of nortriptyline. 2) Alcohol craving as measured by VAS was significantly abated after 2 and 4 weeks of treatment of fluoxetine (60mg). 3) Reduction of alcohol craving by fluoxetine treatment preceded emergence of the antidepressant effect of the drug. From these results, the authors suggest that the reduction of alcohol intake by fluoxetine may be partially due to the reduction of alcohol craving and that the effect may precede the antidepressant effect of the drug.