title: Naltrexone treatment of adolescent alcoholics: an open-label pilot study.
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  This 6-week open-label trial of naltrexone was conducted in a preliminary fashion to determine whether naltrexone would be safe, well tolerated, and lead to a reduction in alcohol consumption in adolescents with alcohol dependence.
  
  
  METHODS
  Five outpatient treatment-seeking adolescents who met Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders, 4th edition (DSM-IV) criteria for alcohol dependence were recruited. The Child Schedule for Schizophrenia and Affective Disorders (K-SADS), Structured Clinical Interview for DSM (SCID), and the Family History Questionnaire were administered at baseline. The Time-Line Follow-Back (TLFB) and two craving scales (Adolescent Obsessive Compulsive Drinking Scale [A-OCDS] and a craving analog scale) were administered at baseline and weekly thereafter. Each subject received a 10-day supply of naltrexone (50 mg) and a 100-mg riboflavin capsule. Subjects were instructed to take naltrexone and riboflavin simultaneously.
  
  
  RESULTS
  Overall, the average drinks per drinking day (DDD) decreased significantly from baseline to the end of week 6 with an average reduction of 7.61 standard drinks. There was a significant reduction in the average A-OCDS total score, A-OCDS Irresistibility subscale score, and craving analog score. Nausea was the only side-effect reported, and there were no elevations of liver enzymes. Naltrexone was well tolerated by the alcohol-dependent adolescent.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  Our data suggest that naltrexone is safe and well tolerated in adolescent alcoholics. Naltrexone may lead to a significant reduction in alcohol consumption and craving in adolescent alcoholics, but larger, randomized, controlled trials are needed.
authors.affiliation: Medical University of South Carolina, Institute of Psychiatry, Alcohol Research Center, Charleston, South Carolina 29425, USA. deasd@musc.edu
authors.forename: Deborah
authors.initials: D
authors.lastname: Deas
authors.forename: M P H Kim
authors.initials: MP
authors.lastname: May
authors.forename: Carrie
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: Randall
authors.forename: Natalie
authors.initials: N
authors.lastname: Johnson
authors.forename: Raymond
authors.initials: R
authors.lastname: Anton
mesh_terms: D000293:Adolescent; D000328:Adult; D000437:Alcoholism / Q000188:drug therapy*; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D009271:Naltrexone / Q000009:adverse effects / Q000627:therapeutic use*; D009292:Narcotic Antagonists / Q000009:adverse effects / Q000627:therapeutic use*; D010865:Pilot Projects
chemical_list: D009292:Narcotic Antagonists; D009271:Naltrexone