title: Sodium oxybate in the treatment of alcohol dependence: from the alcohol withdrawal syndrome to the alcohol relapse prevention.
abstract: BACKGROUND
  Sodium oxybate (SMO) has been shown to be safe and effective in the treatment of patients with alcohol use disorders (AUDs); it was approved in Italy and Austria for the treatment of alcohol withdrawal syndrome and for relapse prevention. The focus of this review is to discuss the clinical evidence on the therapeutic potential of SMO for AUDs.
  
  
  METHODS
  This review covers the studies in patients with alcohol withdrawal syndrome who received SMO for the treatment of withdrawal symptoms and the studies in patients with AUDs who received SMO to achieve total alcohol abstinence, reduction of alcohol intake, and relapse prevention. Relevant medical literature on SMO was identified by searching databases including MEDLINE and EMBASE (searches last updated 20 September 2013), bibliographies from published literature, clinical trial registries/databases, and websites.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  SMO has proved safe and effective in the treatment of alcohol withdrawal syndrome and in the prevention of relapses. Craving for and abuse of SMO have been reported, in particular in some subtypes of alcoholic patients, e.g., those affected by co-addiction and/or psychiatric comorbidity. Future multicenter, multinational, randomized clinical trials should be useful to optimize the treatments in relation with patients' characteristics, for example, pharmacogenetic, neurobiological, and psychological.
authors.affiliation: Medical University of Vienna, Department of Psychiatry and Psychotherapy , Vienna , Austria.
authors.forename: Katrin
authors.initials: K
authors.lastname: Skala
authors.forename: Fabio
authors.initials: F
authors.lastname: Caputo
authors.forename: Antonio
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Mirijello
authors.forename: Gabriele
authors.initials: G
authors.lastname: Vassallo
authors.forename: Mariangela
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Antonelli
authors.forename: Anna
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Ferrulli
authors.forename: Henriette
authors.initials: H
authors.lastname: Walter
authors.forename: Otto
authors.initials: O
authors.lastname: Lesch
authors.forename: Giovanni
authors.initials: G
authors.lastname: Addolorato
mesh_terms: D000428:Alcohol Drinking / Q000517:prevention & control; D000437:Alcoholism / Q000188:drug therapy* / Q000534:rehabilitation; D000818:Animals; D017277:Drug Approval; D006801:Humans; D055502:Secondary Prevention; D012978:Sodium Oxybate / Q000009:adverse effects / Q000627:therapeutic use*; D013375:Substance Withdrawal Syndrome / Q000188:drug therapy* / Q000503:physiopathology; D013695:Temperance; D016896:Treatment Outcome
chemical_list: D012978:Sodium Oxybate