title: Change in psychiatric symptomatology after benfotiamine treatment in males is related to lifetime alcoholism severity.
abstract: BACKGROUND
  Severe alcoholism can be associated with significant nutritional and vitamin deficiency, especially vitamin B1 (thiamine) which is associated with neurological deficits impacting mood and cognition. Alcohol consumption was reduced among female but not male alcoholics after supplementation with the high potency thiamine analog benfotiamine (BF). We examined the relationship between lifetime alcoholism severity, psychiatric symptoms and response to BF among the alcohol dependent men from this cohort.
  
  
  METHODS
  Eighty-five adult men (mean age=48±8 years) meeting DSM-IV-TR criteria for a current alcohol use disorder who were abstinent <30days participated in a randomized, double-blind, placebo-controlled trial of 600mg BF vs placebo (PL) for 6 months. Psychometric testing included a derived Lifetime Alcoholism Severity Score (AS), Symptom Checklist 90R (SCL-90R), and the Barratt Impulsivity Scale (BIS) at baseline and at 6 months.
  
  
  RESULTS
  Baseline SCL-90-R scale scores for men with high alcoholism severity (AS≥24; N=46 HAS) were significantly greater than for men with low alcoholism severity (AS<24; N=39 LAS), but BIS scores did not differ. MANOVA modeling at follow-up (N=50 completed subjects) identified a significant treatment effect (F=2.5, df=10, p<0.03) and treatment×alcoholism severity level interaction (F=2.5, dfnum=10, dfden=30, p<0.03) indicating reduced SCL-90-R scores among BF treated, HAS males. Above normal plasma thiamine levels at follow-up predicted reduced depression scores in a BF-treated subset (F=3.2, p<0.09, N=26).
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  BF appears to reduce psychiatric distress and may facilitate recovery in severely affected males with a lifetime alcohol use disorder and should be considered for adjuvant therapy in alcohol rehabilitation.
  
  
  BACKGROUND
  #NCT00680121 High Dose Vitamin B1 to Reduce Abusive Alcohol Use.
authors.affiliation: Department of Psychiatry & Behavioral Sciences, University of Kansas Medical Center, United States. Electronic address: amanzardo@kumc.edu.
authors.forename: Ann M
authors.initials: AM
authors.lastname: Manzardo
authors.affiliation: Department of Psychiatry & Behavioral Sciences, University of Kansas Medical Center, United States.
authors.forename: Tiffany
authors.initials: T
authors.lastname: Pendleton
authors.affiliation: Department of Psychiatry & Behavioral Sciences, University of Kansas Medical Center, United States.
authors.forename: Albert
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Poje
authors.affiliation: Department of Psychiatry & Behavioral Sciences, University of Kansas Medical Center, United States.
authors.forename: Elizabeth C
authors.initials: EC
authors.lastname: Penick
authors.affiliation: Department of Psychiatry & Behavioral Sciences, University of Kansas Medical Center, United States.
authors.forename: Merlin G
authors.initials: MG
authors.lastname: Butler
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D000437:Alcoholism / Q000097:blood / Q000150:complications / Q000175:diagnosis* / Q000188:drug therapy*; D003863:Depression / Q000097:blood / Q000150:complications / Q000188:drug therapy* / Q000523:psychology*; D004311:Double-Blind Method; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D011569:Psychiatric Status Rating Scales; D013831:Thiamine / Q000031:analogs & derivatives* / Q000097:blood / Q000627:therapeutic use; D055815:Young Adult
chemical_list: D013831:Thiamine; C013835:benphothiamine
keywords: Alcoholism; Benfotiamine (BF); Thiamine deficiency; Vitamin B1