r/Alcoholism_Medication • u/Patient-Mix-3738 • 9d ago
Question on acamprostate
Hey I am going to be prescribed Campral soon and I am struggling to get much information from it online. I know it ‘resets’ the brains neurological chemistry from chronic AUD, especially with psychological support, but I was wondering- Does cravings for alcohol only stop when you are on the drug- after 6 months of taking it, will the cravings come back? If someone was on campral and came off of it, if they took an alcoholic drink would their brain ‘remember’ the old neuropathways and go back to alcoholic drinking or because the brain has been healing and has been chemically restoring, the drinking wouldn’t be so uncontrolled/heavy
Sorry if these are not scientifically accurate or stupid questions- I just am curious- I want to know the potency of the drug before taking it. I have no desire to relapse if I did go off of acamprostrate- but I am interested in what the long term effects of taking it short term would be for an alcoholic brain.
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u/Sobersynthesis0722 9d ago edited 8d ago
The short version is that acamprosate decreases your desire for and craving for alcohol. How it does this is believed to be by balancing the two major neurotransmitters glutamate and GABA. In studies people taking it had more sober days and more continuous abstinence than placebo. It does not change what happens if you drink alcohol. It will not cause you to drink less if you do relapse. It is considered a first line treatment for people who intend to remain abstinent.
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u/bafangfang TSM 9d ago
Here is the search URL/link you can click this and it will search for you https://www.reddit.com/r/Alcoholism_Medication/search/?q=acamprosate
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u/scruffy_pointillism 8d ago edited 8d ago
I'm currently on acamprosate. Now on my 8th month of taking it. It's very subtle in its action to rebalance those neurotransmitters and is easily disrupted by drinking. I've relapsed and been back drinking about a litre of spirits a day. In my own personal observations the reduction in alcohol consumption comes from balancing the GABA etc but it isn't directly affecting your desire for alcohol more addressing those excitable triggers like having a good chat or reacting to things badly and choosing to drink to cope. It's more like a comforting pat on the brain than anything else.
Edit: quick addition, honestly don't worry too much about taking it. It will help in the short term for immediate triggers and help somewhat in the longer term. The only thing to watch out for is it can really give you an upset stomach!
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u/Thin_Situation_7934 7d ago
Here is a free informative document to download which is a ",How to use" guide for the 4 FDA approved medications for AUD including acamprosate. Other posters already mentioned it, but acamprosate basically works by rebalancing GABA/glutamate (this imbalance often leads to "hair of the dog" drinking). Naltrexone works on the "prime the pump" side or compulsive style AUD.
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u/12vman 9d ago
No direct experience but if you ADD the word "Campral" to the r/alcoholism_medication Search String (at the very top) you will get all this group's posts on Campral.