AMBULANT TREATMENT OF ALCOHOL WITHDRAWAL SYMPTOMS WITH CARBAMAZEPINE: A FORMAL MULTICENTRE DOUBLE‐BLIND COMPARISON WITH PLACEBO

Abstract

Male out-patients (100) were treated for alcohol withdrawal symptoms with either carbamazepine or placebo in a double-blind, multicenter trial carried out at 5 Finnish A-clincs (alcoholism treatment centers) in different parts of the country. In both the carbamazepine and the placebo groups 2/3 of the patients completed the 7-day treatment successfully, and the final treatment results were considered equally good in both groups. The withdrawal symptoms, especially the sleep disturbances, subsided faster in the carbamazepine group than in the placebo group. The change in the total symptom score from the 1st day of treatment to the 2nd was significantly greater in the carbamazepine group than in the placebo group. The patients'' ability to work improved significantly faster in the carbamazepine group.