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The following is a summary of “Influence of inpatient withdrawal treatment on drug safety in alcohol use disorder — a quasi-experimental pre-post study,” published in the October 2024 issue of Psychiatry by Schröder et al. 

Patients with alcohol use disorder (AUD) often take medications that may negatively interact with alcohol, but the effect of inpatient withdrawal treatment on these interactions is unclear. 

Researchers conducted a prospective study to determine the prevalence and characteristics of potential alcohol-medication and drug-drug interactions in patients with AUD before and after withdrawal treatment. 

They analyzed medication records before and after withdrawal treatment, screening for potential alcohol-medication interactions (pAMI) using the drugs.com classification and potential drug-drug interactions (pDDI) with the AiDKlinik® electronic interaction program. 

The results showed that among 153 patients with AUD treated at a university hospital in Germany, 67.3% had at least 1 pAMI before withdrawal treatment, increasing to 91.5% afterward. There were 278 pAMIs classified as “mild,” “moderate,” or “severe” before treatment and 370 after, while 76 pDDIs classified as “moderate,” “severe,” or “contraindicated combinations” were present both before and after withdrawal treatment. 

The study concluded that inpatient withdrawal treatment for patients with AUD increases the risk of pAMIs and pDDIs, emphasizing the need for better prescribing practices for antihypertensives and opioids. 

Source: bmcpsychiatry.biomedcentral.com/articles/10.1186/s12888-024-06188-y