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Home › Conditions › alcohol dependence

Alcohol dependence

Part of Alcohol Use Disorder

0 published articles · Updated continuously

Clinical Trial Landscape

Clinical Trials for alcohol dependence

101 trials tracked for alcohol dependence: 48 in phase 3 or 4 and 8 with published results. The most-cited published study has 262 citations.

101Trials tracked
48Phase 3 & 4
0Recruiting
8With published results
Phase distribution
Phase 4 25 Phase 3 23 Phase 2 34 Phase 1 3 Other / NA 16
  1. Phase 4 Treatment for Alcoholism and Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder (Naltrexone) Completed · 262 cited
  2. Phase 3 Glutamatergic Modulation of Disordered Alcohol Use Completed · 179 cited
  3. Phase 4 Pharmacogenetic Response to Naltrexone For Alcohol Dependence Completed · 117 cited
  4. Phase 4 Genetic and Brain Mechanisms of Naltrexone's Treatment Efficacy for Alcoholism Completed · 112 cited
  5. Phase 3 Gabapentin for Abstinence Initiation in Alcohol Dependence Completed · 18 cited
  6. Phase 4 Alcohol Disorder hOsPital Treatment Trial Completed · 14 cited
Show 44 more trials
  1. Phase 3 Progesterone Effect on Individuals Diagnoses With AD and PTSD. Completed · 8 cited
  2. Phase 4 Dutasteride Treatment for the Reduction of Heavy Drinking in Men Completed · 2 cited
  3. Phase 4 Adjunctive Topiramate for Treatment of Alcohol Dependence in Patients With Bipolar Disorder Completed
  4. Phase 4 Baclofen as Add-On to Standard Treatment of Alcohol- Dependent Patients Completed
  5. Phase 4 Dutasteride for the Reduction of Alcohol Use in Male Drinkers Completed
  6. Phase 4 Citicoline for Alcohol Dependence Completed
  7. Phase 4 Paroxetine for Comorbid Social Anxiety Disorder and Alcoholism Completed
  8. Phase 4 Acamprosate vs. Placebo in Bipolar Alcoholics Completed
  9. Phase 4 Treatment of Alcohol Dependence and Comorbid Bipolar Disorder Completed
  10. Phase 4 Extended-Release vs. Oral Naltrexone Alcohol Treatment in Primary Care Completed
  11. Phase 4 A Controlled Trial of Topiramate Treatment for Alcohol Dependence in Veterans With PTSD Completed
  12. Phase 4 Extended-release Naltrexone and Care Management for Alcohol Dependent Frequent Emergency Department Users Completed
  13. Phase 4 Disulfiram Combined With Lorazepam for Alcohol Dependence and Anxiety Disorder Completed
  14. Phase 4 Quetiapine for Bipolar Disorder and Alcohol Dependence Completed
  15. Phase 4 Zonisamide vs. Placebo in the Treatment of Alcohol Dependence Completed
  16. Phase 4 Acamprosate Added to Escitalopram and Behavioral Treatment for Comorbid Depression and Alcoholism Completed
  17. Phase 4 Study of Campral (Acamprosate) for Alcohol Dependence in a Family Medicine Clinic Completed
  18. Phase 4 Extended-release Naltrexone for Alcohol Dependence in Primary Care Completed
  19. Phase 4 ALK21-018: Effects of Medisorb® Naltrexone (VIVITROL®) on Alcohol Craving in Treatment-seeking, Alcohol-dependent Adults Completed
  20. Phase 4 Acamprosate in Alcoholics With Comorbid Anxiety or Depression Completed
  21. Phase 4 Effectiveness of Naltrexone Versus Placebo to Reduce Craving for Alcohol With Evaluation of Genetic Variability. Completed
  22. Phase 4 A Randomized Clinical Trial of Alcohol Care Management Completed
  23. Phase 3 Mecamylamine for the Treatment of Patients With Depression and Alcohol Dependence Completed
  24. Phase 3 Treatment Strategy for Alcohol Use Disorders in Veterans With TBI Completed
  25. Phase 3 Aripiprazole Effects on Alcohol Drinking and Craving Completed
  26. Phase 3 Oral vs. Injectable Naltrexone for Hospitalized Veterans With Alcohol Dependence Completed
  27. Phase 3 A Multicenter, Randomized, Double-blind, Placebo-controlled, 3-parallel-group Comparison Trial to Investigate the Effect of Nalmefene on Alcohol Consumption Reduction in Patients With Alcohol Dependence (Phase 3 Trial) Completed
  28. Phase 3 A Long-term Extension Study for the Phase 3 Study of Nalmefene (339-14-001) in Patients With Alcohol Dependence Completed
  29. Phase 3 Interdisciplinary Study of A Novel Anticonvulsant in Alcoholism Completed
  30. Phase 3 New Treatment for Alcohol and Nicotine Dependence Completed
  31. Phase 3 Effects of Omegas 3 and 6 on Alcohol Dependence Completed
  32. Phase 3 Prazosin for Treatment of Patients With Alcohol Dependence (AD) and Post Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD). Completed
  33. Phase 3 ALK21-003EXT: An Extension of Study ALK21-003 (NCT01218958) to Test the Long-term Safety of Medisorb® Naltrexone (VIVITROL®) Completed
  34. Phase 3 Treatment With Acamprosate in Patients With Schizophrenia and Comorbid Alcoholism Completed
  35. Phase 3 Efficacy of Nalmefene in Patients With Alcohol Dependence Completed
  36. Phase 3 Safety and Efficacy of Nalmefene in Patients With Alcohol Dependence Completed
  37. Phase 3 Varenicline Treatment for Active Alcoholic Smokers Completed
  38. Phase 3 Effectiveness of Gabapentin When Used With Naltrexone to Treat Alcohol Dependence Compared to Placebo and Naltrexone Alone Completed
  39. Phase 3 ALK21-014: Efficacy and Safety of Medisorb® Naltrexone (VIVITROL®) After Enforced Abstinence Completed
  40. Phase 3 Prometa Protocol for Alcohol Dependence Completed
  41. Phase 3 A New Pharmacotherapy for Alcohol Dependence: Olanzapine Completed
  42. Phase 3 Efficacy of Nalmefene in Patients With Alcohol Dependence Completed
  43. Phase 2 Mifepristone Treatment of Alcohol Use Disorder Completed
  44. Phase 2 ABT-436 for Alcohol Dependence Completed

Showing the 50 most-cited and recently-updated of 101 trials. Browse the full registry →

Trial data sourced from ClinicalTrials.gov. Counts describe the research landscape and are not a treatment recommendation. Informational only — not medical advice.

What the trials found For clinicians

Alcohol dependence: what the trials found

Several pharmacological interventions have been evaluated for alcohol use disorder. Naltrexone and its extended-release formulation (XR-NTX) were studied across multiple trials; while some studies showed significant reductions in heavy drinking days 7, others did not show statistically significant differences in heavy drinking percentages or daily drink counts compared to controls [2, 3, 21]. Specifically, XR-NTX was associated with lower heavy drinking day counts and improved quality of life scores 7, while a separate study showed 29% of participants on XR-NTX achieved abstinence or moderate drinking 9.

Acamprosate demonstrated mixed results in clinical trials. One study showed no significant difference in the percentage of drinking days 18, but another reported statistically significant reductions in total drinking days and drinks per week 22. Additionally, a trial comparing Acamprosate to placebo showed similar abstinence rates and heavy drinking percentages between groups 11.

Other pharmacological agents included Topiramate, which showed a reduction in the percentage of heavy drinking days over 12 weeks 8, and Lamotrigine, which showed comparable abstinence rates and heavy drinking percentages to its control 10. Dutasteride showed significant reductions in both heavy drinking days per week and total drinks per week 5, though a separate trial on Dutasteride did not find a statistically significant difference in drink reduction 14.

Behavioral and combination interventions also provided evidence. Alcohol Care Management was associated with lower percentages of heavy alcohol use compared to control 19. A combination of disulfiram and lorazepam resulted in high rates of abstinence among observed participants 6. Baclofen showed comparable results to placebo regarding abstinence days and obsessive-compulsive drinking scales 15.

For the clinician treating this condition

  • Naltrexone (including XR formulations) shows potential for reducing heavy drinking days, though efficacy varies across different study designs.
  • Acamprosate's efficacy is inconsistent across trials, with some showing significant reduction in consumption and others showing no difference from placebo.
  • Dutasteride showed statistically significant reductions in both frequency and volume of alcohol consumption in one trial, but failed to show significance in another.
  • Topiramate and Lamotrigine were observed as pharmacological options, though their specific comparative advantages over other agents are not established by these trials.

AI synthesis of 12 cited trials, updated Jun 22, 2026. Informational only — not medical advice; trial data sourced from ClinicalTrials.gov. How we use AI.

HCP Mode — summaries include clinical detail, trial data, and statistical outcomes.
Patient Mode — summaries use plain language, avoiding clinical jargon.
No published articles yet for this condition. Check back soon.

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