Can a muscle relaxant curb alcoholism? new trial results are in
NCT ID NCT01604330
First seen Jun 25, 2026 · Last updated Jun 26, 2026 · Updated 1 time
Summary
This study tested whether the drug baclofen, typically used for muscle spasms, can help people with alcoholism reduce their drinking. Over 300 adults who wanted to cut back or quit took either baclofen or a placebo for a year. The main goal was to see if more people on baclofen achieved low-risk drinking or abstinence according to WHO guidelines.
What this could mean
Our plain-language read of the trial. This is informational only, not medical advice or a prediction.
- Active substance
- Baclofen (a muscle relaxant drug)
- What this could lead to
- If it works, this could offer a new medication option to help people with alcoholism drink less or stay abstinent.
- What could go wrong
- This is a completed Phase 2/3 trial, but results may not apply to everyone. Baclofen can cause side effects like drowsiness and muscle weakness, and the optimal dose is still unclear.
This is an AI summary of the original study and may miss details. Read our disclaimer.
Study facts
What this study's own registry entry says, in plain language.
- Phase
-
Phase 2/3
Runs two stages together: whether the treatment works, then large-scale confirmation.
- Participants
-
323 people
The number who actually took part.
- Started
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May 2012
- Finished
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Oct 2015
- Lead sponsor
-
Other sponsor
The registry's catch-all category, for sponsors it does not file as a company, a government agency, or a research network.
Who can take part
This study's own entry requirements. Only the study team can say for certain whether you qualify.
- Ages
-
18 to 65 years
- Sex
-
Anyone
- Healthy volunteers
-
Not accepted
This study is not open to healthy volunteers. The entry requirements below say who it is open to.
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Copied word for word from the study's registry entry, so the wording is the study team's rather than ours.
Inclusion Criteria: * Patient coming for a problem with alcohol (alcohol at high risk during the past three months (at least two times during each month) according to the WHO standards;. i.e.: in women more than 40 g per day or 280 g per week or more of 40 g at once; the man more than 60 g per day or 420 g per week or more than 60 g in once, and expressing the desire to be abstinent or to have a consumption to low level of risk). * Volunteer to participate in the trial and having given his consent written after appropriate information * Patient having no treatment for the maintenance of abstinence (acamprosate, naltrexone) and the prevention of relapse (disulfiram) for at least 15 days before the beginning of the trial * Patient informed about the possibility of drowsiness in relation to the treatment and the associated risks to drive vehicles (motorized or not), the use of machines (including domestic use or recreation) and the execution of tasks requiring attention and precision * Including woman of childbearing age (but taking effective contraception). Exclusion Criteria: * Patient taking already baclofen or having taken baclofen * Patient pregnant, lactating, or childbearing years in the absence of effective contraception * Patient with porphyria * Patient with Parkinson's disease * Patient with severe psychiatric pathology (psychosis, including schizophrenia and bipolar disorders) that can compromise the observance * Patient with organic disease serious enough to not to allow its inclusion in the study according to the opinion of the investigator * Patient homeless * Patient without social cover * Patient unable to properly follow-up book, cannot commit to one year of follow-up * Patient with a contraindication to taking baclofen (intolerance to gluten by the presence of wheat starch * Patient with a severe intolerance known about the lactose
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Genom att skicka in godkänner du våra Användarvillkor
Conditions
The condition(s) this trial relates to.
As listed by the trial registrant
The condition terms exactly as the trial's registrant entered them.
Contacts and locations
Locations
-
Paris Descartes University
Paris, 75014, France
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Other studies related to the condition(s) this trial covers.
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