Drinking, depression and naltrexone

People with drink problems often suffer from depression as well. People who suffer from depression are more likely to drink heavily and people who drink heavily are more likely to suffer from depression. Those people with drink problems and depression have increased treatment dropout rates, higher rates of relapse, greater levels of alcohol consumption and more use of medical services. Naltrexone is used to treat people with alcohol problems but there has not been much research into its effectiveness in drinkers with depression or how its effectiveness is affected by interactions with antidepressants. A U.S. study of 627 people being treated for alcohol problems found that there was no difference in the effectiveness of naltrexone in people taking antidepressants and that it helped to reduce the number of days' drinking in people taking depression medication.

Krystal, John H. ... [et al] - Naltrexone is associated with reduced drinking by alcohol dependent patients receiving antidepressants for mood and anxiety symptoms : results from VA cooperative study no. 425 "Naltrexone in the treatment of alcoholism" Alcoholism : clinical and experimental research January 2008, 32(1), 85-91