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S077-3

The Effectiveness of Acamprosate and Antidepressant to Alcohol Use Disorder
Cormobid with Depression

Masaya Tayama1, Megumi Yamamoto2, Toshikazu Saito3

11) Psychiatry Institute, Hokujinkai Medical Corporation 2) Department of Neuropsychiatry, School of Medicine,
Sapporo Medical University, Japan 2Psychiatry Institute, Hokujinkai Medical Corporation, Japan 31) Psychiatry
Institute, Hokujinkai Medical Corporation 2) Department of Neuropsychiatry, School of Medicine, Sapporo
Medical University, Japan

Background/Objective: Alcohol use disorders and depression shows a high rate of comorbid. In
that case, treatment progress and prognosis are worse. In addition, patients with alcohol use disorder
and depression are more likely to have increased risk of suicide, recurrence of depression, and social
dysfunctions. Therefore in this study, we investigated effect of alcohol problems to depressive
symptoms.

Method: Participants were assessed a depression symptoms and alcohol consumption by using the
Hamilton Rating Scale for Depression (HAM-D), Beck Depression Inventory (BDI) and The Alcohol
Use Disorders Identification Test (AUDIT). The participants divided into 2 groups: Depression group
and Alcohol group according to their chief complaint at the first visit (Depression group: chief
complaint was depression symptoms, Alcohol group: chief complaint was alcohol problems). The
effect of medication on depressive symptoms was monitored over 12 weeks using HAM-D and BDI.

Result: There was no significant difference between Depression group and Alcohol group at the first
visit for the HAM-D score. About 70% participants of Depression group indicated moderate
depression symptoms(HAM-D score ≧14), on the other hand, half of Alcohol group also indicated
moderate depression symptoms. Also, BDI score showed that similar tendency as well. The
participants who used acamprosate from baseline to 12 weeks were showed continuously abstinence
and improvement of HAM-D score and BDI score. The participants who continue drinking during
study period were indicated less improvement of depression symptoms than non-drinking
participants.

Conclusion: These results suggest that some of the participants who complained depression
symptoms also had alcohol problems. Even in the case that the participants who complained alcohol
problems has moderate depression symptoms equivalent to depression group. In addition,
antidepressant was less effective to participants who continued drinking. However, the reduction of
alcohol consumption by using acamprosate suggest that have an effect upon improvement of
depressive symptoms.