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Benzodiazepines are the standard pharmacologic treatment for alcohol withdrawal, but they have abuse liability and adverse effects and may increase craving and early relapse. In the first double-blind, dose-response, controlled trial of gabapentin for alcohol withdrawal, investigators randomized 100 treatment-seeking outpatients with alcohol dependence and moderate alcohol-withdrawal symptoms to 4 days of treatment with one of three gabapentin doses (200, 300, or 400 mg three times daily, tapered to twice daily on day 4) or lorazepam (2 mg three times daily, tapered to twice daily on day 4).
Relapse to drinking was assessed by breath alcohol and self-report. Follow-up assessments continued through day 12. A history of cannabis abuse, nicotin…