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Natural and complementary therapies for substance use disorders.

Angela J Dean1

  • 1Kids in Mind Research, Mater Child and Youth Mental Health Service and Mater Pharmacy Services, Mater Hospital, South Brisbane, Queensland, Australia. angela.dean@mater.org.au

Current Opinion in Psychiatry
|April 28, 2006
PubMed
Summary

Natural and complementary therapies show limited evidence for treating substance use disorders. More clinical trials are needed to determine the effectiveness and safety of these interventions for addiction treatment.

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Area of Science:

  • Integrative Medicine
  • Addiction Research
  • Pharmacology

Background:

  • Substance use disorders (SUDs) pose significant public health challenges.
  • Growing interest exists in natural and complementary therapies for SUDs.
  • Evidence-based treatments are crucial for effective SUD management.

Purpose of the Study:

  • To review recent studies on natural and complementary therapies for SUDs.
  • To assess the efficacy of these therapies in treating SUDs and their complications.
  • To discuss safety considerations associated with complementary therapies in SUD treatment.

Main Methods:

  • Systematic review of recent clinical and animal studies.
  • Analysis of studies examining therapies like hypericum, prickly pear extract, magnesium, ginkgo, artichoke, acupuncture, vitamin E, Liv 52, and silymarin.

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  • Evaluation of findings related to smoking cessation, alcohol hangover, cocaine dependence, alcohol withdrawal, and alcohol-related liver disease.

    • Main Results:

    • Few rigorous clinical studies exist for natural therapies in SUDs.
    • Preliminary studies suggest potential benefits for hypericum (smoking cessation), prickly pear extract (hangover), and magnesium (adjunct to methadone).
    • Other studies show negative or inconclusive results for ginkgo, artichoke, acupuncture, vitamin E, and Liv 52; silymarin shows potential for liver protection in animal models.

    Conclusions:

    • Currently, insufficient evidence supports natural and complementary therapies as primary SUD interventions.
    • Established pharmacological and psychosocial treatments remain the cornerstone of SUD care.
    • Further rigorous clinical trials are necessary to validate the role of specific agents.