Related Experiment Video
Updated: Mar 22, 2026

Chronic Intermittent Ethanol Vapor Exposure Paired with Two-Bottle Choice to Model Alcohol Use Disorder
Published on: June 23, 2023
Assessment of Pharmacological Treatment Quality: Comparison of Symptom-triggered vs. Fixed-schedule Alcohol
U J Müller1, F Schuermann1, H Dobrowolny1
1Department of Psychiatry and Psychotherapy, Otto-von-Guericke-University, Magdeburg, Germany.
Abstract:
Introduction: Despite the fact, that symptom-triggered alcohol withdrawal treatment is recommended by German guidelines on alcoholism, many hospitals continue to use fixed-schedule protocols, as they have been successfully applied for many years. Methods: This retrospective study compared all patients' records of alcohol withdrawal treatment from October 2010 to November 2011 at Magdeburg's University Department of Psychiatry (n=120). A symptom-triggered protocol with clomethiazole (AESB, n=46) was used in parallel with the existing fixed-schedule protocol with diazepam (n=74). Results: The symptom-triggered group showed less need of pharmacological treatment duration (p<0.001) and cumulative dosage of medication compared to the fixed-schedule protocol (p<0.006). No difference was observed regarding the need of clonidine or haloperidol (to treat blood pressure derailment or delirium) and the incidence of epileptic seizures. Discussion: Based on the shorter treatment duration and a similar rate of complications our department has switched to the symptom-triggered protocol to improve the quality of patient care.
More Related Videos
09:29Investigating Drivers of Antireward in Addiction Behavior with Anatomically Specific Single-Cell Gene Expression Methods
Published on: August 4, 2022
08:05A Prediction Error-driven Retrieval Procedure for Destabilizing and Rewriting Maladaptive Reward Memories in Hazardous Drinkers
Published on: January 5, 2018
Related Concept Videos
CNS Depressants: Alcohol and Nicotine
Drug Dependence
Psychosis: Goals of Pharmacotherapy
Substance Use Disorders Affecting Sleep
Understanding the concepts of physical dependence,...
Dosage Regimen: Fixed Dose
Fixed-dose regimens can be used for various routes of administration, including intravenous (IV) injections and oral medications. For IV administration, a predetermined amount of the drug is...
Drug Therapy
Antianxiety Medications