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U.S. Department of Health and Human Services Office of Disease Prevention and Health Promotion

Gamma_Hydroxybutyrate (GHB) for Treatment of Alcohol Withdrawal and Prevention of Relapses

About this resource:

Systematic Review

Source: The Cochrane Collaborative

Last Reviewed: February 2010

Workgroups: Substance Use Workgroup

In this Cochrane systematic review, the Cochrane Collaborative found that gamma‐hydroxybutyric acid (GHB) appears to be more effective than naltrexone and disulfiram for preventing relapse in people with alcohol dependence. Researchers also found insufficient evidence to determine whether GHB is more effective than placebo for treating alcohol withdrawal syndrome or preventing relapses. They found no strong differences between GHB and benzodiazepines or clomethiazole. Researchers concluded that findings about GHB should be weighed along with concerns about the risks of addiction and misuse.

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Objectives related to this resource (1)

Reduce the proportion of people who had alcohol use disorder in the past year — SU‑13
Little or no detectable change

Suggested Citation

1.

Leone, M.A., Vigna-Taglianti, F., Avanzi, G., Brambilla, R. & Faggiano, F. (2010). Gamma-hydroxybutyrate (GHB) for treatment of alcohol withdrawal and prevention of relapses. Cochrane Database of Systematic Reviews, 2010 (2).DOI: 10.1002/14651858.CD006266.pub2.