Campral
Brand Names
CampralWhat is Campral
Campral (N-acetyl homotaurine) is a drug used for treating alcohol dependence. This medicine affects chemicals in the brain that may become unbalanced in a person who is addicted to alcohol. Campral restores this chemical balance in the brain in an alcohol-dependent person who has recently stopped drinking.
Side effects of Campral
- allergic reaction ( hives; difficulty breathing; swelling of your face, lips, tongue or throat)
- mood or behavior changes
- thoughts about hurting yourself
- severe anxiety or depression
- feeling like you might pass out
- fast or pounding heartbeats
- confusion, increased thirst
- urinating less than usual or not at all
- nausea, vomiting, stomach pain, loss of appetite
- constipation, diarrhea
- headache, dizziness, drowsiness
- vision problems
- problems with memory or thinking
- weakness, cold or flu-like symptoms
- back pain, joint or muscle pain
- decreased or distorted sense of taste
- sleep problems (insomnia)
- impotence, loss of interest in sex
- sweating, mild skin rash
Indication
Campral works to help a person who has recently quit drinking alcohol continue to choose not to drink (remain abstinent from alcohol). Campral is used together with behavior modification and counseling support to help you stop drinking.
Precautions
Before using Campral tell your doctor if you have:
- any type of kidney problem
- an allergetic reaction to acamprosate
- thoughts about suicide
- depression
Dosage forms
The recommended dose of campral is two 333 mg tablets (each dose should total 666 mg) taken three times daily. Although dosing may be done without regard to meals, dosing with meals was employed during clinical trials and is suggested as an aid to compliance in those patients who regularly eat three meals daily. A lower dose may be effective in some patients.
Treatment with campral should be initiated as soon as possible after the period of alcohol withdrawal, when the patient has achieved abstinence, and should be maintained if the patient relapses. Campral should be used as part of a comprehensive psychosocial treatment program.
Dosage in Renal Impairment: a starting dose of one 333 mg tablet three times daily.
