Alcohol withdrawal treatment in intoxicated vs non-intoxicated patients: a controlled open-label study with tiapride/carbamazepine, clomethiazole and diazepam.

AIMS AND METHODS: Alcohol withdrawal treatment efficacy of tiapride/carbamazepine (A) vs clomethiazole (B) vs diazepam (C) in non-intoxicated patients and vs tiapride/carbamazepine in intoxicated patients (D; breath alcohol concentration > or = 1 g/l) was tested (n = 127) in a controlled randomized open-label study. RESULTS: Efficacy and safety were not different between groups (total group: delirium, 3.9%; seizure, 0.8%), except for a lack of efficacy in 18% of intoxicated tiapride/carbamazepine patients. A change of medication in this group was necessary only when primarily intoxicated patients had reached the non-intoxicated range. CONCLUSIONS: Treatment with tiapride/carbamazepine in alcohol-intoxicated patients proved to be safe.