Nalmefene – Magic Pill for Alcohol Addiction?

Over the past seven days we have seen various stories and news reports on a new “wonder drug” to help curb the UK’s problem drinking culture. Basically the NHS have agreed to roll out Nalmefene (Selincro) as a treatment (preventative) for problem drinkers. These tablets will be sold for just £3.00 each and is estimated by some “expert” it will save almost 2000 lives over a 5 year period.

Nalmefene – What is it?

Nalmefene itself is an opioid receptor antagonist and plays on the same nuero pathways as alcohol among other things. Nalmefene is very similar to Neltroxin, which has been badly administered across the world already due to over zealous doctors and a lack of worthy counseling or programme for the user there after.

To be clear all Nalmefene will do is prevent you feeling the “good effects” of alcohol. This sadly does not deal with the underlying issue of addiction or binge drinking. I feel giving out a magic pill they have been studying since 2011 is too little too late. It is also worth noting that Nalmefene has not been available in the US marketplace since 2008.

The publicity around this “new” wonder drug has been as ever in the UK sensationalized. Little has been mentioned that the positive results with this substance have all been obtained alongside an effective counseling programme. I would argue that this substance is a pointless attempt to please the public as alcohol and drug addiction across the UK continues to rise.

The people this should be suited to should not be your problem drinker but more your binge drinker. Detoxing from alcohol without professional medical help can be extremely dangerous without the correct medical help. Call us today on 0844 309 1993 now for more information on our Home Based alcohol detox, Nalmefene and our rehab clinics across the UK.

Some of this story was sourced from the Independent.