Acamprol Tablet

Acamprol Tablet – Acamprosate 333 mg Gastro-Resistant by Sun Pharma

Acamprol from Sun Pharma is a gastro-resistant tablet of Acamprosate 333 mg BP, used to help people who have stopped drinking stay stopped. It is not a drug that punishes you for drinking – that is disulfiram – and it does not block a high the way naltrexone does. Acamprosate works on a slower problem. Long-term heavy drinking shifts the brain’s balance between its calming GABA system and its stimulating glutamate system; alcohol has been doing the calming, so the brain compensates by turning glutamate up. When the drinking stops, that compensation is left uncovered, and the result is months of restlessness, poor sleep, low mood and craving – the period in which most relapses happen. Acamprosate steadies glutamate signalling while the brain re-adjusts. It works best when it is started as soon as abstinence begins and continued for months, alongside counselling. The gastro-resistant coating lets the tablet pass the stomach intact. Strip of 6 tablets.

Key Features

• Acamprosate 333 mg BP, gastro-resistant tablets
• Supports maintenance of abstinence after alcohol withdrawal
• Works on the glutamate–GABA imbalance left behind by long-term drinking
• Not metabolised by the liver and free of dependence potential
• Strip of 6 tablets from Sun Pharmaceutical Industries Ltd.

Composition

• Acamprosate Calcium BP – 333 mg
• Gastro-resistant coated tablet. Excipients q.s. As printed on the pack

Uses & Benefits

• Helps people who have already stopped drinking remain abstinent
• Reduces the restlessness, disturbed sleep and craving of the post-withdrawal months
• Does not cause a reaction if alcohol is drunk, so a lapse does not become a medical emergency
• Not processed by the liver – useful where liver function is already impaired
• No dependence potential and no sedation
• Works best combined with counselling and a support programme

Directions for Use

• Swallow the tablets whole with water. Do not crush or chew them – the gastro-resistant coating must stay intact
• The usual adult dose is two tablets three times a day for people over 60 kg, or as your doctor directs
• Start it as soon as the withdrawal period is over and abstinence has begun
• Take it at the same times each day, ideally with meals, to keep levels steady
• Treatment usually continues for up to a year. Do not stop early because you feel well – that is the point of it

Precautions

• Acamprosate does not treat alcohol withdrawal. Withdrawal itself can be dangerous and must be managed by a doctor before this is started
• It is not for people with severe kidney impairment. The drug is cleared by the kidneys, and your doctor will check kidney function
• Tell your doctor if you have liver disease, are pregnant or breastfeeding, or are under 18 or over 65
• Diarrhoea, nausea, wind and abdominal discomfort are the most common effects and usually settle
• Report any worsening depression or thoughts of self-harm at once – mood problems are common in early recovery and need attention
• Continuing to drink does not make this dangerous, but it does defeat the purpose. Tell your doctor honestly

Storage

• Store below 30°C in a dry place, protected from light
• Keep the tablets in the blister until you take them
• Keep out of reach of children

Disclaimer

Schedule H prescription drug – to be sold by retail on the prescription of a Registered Medical Practitioner only. This information is for general awareness and is not a substitute for professional medical advice, diagnosis or treatment. Medicines for alcohol or nicotine dependence work as part of a treatment plan that includes counselling and support, and must be started and supervised by a doctor.