A team of scientists from Scripps Research has discovered that a medication already approved for treating certain inflammatory diseases could be helpful for people struggling with alcohol use disorder (AUD), especially those who also suffer from pain.
The findings, published in JCI Insight, suggest that the drug apremilast might help lower alcohol consumption and ease pain sensitivity—two problems that often happen together in people with AUD.
Apremilast is already used to treat psoriasis and psoriatic arthritis, which are both chronic conditions caused by inflammation. This drug works by blocking an enzyme called PDE4 that plays a role in the body’s inflammation process.
In earlier studies, apremilast was shown to reduce alcohol use in both mice and humans. This new study goes a step further by looking at whether the drug can also reduce pain caused or worsened by alcohol use.
AUD is a serious condition that affects around 400 million people worldwide, according to the World Health Organization. Many people with AUD also suffer from chronic pain or a condition called mechanical allodynia.
Mechanical allodynia makes even gentle touches feel painful and is often experienced during alcohol withdrawal. Unfortunately, pain is rarely considered in AUD treatment plans, even though it can lead people to relapse.
In this study, researchers gave the drug to two types of rats—one genetically more likely to drink alcohol and the other a common laboratory strain. Both groups were given access to alcohol, then treated with either apremilast or a placebo (a fake treatment).
The results showed that the rats who received apremilast drank less alcohol and also had lower sensitivity to pain. These benefits lasted not just while they were drinking but also after the alcohol was taken away—up to four weeks later.
However, the effects were not the same for all rats. In some cases, male rats didn’t show as much pain relief, which suggests that the drug may work differently in males and females. The scientists say it’s important for future studies to look at how biological sex and genetic differences might affect treatment outcomes.
The researchers also looked at what was happening in the rats’ brains. They found that apremilast boosted a kind of brain signaling called GABAergic transmission in an area called the central amygdala.
This part of the brain is linked to both addiction and pain. Interestingly, this brain effect only appeared in one type of rat, meaning that genetics might affect how well the drug works.
The study also showed that rats exposed to alcohol had higher levels of PDE4 genes in their brains, strengthening the connection between inflammation, pain, and alcohol use. While other drugs that block PDE4 have been tested for general pain, apremilast may be especially useful for people who suffer from both alcohol dependence and pain.
Still, this research was done in rats. Scientists need to run clinical trials in humans to confirm whether the drug is safe and effective for treating both AUD and pain in people.
The team also plans to explore whether apremilast can help with emotional problems like anxiety that often come with alcohol withdrawal. Anxiety is a common reason why people relapse after trying to quit drinking, so finding a treatment that helps with both pain and emotional distress could be very valuable.
In conclusion, this early research shows promise for repurposing apremilast as a new kind of treatment for people with alcohol problems and pain. It highlights how important it is to look at the full picture when treating addiction—including physical discomfort and mental health—not just the alcohol use itself.
If you care about pain, please read studies about how to manage gout with a low-purine diet, and a guide to eating right for arthritis.
For more health information, please see recent studies about the link between processed foods and chronic diseases, and avoid these 8 foods to ease arthritis pain.
The research findings can be found in JCI Insight.
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