Alcohol use disorder pharmacotherapy options for postmenopausal females

Abstract

Alcohol use disorder among aging women is rising at unprecedented rates. Postmenopausal drinkers may be especially at risk for alcohol use disorder (AUD)-related problems for numerous reasons such as: metabolic specificities due to aging process, overall longer life expectancy, facing losses leading to grief and depression, etc. Furthermore, age and gender differences may potentially affect the time course of medication absorption, distribution, metabolism, and excretion. Moreover, current researches on interventions and treatments that aim to reduce AUD or to prevent its occurrence in middle-aged and elderly women are limited, and limited number of medication treatments has been approved by the US FDA. Here, we provide an overview by evaluating medications’ efficacy, side effects, and contraindications focusing on age and gender differences. Also, we discuss emerging themes and different pharmacotherapies with the aim to identify optimal gender-specific pharmacotherapy options in postmenopausal patients. © 2021 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.