Evidence map›Paper›PMID 24796492›Full record

SynthesisAlcoholism, clinical and experimental research2014

A meta-analysis of topiramate's effects for individuals with alcohol use disorders.

Janet C Blodgett, A C Del Re, Natalya C Maisel, John W Finney

Open access · greenAbstract readMeta-Analysis
PubMed Full text at PMC Publisher
In one paragraph

Synthesis in Alcoholism, clinical and experimental research, 2014. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Cited by 90 papers, 7 of them syntheses that pooled it.

0numbers the graph read from it
0cells of the map it votes in
90citing papers in PubMed, 7 pooled it
11.6field-weighted citation impact, top 1% of its field
1 · What the graph read from it

What it found

Each row is one number read from the abstract, on the scale the paper reported it, with its interval. Left of the dashed line favours the treatment, right favours the comparator. Under each row is the sentence it came from. New to these charts? A ten-minute tutorial.

The abstract states no effect estimate the extractor could read, or names no intervention and outcome on the map, so this paper lights no cell and moves no belief. It is still indexed, cited and linked below.

2 · The registry

The trial behind it

Trials whose registry record cites this paper, or whose number appears in the abstract. A trial that started after this paper was published is citing it as background, not reporting it.

Neither the registry nor the abstract names a trial number. If this is a trial report, that itself is worth knowing.

3 · Its place in the literature

Who cites it

90 citing papers in PubMed, 7 syntheses or guidelines pooled it, 184 citations in OpenAlex.

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  11. Emergency department-initiated oral naltrexone for patients with moderate to severe alcohol use disorder: A pilot feasibility study.Academic emergency medicine : official journal of the Society for Academic Emergency Medicine · 2025
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  19. Prospective randomized pharmacogenetic study of topiramate for treating alcohol use disorder.Neuropsychopharmacology : official publication of the American College of Neuropsychopharmacology · 2021
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30 more citing papers are in PubMed but not listed here.

4 · The record

Corrections and comments

PubMed lists nothing against this paper. Absence here is not a guarantee, only a check that was made.

5 · Who and what money

Authors and funding

4 authors at 3 institutions in 1 country.

Janet C BlodgettHSR&D Center for Innovation to Implementation , VA Palo Alto Health Care System, Menlo Park, California.
A C Del Re
Natalya C Maisel
John W Finney
Center for Innovation · USStanford University · USVA Palo Alto Health Care System · US

Funding

META-ANALYSIS OF ALCOHOLISM TREATMENT OUTCOME RESEARCHR01AA008689 · NIAAA · PALO ALTO VETERANS INSTIT FOR RESEARCH · PI FINNEY, JOHN W. · 1990 to 2011
$766k
NIAAA NIH HHS AA008689NIAAA NIH HHS R01 AA008689
6 · The paper itself

Abstract

backgroundInfluenced by several trials and reviews highlighting positive outcomes, topiramate is increasingly prescribed as a treatment for alcohol use disorders (AUDs). The only previously published meta-analysis of topiramate for AUDs was limited by a sample of only 3 randomized, placebo-controlled trials (RCTs).

methodsA systematic search identified 7 RCTs (including a total of 1,125 participants) that compared topiramate to placebo for the treatment for AUDs. This meta-analysis estimated the overall effects of topiramate on abstinence, heavy drinking, craving, and γ-glutamyltranspeptidase (GGT) outcomes and included several sensitivity analyses to account for the small sample of studies.

resultsOverall, the small to moderate effects favored topiramate, although the effect on craving was not quite significantly different from 0. The largest effect was found on abstinence (g = 0.468, p < 0.01), followed by heavy drinking (g = 0.406, p < 0.01), GGT (g = 0.324, p = 0.02), and craving (g = 0.312, p = 0.07) outcomes. Sensitivity analyses did not change the magnitude or direction of the results, and tests did not indicate significant publication bias. The small sample size did not allow for examination of specific moderators of the effects of topiramate.

conclusionsTopiramate can be a useful tool in the treatment of AUDs. Its efficacy, based on the current sample of studies, seems to be of somewhat greater magnitude than that of the most commonly prescribed medications for AUDs (naltrexone and acamprosate). Further research will help to identify the contexts in which topiramate is most beneficial (e.g., dose, concurrent psychotherapy, patient characteristics).

Indexed as

Alcohol DrinkingAlcoholismExcitatory Amino Acid AntagonistsFructoseHumansTopiramateTreatment OutcomeExcitatory Amino Acid AntagonistsFructoseTopiramateAlcohol Use DisordersMeta-AnalysisTopiramateTreatment

Identifiers

PMID24796492
PMCPMC4047180
OpenAlexW2104086074

What OpenQuestion holds

Textmetadata
LicenceTDM
Read underepoch 390

Registered trials

None linked

Read under generation 80e0d062 · epoch 390. Bibliography from PubMed, PubMed Central and OpenAlex; grants from NIH RePORTER; trial links from ClinicalTrials.gov; estimates, votes and beliefs from the OpenQuestion graph.