Alcoholics given the drug Topamax -- more commonly used to treat migraine headaches -- were able to cut down their drinking as part of a treatment program but without needing detoxification, according to researchers.

The Associated Press reported Oct. 9 that researchers tracked 371 heavy drinkers for 14 weeks and found that 15 percent of those receiving Topamax had quit drinking for at least seven weeks, compared to 3 percent of patients not receiving the drug. The Topamax group also was more likely to cut back on drinking than the control group.

"The size of the treatment effect is larger than in most of the other medications we've seen," said Mark Willenbring of the National Institute on Alcohol Abuse and Alcoholism. "And all the drinking variables changed in the right direction."

Topamax, also known as topiramate, works by inhibiting the brain chemical dopamine.

However, the drug is expensive -- costing about $350 per week -- and has some serious side effects. Observers say it may appeal more to problem drinkers seeking help from their own doctors than those entering rehab programs to get sober.

The study was published in the Oct. 10, 2007 issue of the Journal of the American Medical Association. It was funded by the pharmaceutical firm Ortho-McNeil, which makes Topamax.