A new study from the National Institute of Health (NIH) showed that the heart medication spironolactone might be effective in patients with alcohol use disorder. Spironolactone, a mineralocorticoid receptor antagonist, is a medicine to treat heart conditions. 

The study on humans showed that study participants observed a reduction in self-reported alcohol consumption in the group that took spironolactone. Spironolactone demonstrated the highest effect on people who self-reported excessive alcohol consumption, such as binge drinking. 

Dr. George F. Koob, the co-author of the study, stated that ‘these are very encouraging findings. The present study argues for conducting randomized, controlled studies of spironolactone in people with alcohol use disorder to further assess its safety and potential efficacy in this population, as well as additional work to understand how spironolactone may reduce alcohol drinking.’ [Resource: https://www.nature.com/articles/s41380-022-01736-y]