Campral

Campral is a prescription medication used to help maintain abstinence from alcohol. It is used along with behavior modification and counseling in people who have recently quit drinking alcohol. While the exact way it works is unknown, it is believed to work by restoring the balance of certain brain chemicals in long-term alcohol abusers.

Campral comes as a delayed-release tablet. It is usually taken 3 times daily, with or without food.

Common side effects include diarrhea, gas, and upset stomach.

Campral may affect your thinking, ability to make decisions, and coordination. Do not drive a car or operate machinery until you know how this medication affects you.

Campral is a prescription medication used for the maintenance of abstinence from alcohol. It is used along with behavior modification and counseling in people who have recently quit drinking alcohol. 

This medication may be prescribed for other uses. Ask your doctor or pharmacist for more information.

Take this medication exactly as prescribed by your doctor. Follow the directions on your prescription label carefully.

The dose your doctor recommends may be based on the following:

• other medical conditions you have
• how you respond to this medication
• your kidney function

The recommended dose of acamprosate (Campral) is two 333 mg tablets (each dose should total 666 mg) taken three times daily. A lower dose may be effective in some patients.

The recommended dose of acamprosate (Campral), for patients with moderate renal impairment, is one 333 mg tablet taken three times daily.

Serious side effects have been reported with Campral including the following:

Suicidal thoughts/actions and depression:

People who drink large amounts of alcohol often become depressed and sometimes try to harm or kill themselves. Taking Campral does not decrease and may increase the risk that you will try to harm yourself. You may develop depression while you are taking Campral even if you do not go back to drinking.

You or your family should call your healthcare provider right away if you have any of the following symptoms, or call 911 if an emergency, especially if they are new, worse, or worry you:

• feelings of sadness
• anxiousness
• hopelessness
• guilt
• worthlessness or helplessness
• loss of interest or pleasure in activities you once enjoyed
• lack of energy
• difficulty concentrating
• making decisions
• remembering
• irritability
• sleep problems
• changes in appetite or weight
• restlessness
• thinking about harming or killing yourself or planning or trying to do so

Be sure that your family knows which symptoms may be serious so they can call the doctor right away if you are unable to seek treatment on your own.

Keep all follow-up visits with your healthcare provider and call between visits if you are worried about symptoms.

Campral may affect your thinking, ability to make decisions, and coordination. Do not drive a car or operate machinery until you know how this medication affects you.

Patients with moderate renal impairment will need a lower dose of Campral.

Do not take Campral if you:

• are allergic to Campral or to any of its ingredients
• have severe renal impairment

Common side effects include:

• diarrhea
• gas
• upset stomach
• loss of appetite
• dry mouth
• dizziness
• itching
• weakness

This is not a complete list of Campral side effects. Ask your doctor or pharmacist for more information.

Call your doctor for medical advice about side effects. You may report side effects to the FDA at 1-800-FDA-1088.

Tell your doctor about all the medicines you take, including prescription and non-prescription medicines, vitamins, and herbal supplements. Especially tell your doctor if you take:

• antidepressants such as escitalopram (Lexapro), sertraline (Zoloft), citalopram (Celexa), vilazodone (Viibryd), paroxetine (Paxil), fluoxetine (Prozac, Sarafem, Symbyax), and fluvoxamine (Luvox), trimipramine (Surmontil), amitriptyline (Elavil), nortriptyline (Pamelor, Aventyl), protriptyline (Vivactil), and clomipramine (Anafranil), tranylcypromine (Parnate), phenelzine (Nardil), selegiline (Eldepryl, Zelapar), isocarboxazid (Marplan), and rasagiline (Azilect)

This is not a complete list of Campral drug interactions. Ask your doctor or pharmacist for more information.

Tell your doctor if you are pregnant or plan to become pregnant.

The FDA categorizes medications based on safety for use during pregnancy. Five categories - A, B, C, D, and X, are used to classify the possible risks to an unborn baby when a medication is taken during pregnancy.

Campral falls into category C. In animal studies, pregnant animals were given this medication and had some babies born with problems. No well-controlled studies have been done in humans. Therefore, this medication may be used if the potential benefits to the mother outweigh the potential risks to the unborn child.

Tell your doctor if you are breastfeeding or plan to breastfeed.

Campral has been detected in human breast milk. Because of the possibility for adverse reactions in nursing infants from Campral, a choice should be made whether to stop nursing or to stop use of this medication. The importance of the drug to the mother should be considered.

Continue treatment with acamprosate even if relapse happens. 

Tell your doctor if you start drinking again.

Acamprosate has been shown to help maintain abstinence from alcohol only when used as a part of a treatment program that includes counseling and support.

For patients who regularly eat three meals per day, it may be easier to take each dose of acamprosate with a meal.