Dutasteride Treatment for Reducing Heavy Drinking in AUD: Predictors of Efficacy

Who can take part

• men and women age 35 to 70 yo inclusive
• have an average weekly ethanol consumption of >24 SD for men and >18 for women and at least 2 HDD/wk over the 8 weeks prior to screening
• current DSM-5 AUD
• no evidence of significant cognitive impairment
• for women of child-bearing potential (i.e., no hysterectomy, bilateral oophorectomy, or tubal ligation; or <2 years postmenopausal) must be non-lactating, practicing a reliable method of birth control and agree to continue such throughout the study and for 6 months following participation, and have a negative serum pregnancy test prior to initiation of treatment

Who cannot take part

• currently taking finasteride, dutasteride, medication for treatment of AUD, or chronic use of opioid pain medication
• are considered by the investigators to be an unsuitable candidate for an investigational drug
• history of serious alcohol withdrawal symptoms (e.g., perceptual distortions, seizures, delirium, or hallucinations)
• subjects who on clinical examination by a physician are deemed to be too severely alcohol dependent to permit them to participate in a pbo-controlled study (e.g., evidence of serious adverse medical or psychiatric effects that are exacerbated by heavy drinking and would, for safety reasons, lead the physician to urge the patient to be totally abstinent and engage in an empirically supported treatment)
• have a serious psychiatric illness on the basis of history or psychiatric examination (i.e., schizophrenia, active clinically significant mood episode of bipolar disorder or major depression, organic mental disorder, current clinically significant eating disorder, or substantial suicide or violence risk)
• have a current DSM-5 diagnosis of moderate drug use disorder (other than caffeine or nicotine dependence)
• current, clinically significant physical disease or abnormality on the basis of medical history, physical examination, or routine laboratory evaluation, including direct bilirubin more than 2.5 times the upper limit of normal or transaminase elevations 5 times the upper limit of normal (the investigators will not exclude patients with hypertension, diabetes, asthma or other common medical conditions, if these are adequately controlled and the patient has an ongoing relationship with a primary care provider)