Tier 2 — strong

A randomized, double-blind, placebo-controlled trial of N-acetylcysteine as an adjuvant treatment for alcohol use disorder

Jaqueline B Schuch, Fernanda Hansen, Thiago Hartmann, Daniela Benzano, Henrique M Gomes, José Cláudio F Moreira, Flavio Pechansky, Felix H P Kessler, Fabiana Galland, Daiane Silvello, Anne O Sordi, Lisia von Diemen
Braz J Psychiatry 2025 47:e20243541

Bibliography

PubMed
PMID 41021585
PubMed Central
PMC12681350
DOI
10.47626/1516-4446-2024-3541
Funding
Supported by the Secretaria Nacional de Políticas Sobre Drogas (grant 08129.011787/2015-95), Fundo de Incentivo à Pesquisa e Eventos/Hospital de Clínicas de Porto Alegre (grant 2015-0488), and CAPES (Finance Code 001).
Competing interests
The authors reported no conflicts of interest.

Study snapshot

DesignRandomized double-blind placebo-controlled adjunctive trial
ModelHuman
Sample53 inpatients with alcohol use disorder
InterventionAdjunctive NAC versus placebo
Duration9 weeks
EndpointsTreatment adherence; Time to relapse; Clinical improvement; Oxidative stress biomarkers; Hepatic parameters

What the study showed, in plain terms

2025 evidence record examining NAC in alcohol use disorder.

Key findings

Treatment adherence, time to relapse and clinical improvement were similar between groups; some biomarker changes differed but did not translate into clear clinical superiority.

What this study can and cannot tell us

Small inpatient sample, substantial dropout/relapse and biomarker multiplicity; clinical outcomes were not improved.

Editorial review

Reviewed by the Biohack Blueprint research team

Last verified

Dr. Khaled Mahmoud, MBBChCritical Care Medicine, Longevity Science & Editorial Direction Dr. Amr Yasser, PhDCardiometabolic, Musculoskeletal, Gut & Bioavailability Dr. Abdulla Mostafa, PhDCellular Senescence, Neurological, Mitochondrial & Brain-Ageing Biology