A double blind study with melperone and placebo in the treatment of chronic alcoholics.

In a 2-wk randomized double blind study 60 chronic alcoholics were treated with either melperone (Buronil) or placebo. The patients were assessed daily using a scale including 4 items: tension, depression, craving and sleep. Statistically significant improvement was achieved in the placebo group only for "tension" and "sleep"; whereas, in the melperone group all four items improved significantly. Comparison between the groups revealed statistically significant superiority of melperone over placebo for the item "craving".