Around one in five Australian adults will meet criteria for an alcohol use disorder in their lifetime, and alcohol-induced deaths remain near their highest levels in a decade. Yet fewer than 3% of Australians with AUD receive a PBS-listed medication for it despite two first-line medicines that are safe, effective, streamlined-authority PBS items.
In this one hour webinar, Clean Slate Clinic clinicians Dr Chris Davis (Addiction Medicine Specialist and GP) and Colin Fearns (Prescribing Pharmacist) walk through the practical pharmacotherapy of AUD for Australian practice: who to assess and how; when planned withdrawal is needed and when it isn’t; how to choose between acamprosate, naltrexone and disulfiram; how to prescribe and monitor safely; when to refer; and what the emerging GLP-1 evidence does, and does not, show.
Learning outcomes
- Identify which patients with alcohol dependence may benefit from medication, and which first need planned withdrawal
- Prescribe thiamine and manage withdrawal risk safely, including recognising Wernicke’s encephalopathy
- Choose between acamprosate, naltrexone and disulfiram, matched to patient goals
- Initiate, monitor and stop first-line pharmacotherapy in general practice
- Appraise the emerging GLP-1 evidence and answer the patient who asks for “Ozempic for drinking”
Why attend: Engaging and interactive session; fully referenced against the national guidelines, TGA/PBS prescribing information and current trial evidence; dedicated Q&A with both presenters.
This webinar can be counted towards Continuing Professional Development for GPs and other clinical staff.