Response to Ameisen

Abstract

We thank Dr Ameisen for his interest on our manuscript (Addolorato et al ., 2011) and appreciate the opportunity to respond to his comments. As noted by Dr Ameisen (Ameisen, 2011), in our manuscript, we refer not only to his case report (Ameisen, 2005), but also to the case report by Bucknam (2007). We appreciate Dr Ameisen's clarification that in his own case report high-dose baclofen suppressed (as opposed to reduced) alcohol craving and consumption. Dr Ameisen correctly states that Bucknam's title and abstract report the word ‘suppression’; however, the full-length text of Bucknam (2007) leads to the surprising discovery that the patient described a dramatic reduction (but not suppression) in alcohol craving and consumption. We did not mean to misinterpret Dr Ameisen's opinion. Rather, we provided an overall ‘take home’ message based on both case reports (Ameisen, 2005; Bucknam, 2007) given that high-dose baclofen did not have an identical effect in these two patients. (We would point out too, that in Agabio's case report (Agabio et al ., 2007), mentioned by Dr Ameisen where the patient's alcohol …