Topiramate for Hospitalized Patients With Alcoholism: a 12-week Study

Inclusion Criteria: * Patients hospitalized due to alcohol-related problems * DSM-IV-TR alcohol dependence * \>/= 35 drinks/week (male) or \>/= 28 drinks/week (female) for \>/= 1 week during four weeks prior to the admission * AUDIT score \>/= 8 * Mild or no alcohol withdrawal * Body mass index \> 18 kg/m2 * No pregnancy and no plan for pregnancy (female) * Intention to decrease or stop drinking Exclusion Criteria: * Severe psychiatric and cognitive disorders * Other substance dependence, except nicotine and caffeine dependence, during 6 months prior to enrollment * Taking antipsychotics, mood stabilizers, anticonvulsants, opioid analgesics, systematic steroids, carbonic anhydrase inhibitors, hydrochlorthiazide, metformin, pioglitazone, or disulfiram * Moderate to high risk of suicide * Medical history of narrow angle glaucoma, renal impairment, kidney stones, and seizures * Unstable medical conditions * Plan to receive a formal treatment for alcoholism from other treatment settings * Under legal process * Pregnancy and nursing woman * Abnormal laboratory tests, including blood urea nitrogen, creatinine, electrolytes, and fasting blood sugar