The purpose of this study is to evaluate whether dutasteride is safe and effective for reducing alcohol use in male drinkers who want to stop or reduce their drinking. The investigators hypothesize that at a dosage of 1mg/day, dutasteride will be well tolerated and that, compared to placebo treatment, dutasteride will result in a greater reduction in the amount of alcohol consumed per week. The study sample size is of a pilot scale and is designed to provide additional support for the study hypothesis and provide an estimate of likely effect sizes in order to design a more definitive study.

NCT01262287

Conditions

1. Alcoholism
2. Alcohol Abuse
3. Alcohol Dependence

Interventions

1. Drug: Dutasteride
2. Drug: Placebo

MeSH:Alcoholism

Moderation of primary outcome measure [change in standard drinks per week from baseline to end point (average weeks 7 and 8 of treatment)] by genetic variation rs12529 in neuroactive steroid biosynthetic enzyme gene AKR1C (AKR1C3*2 C-allele associated with alcohol use disorder).