What precautions should be taken when discharging a patient from the medical setting on new medication assisted therapy for alcohol use disorder?

Great question. This article absolutely adds to the argument for using medications for alcohol use disorder.

The precautions would mostly explain side effects, just as you would for any new medication. A few specific considerations depend on the medication (I'll restrict this to four more common cho...

I strongly agree with the policy of having complete lab work before starting any of the AUD meds and ten ongoing monitoring of LFTs and kidney functions on outpatient basis.

Starting these medications on an inpatient basis is the best practice in a supervised environment and knowing that the patient...

I agree with the answers above but we should also be considering the potential use of GLP-1 medicines, for AUD especially if they are to be considered for other indications (Quddos et al., PMID 38017205 and Chuong et al., PMID 37192005).

Checking liver function before naltrexone and disulfiram and kidney function prior to acamprosate is important. Making sure the patient understands how the drugs work and consequences if contraindications are not observed. Advising about the administration of opiates is important for naltrexone. Obv...

I also use gabapentin, up to 600 mg TID for alcohol use disorder.