Campral Side Effects, Signs and Symptoms

What is Campral and how does it fit into addiction treatment? Learn how Campral is prescribed, what it’s used to treat and how it helps encourage sobriety.

Campral is the brand name for the prescription medication acamprosate. Campral is used in people with alcohol use disorder (AUD) to help control alcohol cravings.

Campral does not work for alcohol withdrawal symptoms. Typically, if a person starts a Campral prescription, their doctor will have them start it after initial withdrawal symptoms stop.

Campral side effects are mild and most people do not have any during their course of therapy. The most common side effect is diarrhea.

Symptoms of Campral Abuse

Campral is not addictive and cannot be abused. However, Campral is an effective medication for curbing alcohol abuse. Campral is not effective with substances other than alcohol, or when someone is addicted to alcohol and other substances. Campral helps prevents sobriety setbacks for someone with an AUD in remission.

Physical Symptoms of Campral

Campral is well tolerated by most people. Campral side effects are rare and only happen to about 3% of people that use it:

• Accidental injury
• Anorexia
• Asthenia (lack of energy)
• Diarrhea
• Dizziness
• Dry Mouth
• Flatulence
• Nausea
• Pain
• Sweating

Not many people experience a side effect from taking Campral, only a few will have two or more symptoms. Most people will experience no side effects.

Psychological Symptoms of Campral

Psychological side effects are usually mild with Campral. The most common are:

• Anxiety
• Depression
• Insomnia

Other Campral Side Effects

Besides the aforementioned side effects, another consideration when using Campral is how often it must be taken. The side effect of forgetting to take the medicine is the potential for alcohol cravings to develop. Remembering to take the medication, and in the right dose, is key to its efficiency.

Effects of Long-Term Campral Abuse

Campral cannot be abused. Long-term Campral use is safe and effective for many people wanting to reduce their cravings for alcohol. In the rare instance that someone is affected by taking Campral, they may experience anxiety, insomnia, depression or any of the symptoms mentioned prior.

Signs of Campral Addiction

Campral is not addictive, but it is effective at treating alcohol addiction. Campral has been shown to reduce relapserates for people with alcohol addiction. If a relapse occurs, people using Campral will drink less alcohol than they used to and have an easier time returning to sobriety.

Campral Addiction Intervention

After the initial withdrawal and detox period for alcohol addiction is over, an addiction specialist may choose to prescribe Campral to help with long-term addiction management. Campral does not treat withdrawal symptoms or cure the addiction — it helps suppress cravings.

If you or a loved one struggle with alcohol addiction, it’s time to seek the addiction treatment and support you deserve. Call The Recovery Village today and speak with a representative about how your healthier future is on the horizon. 

Editor – Thomas Christiansen

With over a decade of content experience, Tom produces and edits research articles, news and blog posts produced for Advanced Recovery Systems. Read more

Medically Reviewed By – Dr. Conor Sheehy, PharmD, BCPS, CACP

Dr. Sheehy completed his BS in Molecular Biology at the University of Idaho and went on to complete his Doctor of Pharmacy (PharmD) at the University of Washington in Seattle. Read more