Concurrent use of cocaine and alcohol is more potent and potentially more toxic than use of either alone--a multiple-dose study.
Biol Psychiatry
; 44(4): 250-9, 1998 Aug 15.
Article
in En
| MEDLINE
| ID: mdl-9715356
ABSTRACT
BACKGROUND:
Simultaneous abuse of cocaine and alcohol is widespread and increasingly detected in patients seeking emergent care. This double-blind, randomized, within-subjects study used a paradigm more closely approximating practices of drug abusers to better understand the pathogenesis of cocaine-alcohol abuse.METHODS:
Subjects meeting DSM-IV criteria for cocaine dependence and alcohol abuse participated in three drug administration sessions four doses of intranasal cocaine (1 mg/kg every 30 min) with oral alcohol (1 g/kg) administered following the initial cocaine dose and a second dose (120 mg/kg) at 60 min calculated to maintain plasma alcohol concentration at approximately 100 mg/dL during cocaine administration; four doses of cocaine/placebo alcohol; four doses of cocaine placebo/alcohol. Pharmacokinetic, physiological, and behavioral effects were followed over 8 hours.RESULTS:
Cocaine-alcohol produced greater euphoria and increased perception of well-being relative to cocaine. Heart rate significantly increased following cocaine-alcohol administration relative to either drug alone. Cocaine concentrations were greater following cocaine-alcohol administration. Cocaethylene had a longer halflife with increasing concentrations relative to cocaine at later time points.CONCLUSIONS:
Enhanced psychological effects during cocaine-alcohol abuse may encourage ingestion of larger amounts of these substances over time placing users at heightened risk for greater toxicity than with either drug alone.
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Database:
MEDLINE
Main subject:
Alcohol-Related Disorders
/
Cocaine-Related Disorders
Type of study:
Clinical_trials
/
Prognostic_studies
Limits:
Adult
/
Female
/
Humans
/
Male
Language:
En
Year:
1998
Type:
Article