Anti-Nicotine Drug Lessens Alcohol Effects

CHICAGO (Ivanhoe Newswire) -- A new study shows an anti-nicotine drug may reduce stimulant and euphoric effects of alcohol, and decrease the desire to drink more.

Researchers recruited 27 non-smoking social drinkers to participate in six lab sessions. At the beginning of each session, participants received either a placebo or 7.5 milligrams or 15 milligrams of mecamylamine. Then, participants received either an alcoholic or placebo beverage two hours later. Researchers measured heart rate, blood pressure and subjective effects including stimulation and euphoria.

Results of the study show mecamylamine reduced the "rewarding" effects of alcohol, similar to previous studies conducted with animals. Male participants reported more of a stimulant effect from the alcohol than female participants, regardless of whether they were pre-treated with mecamylamine. The drug reduced the stimulant effects of alcohol more in men. Women reported more effects from mecamylamine alone, specifically, self-reported feelings of sedation. Researchers caution these differences may be due to gender differences in pharmacokinetics.

Co-investigator Harriet de Wit, Ph.D., from the University of Chicago, explains: "One of the receptor systems where alcohol may act is the nicotinic acetylcholine (NACh) receptor system, the same system where nicotine acts. By acting at these NACh receptors, alcohol also increases the activity of another neurotransmitter system, the dopamine system, which is where most drugs are thought to produce their rewarding effects." Researchers say mecamylamine blocks the effects of alcohol on the NACh receptors, which reduce the activity of the dopamine system. This results in a dampening of alcohol's effect.

This article was reported by Ivanhoe.com, who offers a searchable archive of its medical reports written since 1995. To search, go to: http://www.ivanhoe.com/search/.

SOURCE: Alcoholism: Clinical & Experimental, 2003;27:780-786