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Naltrexone effects on alcohol consumption in a clinical laboratory paradigm: temporal effects of drinking

Psychopharmacology volume 173, pages 32–40 (2004)Cite this article

Abstract

Background

This clinical laboratory study evaluated how the timing of drinking and subjective responses to alcohol are effected by the opioid antagonist naltrexone.

Methods

Forty non-treatment seeking alcoholics were randomly assigned to treatment with 50 mg naltrexone or matching placebo for 7 days. On day 7, they were administered an “initial drink” of alcohol (blood alcohol levels of between 20 and 30 mg%) in a bar-like setting. In a random fashion, half of the subjects in each group (naltrexone and placebo) had either immediate or delayed (40 min) access to up to 8 additional mini-drinks over a 2-h period. In the delayed group subjective reactions to alcohol were measured prior to access to more drinks.

Results

In the immediate access condition, subjects had similar drinking patterns, irrespective of whether they were taking naltrexone or placebo. However, in the delayed condition, naltrexone-treated subjects consumed fewer drinks and had a slower progression of drinking. There was a positive relationship between alcohol-induced stimulation and the number of drinks consumed in the placebo subjects but a negative correlation in the naltrexone subjects.

Conclusions

These data suggest that the effectiveness of naltrexone on alcohol consumption may be somewhat dependent on pattern of consumption. Since naltrexone seems to disrupt the connection between alcohol-induced stimulation and further alcohol consumption, there may be a time-critical period between drinks necessary for alcoholics to benefit from its effects. These findings are consistent with clinical trial data that suggest a potential synergistic effect between relapse prevention therapies and opiate antagonist pharmacotherapy.

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Acknowledgements

This study was conducted at the Medical University of South Carolina under the auspices of the Charleston Alcohol Research Center, funded by NIAAA Grant P50 AA10761. The authors express appreciation to Catherine Kelly for her valuable help in data collection, to Wei Wang for assistance in data management, Mary Radin and Patricia K. Latham for assistance in manuscript preparation.

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Affiliations

  1. Charleston Alcohol Research Center, Medical University of South Carolina, 67 President Street, PO Box 250861, Charleston, SC, 29425, USA

    Raymond F. Anton, Konstantin Voronin & Darlene Moak

  2. Moffitt Cancer Center & Research Institute, University of South Florida, Fla., USA

    David J. Drobes

  3. Center for Healthcare Studies, Department of Medicine, Northwestern University Medical School, Evanston, Ill., USA

    Ramon Durazo-Avizu

Authors
  1. Raymond F. Anton
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  2. David J. Drobes
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  3. Konstantin Voronin
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  4. Ramon Durazo-Avizu
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  5. Darlene Moak
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Correspondence to Raymond F. Anton.

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Anton, R.F., Drobes, D.J., Voronin, K. et al. Naltrexone effects on alcohol consumption in a clinical laboratory paradigm: temporal effects of drinking. Psychopharmacology 173, 32–40 (2004). https://doi.org/10.1007/s00213-003-1720-7

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s00213-003-1720-7

Keywords

  • Alcohol
  • Naltrexone
  • Opiate antagonists
  • Bar-lab
  • Stimulation
  • Alcoholism