title: Fluvoxamine does not interact with alcohol or potentiate alcohol-related impairment of cognitive function.
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  To assess whether fluvoxamine alters the pharmacokinetics of alcohol or potentiates alcohol-related impairment of cognitive function.
  
  
  METHODS
  The study design required partially "blinded" balanced crossover studies, each involving 12 healthy male volunteers who each received a 40 gm dose of intravenous or oral alcohol after single and multiple doses of 50 mg fluvoxamine. Main outcome measures for pharmacokinetics were venous blood alcohol and plasma fluvoxamine. Main outcome measures for pharmacodynamics were word recall, simple and choice reaction time, number vigilance, memory scanning, and word recognition.
  
  
  RESULTS
  The pharmacokinetics of intravenous alcohol were not affected by concomitant administration of fluvoxamine. Compared with placebo-alcohol, alcohol slightly increased the rate of fluvoxamine absorption, but the area under the plasma concentration-time curve from 0 to 12 hours at steady state was unchanged. As expected, alcohol significantly impaired cognitive function in volunteers. However, fluvoxamine did not potentiate the effects of alcohol and in some instances appeared to reverse the effects or reduce their duration. Fluvoxamine was well tolerated: only mild adverse effects were reported, and none of those required intervention.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  Fluvoxamine does not interact significantly with alcohol or potentiate alcohol-related impairment of cognitive function.
authors.affiliation: Hazleton Medical Research Unit, Leeds, England.
authors.forename: J
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: van Harten
authors.forename: L A
authors.initials: LA
authors.lastname: Stevens
authors.forename: M
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Raghoebar
authors.forename: R L
authors.initials: RL
authors.lastname: Holland
authors.forename: K
authors.initials: K
authors.lastname: Wesnes
authors.forename: A
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Cournot
mesh_terms: D000284:Administration, Oral; D000328:Adult; D003071:Cognition / Q000187:drug effects*; D004305:Dose-Response Relationship, Drug; D004311:Double-Blind Method; D004357:Drug Synergism; D000431:Ethanol / Q000494:pharmacology*; D016666:Fluvoxamine / Q000493:pharmacokinetics / Q000494:pharmacology*; D006801:Humans; D007275:Injections, Intravenous; D008297:Male; D008568:Memory / Q000187:drug effects; D011597:Psychomotor Performance / Q000187:drug effects; D012016:Reference Values
chemical_list: D000431:Ethanol; D016666:Fluvoxamine