Effect of acamprosate and naltrexone, alone or in combination, on ethanol consumption.
Both acamprosate and naltrexone have demonstrated clinical utility in reducing relapse to alcohol use in recovering alcoholics. The present experiments examined the effects of acamprosate and naltrexone, either alone or in combination, on basal ethanol consumption in a limited-access model with the use of outbred Wistar rats. Naltrexone, 0.1 mg/kg, significantly reduced ethanol consumption as previously reported. Acamprosate, 50 mg/kg, did not significantly reduce ethanol consumption when administered alone and provided no evidence of additive or synergistic effects when combined with naltrexone. Acamprosate, 200 mg/kg, produced a modest reduction in ethanol consumption when administered alone but no evidence of additive or synergistic effects when combined with naltrexone. From these findings, it is suggested that a combination approach of these drugs may not be any more effective than monotherapy.
Stromberg
M F
MF
Center For Studies of Addiction, Department of Psychiatry, University of Pennsylvania, 3900 Chestnut Street, 19104, Philadelphia, PA, USA. stromberg@research.trc.upenn.edu
Mackler
S A
SA
Volpicelli
J R
JR
O'Brien
C P
CP
D000077443:Acamprosate; D000427:Alcohol Deterrents / Q000627:therapeutic use*; D000428:Alcohol Drinking / Q000188:drug therapy*; D000818:Animals; D008297:Male; D009271:Naltrexone / Q000627:therapeutic use*; D009292:Narcotic Antagonists / Q000494:pharmacology*; D051381:Rats; D017208:Rats, Wistar; D013654:Taurine / Q000031:analogs & derivatives* / Q000627:therapeutic use*
D000427:Alcohol Deterrents; D009292:Narcotic Antagonists; D013654:Taurine; D009271:Naltrexone; D000077443:Acamprosate