Epidemiological, clinical, and laboratory evidence has shown a positive correlation between cigarette smoking and ethanol use, and previous studies suggest some commonality in the neural pathways mediating effects of nicotine and ethanol. In this study, the subjective and behavioral interactions among nicotine, ethanol, and the nicotinic antagonist mecamylamine were investigated. The main objectives were to determine how the rewarding effects of nicotine might be modified by ethanol, and to compare the effects of ethanol with those of a nicotinic antagonist (mecamylamine). A total of 48 smokers who regularly consumed alcoholic beverages participated in four laboratory sessions presenting a 2 (nicotine vs. denicotinized cigarette smoke)x2 (10 mg oral mecamylamine hydrochloride vs. placebo)x2 (ethanol.5 g/kg vs. placebo) design, with ethanol as a between-subjects factor. Dependent measures included blood alcohol concentration (BAC), as assessed by breath alcohol detector; subjective drug effects; and rate of ad lib smoking during a 2-hr period. Results showed that peak BAC averaged.03 g/dl in the ethanol condition. Ethanol potentiated some of the subjective rewarding effects of nicotine, including smoking satisfaction, stimulant as well as calming effects, and relief of craving for cigarettes. During the ad lib smoking period, mecamylamine decreased satisfaction associated with the nicotine-containing cigarettes; mecamylamine also induced smoking but only in the placebo ethanol condition. These results highlight the potent interaction between ethanol and nicotinic systems, and suggest that ethanol can potentiate the rewarding effects of nicotine as well as offset some of the effects of a nicotinic antagonist.

The purpose of this study was to assess the effect of bupropion on cytochrome P450 2D6 (CYP2D6) activity. Twenty-one subjects completed this repeated-measures study in which dextromethorphan (30-mg oral dose) was administered to smokers at baseline and after 17 days of treatment with either bupropion sustained-release (150 mg twice daily) or matching placebo. Subjects quit smoking 3 days before the second dextromethorphan administration. To assess CYP2D6 activity, urinary dextromethorphan/dextrorphan metabolic ratios were calculated after an 8-hour urine collection. Thirteen subjects received bupropion, and 8 received placebo. In those receiving active medication, the dextromethorphan/dextrorphan ratio increased significantly at the second assessment relative to the first (0.012 +/- 0.012 vs. 0.418 +/- 0.302; P < 0.0004). No such change was observed in those randomized to placebo (0.009 +/- 0.010 vs. 0.017 +/- 0.015; P = NS). At baseline, all subjects were phenotypically extensive CYP2D6 metabolizers (metabolic ratio <0.3); after treatment, 6 of 13 subjects receiving bupropion, but none of those receiving placebo, had metabolic ratios consistent with poor CYP2D6 metabolizers. Bupropion is therefore a potent inhibitor of CYP2D6 activity, and care should be exercised when initiating or discontinuing bupropion use in patients taking drugs metabolized by CYP2D6.

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Recent clinical reports indicate that combined administration of phentermine and fenfluramine may have useful effects in the treatment of drug abuse. The present study was designed to evaluate the subjective and mood-altering effects of these drugs, alone and in combination, in normal healthy volunteers. Seven male and five female volunteers participated in an eight-session, double-blind study in which each subject received each of the following drug conditions: d-amphetamine (10 and 20 mg), phentermine (30 mg), fenfluramine (40 and 80 mg), phentermine (30 mg) with fenfluramine (40 mg), phentermine (30 mg) with fenfluramine (80 mg), and placebo. Sessions were conducted in a laboratory setting two or three days a week. Subjects completed standardized self-report questionnaires and psychomotor tests before and at regular intervals after each drug administration. Phentermine produced effects that were similar to those of d-amphetamine, whereas fenfluramine produced different and apparently aversive effects (e.g., it increased measures of anxiety and confusion). Phentermine reduced the apparently aversive effects of fenfluramine when the two drugs were given together. These results suggest that the combination of phentermine and fenfluramine would have a low potential for abuse.