Possible Interaction: Ethanol and Chlordiazepoxide

“The combination of chlordiazepoxide with alcohol tended to increase the anxiety of the normal subjects.”

“Combined administration of low doses of alcohol (150 and 300 mg/kg) and CDP (2.5 and 5.0 mg/kg) increased attack and threat frequency in the neutral cage to a larger extent than when either drug was given itself.”

“However we cannot rule out the alternative possibility that CDP or its metabolites might interfere with the development of tolerance to and physical dependence on alcohol.”

“In addition, ethanol inhibits the metabolism of chlordiazepoxide and diazepam.”

“As in man, mice exhibit a striking increase in CDP lethality when combined with Etoh.”

“At new moon there is a phase shift of the acrophase when Etoh and CDP are combined.”

“ Ethanol also lowered the plasma binding of chlordiazepoxide from 94.7± 0.6% to 93.4±1.3% (P<0.05).”

“The plasma clearance of unbound chlordiazepoxide fell from 468± 51 ml/min to 264±98 ml/min (P<0.05) after ethanol.”

“Thus using a pharmacokinetic approach this study has demonstrated that short-term ethanol ingestion in moderate doses impairs the elimination of chlordiazepoxide and accounts, at least partly, for the greater sedation that results when ethanol is taken concomitantly.”

“Chan AWK, Lamgun M, Leong FW, et al: Does chronic ethanol confer full cross-tolerance to chlordiazepoxide?”

“Patients in whom chlordiazepoxide is used successfully to subdue the symptoms of withdrawal from alcohol , may experience an abstinence from chlordiazepoxide syndrome when deprived of chlordiazepoxide as long as four weeks after sobriety.”

“ Chlordiazepoxide produced significant decreases in food-maintained responding and the dose of ethanol presented, but only at the highest dose tested.”

“ Chlordiazepoxide led to an increase in ethanol mix responding at 2 mg/kg and a decrease in ethanol mix responding at higher doses; no dose affected sucrose responding.”