Possible Interaction: Ethanol and Fluvoxamine

“Similarly, studies of alcohol-dependent human subjects have shown that treatment with 5-HT reuptake inhibitors (i.e. zimeldine, citalopram, fluoxetine, and fluvoxamine ) decreases the desire to drink alcohol and improves symptoms of alcohol-related anxiety and depression in patients who have undergone detoxification.”

“Similarly, studies of alcohol-dependent human subjects have shown that treatment with 5-HT reuptake inhibitors (i.e. zimeldine, citalopram, fluoxetine, and fluvoxamine ) decreases the desire to drink alcohol and improves symptoms of alcohol-related anxiety and depression in patients who have undergone detoxification.”

“ Ethanol and fluvoxamine both inhibited 8-hydroxylation by about 45% and, in combination, the compounds decreased the formation of 1,3-dimethyluric acid by 90%, indicating that CYP1A2 and CYP2E1 are equally important isoforms for the 8-hydroxylation of theophylline.”

“The SSRI, fluvoxamine , decreased responding for ethanol in the HET and WT, but not the KO mice.”

“ Fluvoxamine was less … decreasing ethanol self-administration when food was available concurrently {ED50 [95% confidence limit (CL): 8.2 (6.5–10.3) and 10.7 (7.….4)]} versus when ethanol was available in isolation [ED50: 4.0 (2.7–5.9) and 5.1 (4.3–6.0)].”

“Here, we investigated further the impact that concurrent access to both food and ethanol has on the potency of fluvoxamine.”

“The selective serotonin reuptake inhibitor fluvoxamine reduces responding for ethanol at lower doses than responding for food when each is available in separate components or separate groups of rats.”

“Acute treatment with fluvoxamine reduces responding for ethanol more than responding for food.”

“Finally, in one subject, fluvoxamine nonspecifically disrupted responding for food and ethanol.”

“ Fluvoxamine decreased ethanol-maintained (0.1 ml per dipper presentation, 4-32% w/v ethanol ) behavior at lower doses than the doses needed to decrease food-maintained (2 x 45-mg pellet) behavior.”

“These findings suggest that fluvoxamine has specific actions upon the reinforcing effects of ethanol.”

“Each compound reduced EtOH intake [Minimal Effective Doses (MEDs) 5, 10, 30 and 1 mg/kg for fluoxetine, citalopram, fluvoxamine , and paroxetine, respectively].”

“The majority of the ethanol was consumed during the first hour of availability, and the ethanol intake was significantly reduced by the 5-HT uptake inhibitors, fluoxetine and fluvoxamine.”