Ethanol as a hypnotic in insomniacs: self administration and effects on sleep and mood.
(1/1949)
The purpose of this study was to assess the effects of low ethanol doses on sleep and mood and to assess its reinforcing effects used as a hypnotic. Twenty healthy adults, aged 21-45 yrs, all moderate social drinkers, were studied: eleven subjects had insomnia and nine were normal sleepers, as documented by clinical polysomnography. On two sampling nights each, ethanol (0.5 g/kg) or placebo was administered before sleep in color-coded cups presented in three doses (0.2, 0.2, and 0.1 g/kg) separated by 15 min. On three subsequent nights subjects chose their preferred presleep beverage (0.2 g/kg ethanol or placebo) based on cup color and were given an opportunity for 3 additional refills (0.2 g/kg each) of the chosen beverage at 15 min intervals, yielding a total possible dose of 0.8 g/kg. Insomniacs chose ethanol 67% of nights and normals 22%. Insomniacs chose significantly more ethanol refills than normals for an average nightly dose of 0.45 g/kg and normals took significantly more placebo refills. On the sampling nights 0.5 g/kg ethanol reduced REM sleep for both groups for the 8-hr sleep period and in insomniacs increased stage 3-4 sleep and reduced stage 1 sleep during the first half of the night to the level seen in the normals. Other sleep variables were not altered in either group or halves of the night. Presleep improvements in the Profile of Mood States tension and concentration factors were also associated with ethanol administration. Thus, acutely, both sleep and mood effects appear to be associated with the reinforcing effects of ethanol as a hypnotic for insomniacs. (+info)
Quantitative prediction of metabolic inhibition of midazolam by itraconazole and ketoconazole in rats: implication of concentrative uptake of inhibitors into liver.
(2/1949)
To evaluate the extent of drug-drug interaction concerning metabolic inhibition in the liver quantitatively, we tried to predict the plasma concentration increasing ratio of midazolam (MDZ) by itraconazole (ITZ) or ketoconazole (KTZ) in rats. MDZ was administered at a dose of 10 mg/kg through the portal vein at 60 min after bolus administration of 20 mg/kg ITZ or during 0.33 mg/h/body of KTZ infusion. The ratio values in the area under the plasma concentration curve of MDZ in the presence of ITZ and KTZ was 2.14 and 1.67, respectively. The liver-unbound concentration to plasma-unbound concentration ratios of ITZ and KTZ were 11 approximately 14 and 1.3, respectively, suggesting a concentrative uptake of both drugs into the liver. ITZ and KTZ competitively inhibited the oxidative metabolism of MDZ in rat liver microsomes, and Ki values of ITZ and KTZ were 0.23 microM and 0.16 microM, respectively. We predicted the ratio values of MDZ in the presence of ITZ and KTZ, using Ki values and unbound concentrations of both drugs in the plasma or liver. The predicted ratio values in the presence of ITZ or KTZ calculated by using unbound concentration in the plasma were 1.03 approximately 1.05 and 1.39, whereas those calculated using unbound concentration in the liver were 1.73 approximately 1.97 and 1.51, respectively, which were very close to the observed ratio values. These findings indicated the necessity to consider the concentrative uptake of inhibitors into the liver for the quantitative prediction of the drug-drug interactions concerning metabolic inhibition in the liver. (+info)
Aldehyde oxidase-dependent marked species difference in hepatic metabolism of the sedative-hypnotic, zaleplon, between monkeys and rats.
(3/1949)
A marked difference in hepatic activity of aldehyde oxidase between rats and monkeys was found to be responsible for the previously reported marked species difference in the metabolism of Zaleplon in vivo. In the postmitochondrial fractions, S-9s, from liver homogenates of these animals, Zaleplon was transformed in the presence of NADPH into the side chain oxidation product, N-desethyl-Zaleplon, and the aromatic ring oxidation product, 5-oxo-Zaleplon. In the rat S-9, N-desethyl-Zaleplon and 5-oxo-Zaleplon were a major and a very minor metabolites, respectively. However, in the monkey S-9, Zaleplon was transformed into 5-oxo-Zaleplon at a much higher rate than that for N-desethyl-Zaleplon formation. N-Desethyl-Zaleplon was formed in the monkey S-9 at a rate almost equal to that in the rat S-9. N-Desethyl-5-oxo-Zaleplon was formed at a minor rate only in the monkey S-9 through N-desethyl-Zaleplon as an obligatory intermediate. The hepatic activity for the formation of 5-oxo-Zaleplon in the monkey and rat was localized in cytosol and did not require NADPH. Sensitivity to various inhibitors and requirement of water as oxygen source, using H218O, strongly suggested that the hepatic cytosolic formation of 5-oxo-Zaleplon was mediated by aldehyde oxidase. N-Desethyl-Zaleplon was formed in the presence of NADPH by microsomes from the liver of rats and monkeys, and its formation was strongly suggested using various cytochrome P-450 inhibitors to be mediated by a number of cytochrome P-450 isoforms, such as 3A, 2C, and 2D subfamilies. (+info)
Psychotropic drug use among women.
(4/1949)
The consistent 2:1 ratio of women to men in the receipt of prescriptions for psychotropic drugs is reflected in the higher rates for women of neurotic illness, symptoms of both physical and mental discomfort, and help-seeking and drug-taking behaviour. Physicians' perceptions of the problems presented by their male and female patients influence their prescribing of these drugs. Recent statistics in Ontario indicate that greater use of physicians' services by women is an inadequate explanation of the higher rate of prescribing of psychotropic drugs to women. A longitudinal study of a large insured population in Ontario showed that almost twice the proportion of females, compared with males, received a prescription for psychotropic drugs in 1970-71 and in 1973-74, a higher proportion of females received multiple prescriptions for each drug class, and males were more likely than females to have received only one prescription in a year. (+info)
Randomised controlled trial of reminders to enhance the impact of audit in general practice on management of patients who use benzodiazepines.
(5/1949)
OBJECTIVE: To determine whether reminder cards in medical records enhance the effectiveness of audit with feedback in improving the care of patients taking long term benzodiazepine drugs. DESIGN: Randomised trial, practices receiving feedback only in one group and practices receiving feedback plus reminder cards in the other group. SETTING: 18 general practices in Leicestershire. SUBJECTS: Random samples of patients who had been taking a benzodiazepine anxiolytic or hypnotic drug for four weeks or longer. MAIN OUTCOME MEASURES: Entries in medical records indicating compliance with five criteria of care: assessment of suitability for withdrawal; being told about dependency; withdrawal being recommended; withdrawal or continuing medication; and a consultation with the general practitioner in the past year. Data were collected before and after feedback or feedback plus reminders. RESULTS: Of a total population of 125,846 registered with the 18 practices, 2409 (1.9%) had been taking a benzodiazepine for four weeks or longer. Of the 742 in the first samples, 543 (73.2%) were women, the mean (SD) age was 68.7 (14.9) years, and they had been taking a benzodiazepine for 10.1 (6.7) years. The number of patients whose care complied with the criteria rose after the interventions to implement change. The increase was greater in practices receiving feedback plus reminders for only two of the five criteria "told about dependency" increasing from 52 (11.1%) to 118 (25.8%) in the feedback only group, and from 27 (10.5%) to 184 (43.0%) in the feedback plus reminders group; odds ratio (OR) 1.46 (95% confidence interval (95% CI) 1.32 to 5.21); and "consulted in the past year" increasing from 434 (93.1%) to 411 (95.8%) in the feedback only group and 255 (96.6%) to 400 (99.8%) in the feedback plus reminders group, OR (95% CI) 13.5 (2.01 to 330.3). CONCLUSIONS: Reminder cards had only a limited effect and cannot be recommended for routine use. There were improvements in the care of patients of both groups of practices and further studies are indicated to determine the impact of both systematically developed criteria and reminders embedded into restructured medical records. (+info)
Outpatient antidepressant utilization in a Dutch sick fund.
(6/1949)
OBJECTIVE: To identify quality improvement opportunities in the management of depression by evaluating patterns of antidepressant use and concurrent use of anxiolytics or sedative/hypnotics among patients who initiated therapy with amitriptyline, fluoxetine, fluvoxamine, or paroxetine. DESIGN: A longitudinal, retrospective study using electronic prescription data from a Dutch sick fund, ZAO Zorgverzekeringen. PATIENTS AND METHODS: The study patients (n = 2,554) initiated therapy between October 1, 1994 and December 31, 1995. Follow-up periods were 6 months (antidepressant use) and 60 days (concurrent anxiolytic and sedative/hypnotic use). RESULTS: The three key findings were as follows: (1) the majority of patients received less than 4 months of therapy (more common for patients receiving amitriptyline); (2) the average daily doses for initial prescriptions for all four study drugs were below the recommended therapeutic minimums for depression (overall and final amitriptyline doses also were consistently low); and (3) the incidence of concurrent anxiolytic and sedative/hypnotic use during days 2-60 after antidepressant therapy initiation was 18.2%. CONCLUSION: The study suggests that patients in this Dutch sick fund were not likely to receive either adequate antidepressant doses or adequate durations of therapy relative to Dutch guidelines for the treatment of depression. These findings are consistent with findings in other Dutch, European, and US studies and may present opportunities for quality improvement. (+info)
Mode of action of ICS 205,930, a novel type of potentiator of responses to glycine in rat spinal neurones.
(7/1949)
The effect of a novel potentiator of glycine responses, ICS 205,930, was studied by whole-cell recordings from spinal neurones, and compared with that of other known potentiators, in an attempt to differentiate their sites of action. The ability of ICS 205,930 (0.2 microM) to potentiate glycine responses persisted in the presence of concentrations of Zn2+ (5-10 microM) that were saturating for the potentiating effect of this ion. Preincubation with 10 microM Zn2+ before application of glycine plus Zn2+ had an inhibitory effect, which did not result from Zn2+ entry into the neurone, since it persisted with either 10 mM internal EGTA or 10 microM internal Zn2+. To test whether the potentiating effects of ICS 205,930 and Zn2+ interact, both compounds were applied without preincubation. The potentiating effect of ICS 205,930 was similar for responses to glycine and for responses to glycine plus Zn2+, provided the concentrations of agonist were adjusted so as to induce control responses of identical amplitudes. ICS 205,930 remained able to potentiate glycine responses in the presence of ethanol (200 mM). ICS 205,930 also retained its potentiating effect in the presence of the anaesthetic propofol (30 90 microM), which strongly potentiated glycine responses but, in contrast with ICS 205,930, also markedly increased the resting conductance. The anticonvulsant chlormethiazole (50-100 microM) neither potentiated glycine responses nor prevented the effect of ICS 205,930, even though it increased the resting conductance and potentiated GABA(A) responses. The mechanism of action of ICS 205,930 appears to be different from those by which Zn2+, propofol or ethanol potentiate glycine responses. (+info)
The effects of detection and treatment on the outcome of major depression in primary care: a naturalistic study in 15 cities.
(8/1949)
BACKGROUND: This study reports the responses of patients with confirmed depressive illnesses to different treatments in the WHO Mental Disorders in General Health Care study, conducted in 15 cities around the world. AIM: To discover how depressions recognized by the doctor compare with unrecognized depressions, both in terms of the initial illnesses and their outcomes, and to compare the outcomes of those depressions treated with antidepressants with those treated with daytime sedatives. METHOD: The design of the study was naturalistic, in that physicians were free to treat patients however they wished. Patients with confirmed depressive illnesses were assigned to four groups: treatment with an antidepressant; treatment with a daytime sedative (usually a benzodiazepine); patients recognized as having depression by the physician but were not offered drug treatment; and patients unrecognized as having depression by their physician. RESULTS: Both groups receiving drugs had illnesses of equal severity, were demographically similar to one another, and had similar previous histories of depression. Those receiving antidepressants had significantly fewer overall symptoms and fewer suicidal thoughts than those treated with sedatives. By the end of one year, differences between the groups had disappeared: patients not given drugs had milder illnesses but did significantly better than those receiving drugs, both in terms of symptoms lost and their diagnostic status. Unrecognized depressions were less severe than recognized depressions, and had a similar course over the year. CONCLUSIONS: Patients receiving antidepressants were better in terms of overall symptoms and suicidal thoughts than those treated with sedatives at three months, but this advantage does not persist. Depression emerges as a chronic disorder at one-year follow-up--about 60% of those treated with drugs, and 50% of the milder depressions, still meet criteria for caseness. The study does not support the view that failure to recognize depression has serious adverse consequences, but, in view of the poor prognosis of depression, measures to improve compliance with treatment would appear to be indicated. (+info)