The influence of ethanol infusion on the effects of 35% CO2challenge. A study in panic disorder patients and healthy volunteers

Abstract

AbstractAlcohol and panic disorders co-occur at a rate that exceeds chance significantly. Early experimental work suggests that alcoholic subjects, compared to non-alcoholics, are less sensitive to sodium lactate and that alcohol intake reduces the response to a 35% CO2challenge in Panic Disorder patients. The present study documents the direct pharmacological effect of ethanol infusion on CO2induced panic.MethodsAccording to a placebo-controlled, double-blind, randomized, cross-over design 10 drug free panic disorder patients and 16 healthy volunteers underwent a 35% CO2challenge after intravenous infusion of a moderate dose of ethanol on one test day and of placebo on another test day.ResultsCompared to the placebo condition, the effect of the CO2challenge was significantly smaller after ethanol infusion (P= 0.041).DiscussionA moderate dose of ethanol decreased the response to a 35% CO2without inducing pre challenge sedation.ConclusionThe results comfort earlier findings of a direct pharmacological effect of ethanol on panic.