Acute Interaction of Baclofen in Combination With Alcohol in Heavy Social Drinkers
Suzette M. Evans and , Adam Bisaga

Background
. Alcohol is believed to interact with GABA-ergic neurotransmission in the brain.
. Baclofen, a GABA-B receptor agonist has attracted attention as a potential medication not only for alcoholism but also for other addictive disoreders.
. Preclinical studies have shown that baclofen decreases
1) alcohol withdrawal symptoms
2) acquisition and maintenance of voluntary alcohol consumption
3) alcohol consumption associated with alcohol deprivation
4) alcohol self administration
. Baclofen is also known to have anxiolytic effects and these anxiolytic effects have been hypothesised to reduce alcohol craving and drinking.

Objectives https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vkpz7xFTWJo . the primary goal of the study was to determine the safety of baclofen in combination with alcohol in heavy drinkers by assessing the effects of baclofen on subjective effects, cognitive performances and alcohol craving, alone and in combination with alcohol.

Methodology overview
. 18 non-treatment-seeking heavy social drinkers (mean of 28 drinks per week), who did not meet the criteria for alcohol dependence participated.
. All individuals were tested using a double-blind double-dummy design with six 2-day inpatient phases.
. Baclofen (0, 40, and 80 mg) was administered 2.5 hours before alcohol (1.5 g/l body water or approximately 0.75 g/kg) or placebo beverages.

2.5 hours after drug administration, at the estimated time of peak baclofen blood levels, participants began consuming the study beverages.
.Alcohol or placebo beverages were administered as four 150 ml beverages, spaced 20 minutes apart.
. Breath Alcohol Concentration (BAC) was measured using a breathalyzer before the first beverage and after the initiation of drinking(at 20, 40, 60, 90, 120, 180, 240, 300, and 360 minutes).

Measurements

Physiological measurements
A blood pressure monitor was used for the measurement of heart rate (HR), systolic and diastolic blood pressure (SBP and DBP).
These measures were obtained 60 min before medication was administered, 60 min before drinking (90 after medication), 10 min after each beverage, as well as 90, 120, 180, 240 and 300 min after the initiation of drinking.

Psychological/ Assessment battery measurementsa
Subjective –Effects battery consisted
. alcohol craving scale(ACS) , reflecting intention,desire,anticipation of pleasure and relief from negative effects drinking
. visual analogue scales( VAS) , reflecting mood, drug effects and physical symptoms. The ACS and the VAS were completed 60 min before medication was administered, 90 min after medication and 60, 180 and 300 min after the initiation of drinking

. The Drug Effects Questionnaire (DEQ) consists of a series of 6 questions relating to drug effects . The DEQ was administered 90 and 60 min before drinking and 60, 180 and 300 min after the initiation of drinking.

The Alcohol-Effects Battery
. was completed immediately before the first alcohol administration, 10 minutes after each beverage, every half hour afterwards for the next 4 hours, and 6.5 hours after the completion of drinking.
The battery consisted of the following:

1) The Biphasic Alcohol Effects Scale (BAES) , that provides measures of alcohol’s effects on an 11-point scale from “not at all” (0) to “extremely” (10).
.The BAES contains two subscales measuring stimulant (BAES Stimulant) and sedative (BAES Sedative) effects of alcohol

2) The Brief version of Visual Analog Scales (BVAS) consisted of the following 10 items: stimulated, anxious, high, tired, social, confused, dizzy, difficulty concentrating, nauseous, and mellow.

The Alcohol Effects Battery was administered 60 min before drinking (i.e., 90 min after medication was administered), 10 minutes after each beverage, as well as 120, 180, 240 and 300 min after the initiation of drinking.
Note*: to eliminate difference in