`Coergism' is here defined as the combined action of different drugs or chemical substances in a value-free manner. This paper reviews some psychopharmacological work on coergisms between alcohol and other drugs. In 1990, Krüger et al selected, analysed and evaluated many data from various studies of drugs and alcohol, relative to psychological variables. They included only studies fulfilling certain definite criteria. The present paper compares these evaluations with those drawn from the German Rote Liste drug register. Difficulties in generalising data from different studies are shown for the drug ampitryptyline, a frequently prescribed antidepressant. This drug seems to be rather unsuitable for acute studies with a single dose regime. Neuroleptics, tranquilisers and anxiolytics are nonhomogeneous classes of drugs, because of their quite different pharmacodynamic and pharmacokinetic effects. Alcohol can also inhibit drug metabolising systems, and alcohol abusers may develop a metabolic tolerance by increasing drug biotransformations. Because most drugs investigated in drug-ethanol interaction studies are used by patients (prescribed or self-medicated), clinical studies are needed to evaluate the hazardous aspects of combined ethanol-drug intake.
Samenvatting