Serotonergic anti-depressants and ethanol withdrawal syndrome: a reviewAlcohol and Alcoholism Advance Access published online on October 12, 2007
Alcoholism and depression are known to have common neurochemical substrates. The serotonergic system has great importance in both depression and alcoholism-related central mechanisms.
The aim of this review is assessing the reports from our laboratory which is involved in the effects of some anti-depressant agents that interact with the serotonergic system's signs of ethanol withdrawal syndrome in rats. Thus, both effectiveness of antidepressants in ethanol withdrawal and the relationship between the drug's effects and the signs have been investigated here on the same animal model.
Some beneficial effects of fluoxetine, tianeptine, HPE, escitalopram and venlafaxine on ethanol withdrawal signs were observed. Effectiveness ranking of the used anti-depressants was as follows: fluoxetine = tianeptine > HPE > escitalopram > venlafaxine.
Our results suggest that tianeptine and fluoxetine seem to be potent and pharmacologically active agents on ethanol withdrawal syndrome in rats. Thus, these anti-depressants may be useful in treatment of ethanol withdrawal syndrome in patients with alcoholism.
In addition to serotonergic effects, interactions with nitrergic, glutamatergic, and adenosinergic systems may also provide a significant contribution to the beneficial effects of these drugs on ethanol withdrawal syndrome.
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