Effect of naloxone administration upon responses of adrenal hormones to withdrawal from ethanol.

Rats maintained on an ethanol-liquid diet developed physical dependence after 16 days. Activation of adrenocortical function and overactivity of the sympathoadrenal system were observed during withdrawal from ethanol. The opiate antagonist naloxone prevented the adrenomedullary response, and attenuated, though not significantly, the increases in serum corticosterone induced by ethanol deprivation. These findings suggest that endogenous opioid pathways may be involved in the ethanol-withdrawal syndrome.