The influence of ethanol infusion on the effects of 35% CO2 challenge. A study in panic disorder patients and healthy volunteers.

UNLABELLED: Alcohol 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% CO(2) challenge in Panic Disorder patients. The present study documents the direct pharmacological effect of ethanol infusion on CO(2) induced panic.

METHODS

According to a placebo-controlled, double-blind, randomized, cross-over design 10 drug free panic disorder patients and 16 healthy volunteers underwent a 35% CO(2) challenge after intravenous infusion of a moderate dose of ethanol on one test day and of placebo on another test day.

RESULTS

Compared to the placebo condition, the effect of the CO(2) challenge was significantly smaller after ethanol infusion (P = 0.041).

DISCUSSION: A moderate dose of ethanol decreased the response to a 35% CO(2) without inducing pre challenge sedation.

CONCLUSION

The results comfort earlier findings of a direct pharmacological effect of ethanol on panic.