REINFORCING EFFECTS OF TRIAZOLAM IN SEDATIVE ABUSERS - CORRELATION OFDRUG LIKING AND SELF-ADMINISTRATION MEASURES

Six male subjects with histories of sedative abuse were allowed to ora lly self-administer a maximum of 18 color-coded triazolam and placebo capsules during daily 3-h sessions. The schedule of reinforcement was a signaled fixed-interval 10-min schedule in which triazolam and place bo were concurrently available as mutually exclusive choices. Triazola m was shown to be a reinforcer in four of the six subjects. The two su bjects who did not self-administer triazolam in preference to placebo also had lesser histories of drug dependence. Self-administration of t riazolam (0.125 or 0.25 mg per capsule) was generally stable over 7-10 days. Manipulations of triazolam dose (0.0312-0.25 mg) per capsule in two subjects showed that the number of capsules self-administered was inversely related to capsule dose. Subject ratings of drug liking obt ained from experimenter-administered doses of triazolam were correlate d with self-administration behavior occurring 1-7 days later. Of the s ubject ratings, next day ratings obtained on the day after dosing resu lted in significant correlations whereas same day ratings obtained whi le subjects were under the influence of triazolam did not. These resul ts have important implications for abuse liability prediction and sugg est that next day ratings have greater predictive validity than measur es collected while subjects are under the influence of benzodiazepines .