SUBJECTIVE AND CARDIOVASCULAR-RESPONSES TO NICOTINE COMBINED WITH ALCOHOL IN MALE AND FEMALE SMOKERS

Nicotine and alcohol are often consumed concurrently by smokers. Each drug alone produces significant subjective and cardiovascular response s, but the effects of the two drugs in combination have rarely been ex amined. Smokers who were moderate alcohol drinkers (n = 18, 9 males an d 9 females) participated in four-sessions, involving acute administra tion of nicotine/placebo and alcohol/no alcohol. Subjects abstained ov ernight from tobacco and alcohol prior to each session. Nicotine (20 m u g/kg per presentation) or placebo was administered by measured-dose nasal spray every 30 min for 2 h following consumption of diet tonic w ater: with or without alcohol (0.5 g/kg). Subjective (visual analog sc ales, Profile of Mood States, Addiction Research Center Inventory) and cardiovascular (heart rate, systolic and diastolic blood pressure) re sponses were assessed after each nicotine/placebo administration. Nico tine increased head rush, dizzy, and most stimulant effects (i.e. jitt ery, tension, and arousal and decreased fatigue and relaxed), while al cohol increased intoxication, head rush, dizzy, and jittery, with no o ther stimulant effects. Nicotine and alcohol generally produced additi ve subjective and cardiovascular effects when consumed together, altho ugh nicotine attenuated sedating and intoxicating effects of alcohol a lone. Furthermore, there were several interaction effects on subjectiv e measures involving gender. Nicotine plus alcohol tended to attenuate -some subjective effects due to one drug or the other alone in men but enhanced the effects of either alone in women. These findings indicat e that nicotine and alcohol generally have additive subjective and car diovascular effects, but that men and women differentially respond on some subjective measures to the combination of alcohol and nicotine.