AMPHETAMINE AND FENFLURAMINE SUPPRESS ETHANOL INTAKE IN ETHANOL-DEPENDENT RATS

Alcohol intake or preference for alcohol has been attributed to concom itant dopamine and serotonin dysfunction in rats. Amphetamine and fenf luramine, administered alone, have been shown to reduce food and fluid intake as well as alcohol consumption while acute coadministration of these agents has been shown to suppress audiogenic seizure in rats wi thdrawn from alcohol. The present study was designed to assess the eff ectiveness of chronic amphetamine and fenfluramine coadministration on reducing alcohol intake. Chronic coadministration of amphetamine (2 m g/kg) and fenfluramine (8 mg/kg) reduced alcohol consumption during ch oice trials in both alcohol-dependent and alcohol-nondependent rats wh ile not affecting water intake. These findings indicate that coadminis tration of amphetamine and fenfluramine, a treatment effective in redu cing alcohol withdrawal seizures, also selectively attenuates alcohol consumption. Copyright (C) 1997 Elsevier Science Inc.