ATTENUATION OF SOME ALCOHOL-INDUCED MOOD CHANGES AND THE DESIRE TO DRINK BY 5-HT(3) RECEPTOR BLOCKADE - A PRELIMINARY-STUDY IN HEALTHY MALE-VOLUNTEERS

We studied the effect of the 5-HT3 receptor antagonist ondansetron (4 mg orally) on some of the psychological effects of a small dose of alc ohol (580 ml of 3.6% alcohol content by volume of lager) in 16 healthy male volunteers using a double-blind placebo controlled, Latin Square cross-over design. Pretreatment with ondansetron significantly attenu ated several of the subjective pleasurable effects of alcohol, and als o decreased the subjective desire to drink. These findings are consist ent with preclinical studies suggesting that the reinforcing propertie s of alcohol may be attenuated by 5-HT3 receptor blockade.