Ak. Singha et al., Sex differences in self-reported and physiological response to oral cocaine and placebo in humans, AM J DRUG A, 26(4), 2000, pp. 643-657
Self-report and physiological data from 27 male and 8 female cocaine-abusin
g volunteers exposed to cocaine (80 mg/70 kg po) and placebo were examined
for sex differences in their responses. Females reported significantly grea
ter baseline ratings on the Pentobarbital-Chlorpromazine-Alcohol Group (PCA
G) (sedation) and Lysergic Acid Diethylamide (LSD) (dysphoria) subscales of
the Addiction Research Center Inventory-Short Form (ARCI) relative to male
s. In addition, females reported significantly greater ratings on the Visua
l Analogs Scales (VAS) Bad Drug Effects and Anxious/Nervous scales relative
to males, regardless of drug. Cocaine produced greater increase in systoli
c blood pressure in males following cocaine, whereas females showed greater
increases following placebo. These results suggest that a placebo control
is necessary to determine sex differences in response to an active drug.