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Acute performance-impairing and subject-rated effects of triazolam and temazepam, alone and in combination with ethanol, in humans

Department of Psychiatry and Human Behavior, University of Mississippi Medical Center, North State Street, Jackson, MS, USA; Behavioral Medicine Unit, Division of Preventive Medicine, College of Medicine, The University of Alabama at Birmingham, Birmingham, Alabama, USA

Craig R. Rush

Department of Psychiatry and Human Behavior, University of Mississippi Medical Center, North State Street, Jackson, MS, USA; Department of Behavioral Science, College of Medicine, University of Kentucky, Lexington, KY 40506, USA crush2{at}uky.edu

The acute behavioural effects of triazolam (0.125 and 0.25 mg), temazepam (15 and 30 mg), and placebo, alone and in combination with ethanol (0 and 0.5 g/kg), were assessed in 10 volunteers. Ethanol alone did not impair performance and produced only a few subject-rated drug effects. Triazolam and temazepam alone produced some performance impairment and a few subject-rated drug effects. These effects tended to be dose-dependent and were comparable for the two drugs across the range of doses tested. The triazolam–ethanol and temazepam–ethanol combinations produced robust performance impairment and sedative-like subject-rated drug effects that were similar in magnitude. The findings of the present study suggest that even a moderate amount of ethanol in combination with a clinical dose of triazolam or temazepam can cause performance impairment that might diminish an individual's ability to respond adequately to unexpected demands (e.g. smoke alarms or middle-of-the-night child care).

Key Words: alcohol • benzodiazepines • drug interactions • ethanol • hypnotics and sedatives • performance • subjective effects • temazepam • triazolam

Journal of Psychopharmacology, Vol. 16, No. 1, 23-34 (2002)
DOI: 10.1177/026988110201600102


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