In vitro interaction between psychotropic drugs and alcohol dehydrogenase activity.

A series of CNS-stimulating and -depressant drugs have been studied for their in vitro interaction with horse liver alcohol dehydrogenase (ADH) activity. The depressant drugs studied included barbital, phenobarbital, thiopental, nitrazepam, chlorpromazine, sulpiride, clomethiazole, Li2CO3, diazepam, phenytoin, ethosuximide, morphine, and codeine. The stimulant drugs were theophylline, caffeine, amphetamine, imipramine, chlorimipramine, amitriptyline, and tranylcypromine. The results were as follows. First, ADH activity was inhibited by the action of chlorpromazine, tranylcypromine, imipramine, chlorimipramine, amitriptyline, sulpiride, amphetamine, codeine, ethosuximide, morphine, clomethiazole, nitrazepam, Li2CO3, theophylline, and phenobarbital, in descending order of inhibitory effect. Second, inhibition followed by activation of ADH activity was observed for imipramine and chlorimipramine. Third, activation of ADH activity was observed for phenytoin. Finally, the following drugs were not seen to exert any effect on ADH activity: barbital, thiopental, diazepam, and caffeine.