Are Alcohol Anti-relapsing and Alcohol Withdrawal Drugs Useful in Cannabinoid Users?

Abstract

Cannabinoids are still classified as illegal psychoactive drugs despite their broad and increasingly acknowledged therapeutic potential. These substances are most famous for their wide recreational use, particularly among young adults to either alter the state of consciousness, intensify pleasure induced by other psychoactive substances or as an alternative to the previously abused drugs. It is important to emphasize that cannabinoids are often taken together with a variety of medications intended for the treatment of alcohol use disorder (AUD) or alcohol withdrawal syndrome (AWS). These medications include disulfiram, acamprosate, and naltrexone. In this paper, we summarize recent advances in the knowledge of possible beneficial effects and interactions between cannabinoids and drugs commonly used for treatment of AUD and AWS either comorbid or existing as a separate disorder.

Clinical analysis of alcoholic pellagra: A single‐center retrospective study

“…2 In addition, ethanol can affect cognition in a number of indirect ways, including withdrawal (alcohol-withdrawal syndrome), hypoglycemia, hepatic failure, and nutritional deficiency, leading to cerebellar degeneration, amblyopia, polyneuropathy, Wernicke's encephalopathy, and pellagra. 3 The additive or even synergistic effects of ethanol toxicity and neurological disorders are associated with Wernicke's encephalopathy and pellagra.…”

“…Although some studies have determined that low‐to‐medium doses of ethanol have neuroprotective effects and can reduce the risk of dementia (including Alzheimer's disease), 1 ethanol is a direct neurotoxin, and long‐term mass abuse can independently cause various neuropathological changes and alcoholic dementia 2 . In addition, ethanol can affect cognition in a number of indirect ways, including withdrawal (alcohol‐withdrawal syndrome), hypoglycemia, hepatic failure, and nutritional deficiency, leading to cerebellar degeneration, amblyopia, polyneuropathy, Wernicke's encephalopathy, and pellagra 3 …”