Lithium effects on adjunctive alcohol consumption in rats

Abstract

Rats receiving chronic administration of lithium chloride (20 mEq/l) in their drinking water were tested for acquisition of adjunctive alcohol (10% v/v) consumption. Contrary to expectations, subjects receiving lithium acquired the adjunctive drinking more rapidly, and under less optimal conditions, than did control subjects. The high death rate in subjects receiving lithium while undergoing a concurrent alcohol withdrawal suggests that particular caution must be observed when lithium is used in the treatment of alcoholics.

Lithium Induced Toxicity in Rats: Blood Serum Chemistry, Antioxidative Enzymes in Red Blood Cells and Histopathological Studies

“…Generally and logically such tissue damages should result in a leak of the studied enzymes from the damaged tissues in the serum but on the contrary the serum enzymes are observed to decrease in the present study. It is well supported by documentary evidences that lithium treatment causes increased water consumption, 41) however, in the present study lithium dissolved in water formed the only source of drinking fluid throughout the exposure period and no fresh water was allowed for consumption. Although actual consumption of water was not observed in the present study, it might be of interest to investigate in a separate study the causes for a decrease in the serum level of ALP, ALT and AST due to lithium exposure in perspective to normal water consumption.…”

Lithium and cognitive enhancement: leave it or take it?

“…Also, it appears to have no effect on the subjective evaluation of the hedonic effects of alcohol in normal subjects (Judd et al 1977a). In animals, there are reports of decreased voluntary alcohol consumption with lithium (Ho and Tsai 1976;Alexander and Alexander 1978), but also of facilitation of adjunctive alcohol drinking, suggesting an increase in the reinforcing value of alcohol (Hines and Henslee 1986;Hines 1986a). Data on lithium effects on morphine intake are also controversial: in humans, it appears to potentiate its euphoric effect (Jasinski et al 1977), but it reportedly decreases intake in morphine-addicted animals (Tomkiewicz and Steinberg 1974).…”

The Feasibility of Effective Psychopharmacological Treatments for Alcoholism

“…Lithium under the right conditions reduces the voluntary alcohol consumption by all rats that have had prolonged pricr experience with alcohol (Sinclair, 1974a(Sinclair, , 1975a(Sinclair, , 1979aTruit & Vaughen, 1976;McCaughran & Corcoran, 1977;Alexander & Alexander, 1978) and probably also that that by mice , but see Nottage et al, 1978. With the schedule-induced polydipsia model of alcohol drinking, however, lithium did not suppress acquisition of adjunctive alcohol consumption, but in fact increased it (Hines & Henslee, 1986). Although lithium is an effective emetic and can cause a conditioned taste aversion for alcohol (Boland & Stern, 1980), control experiments have demonstrated that lithium still suppresses alcohol drinking in rats under conditions in which a conditioned taste aversion could not develop and in which no suppression of saccharin consumption occurred (Sinclair, 1975a).…”

“…K second problem is additive or synergistic effects of lithium and alcohol and an increase in lithium toxicity with both chronic and acute ethanol use (Cooper et al, 1974;Sinclair, 1979a;Ho & Ho, 1978;Hines & Henslee, 1986;Anton et al, 1985;Ostrow et al, 1986;Sharma & Rawat, 1986). It is possible that an increased lithium toxicity in alcoholics is also partially responsible for the poor compliance.…”