Propranolol effects on acute marihuana intoxication in man

Abstract

To investigate the possible interaction of a beta adrenergic blocking agent and marihuana, six healthy experienced marihuana smokers received the two drugs separately and in combination. Propranolol (120 mg per os) reduced resting HR and BP; there were no changes in performance on tasks designed to test psychomotor speed, attention, memory and learning. Marihuana (10 mg delta9-THC), administered in smoke, induced the typical subjective state ("high") with marked increases in HR, BP and conjunctival injection; it impaired performance on a learning test without significantly affecting attention. Pre-treatment with propranolol blocked effectively the cardiovascular effects of marihuana; it prevented the learning impairment and, to a lesser degree, the characteristic subjective experience.

Care and Feeding of the Endocannabinoid System: A Systematic Review of Potential Clinical Interventions that Upregulate the Endocannabinoid System

“…The beta-adrenergic blocking agent propranolol causes mild sedation, but pretreatment with propranolol blocked cannabis-induced cardiovascular effects and learning impairment in a small clinical trial [118].…”

Central actions of β‐adrenoceptor blocking drugs in man

“…14' Propranolol has been reported to prevent marijuana-induced tachycardia, and it appeared, in addition, to prevent the learning impairment produced by this drug, but this requires confirmation. 142 In a placebo-controlled trial, propranolol was of no value in helping cigarette smokers to stop A single psychotic patient with recurrent life-threatening water intoxication secondary to compulsive water drinking responded well to 1 g of propranolol daily, but it is difficult to be certain whether this reflected an antipsychotic action rather than a specific effect on her drinking b e h a~i 0 r . I~~…”

Cannabinoid modulation of noradrenergic circuits: Implications for psychiatric disorders

“…Taken together, the effects of manipulating the endocannabinoid system and modulating noradrenergic transmission suggest that the two systems may interact or share some common signaling pathways. Consistent with this, a study performed in human subjects revealed that administration of the β-AR blocker, propranolol, before consumption of marijuana prevented cannabinoid-induced cardiovascular effects and prevented cannabinoid-induced learning impairment (Sulkowski et al , 1977). In agreement with this, early anatomical studies using autoradiography have identified moderate CB1r binding and CB1r mRNA in the principal noradrenergic nuclei, the LC and NTS (Herkenham et al , 1991; Mailleux & Vanderhaeghen, 1992; Matsuda et al , 1993; Derbenev et al , 2004; Jelsing et al , 2008).…”