ABSTRACT
Alcohol is a sedative at high doses; it also increases the sedative effects of other sedatives (e.g., opioid analgesics or benzodiazepines). A number of drugs are substrates for the cytochrome P450 CYP2E1, the activity of which is induced by alcohol (see Chapter 39 on the basic pharmacokinetics of alcohol). Note that the effect of alcohol is dual: when a person is intoxicated with alcohol, the metabolic elimination of these drugs is
inhibited
. However, in chronic alcohol abusers between binges (i.e., when no or little alcohol is in the body), metabolic elimination of these drugs is
enhanced
. Table 40.1 was compiled from a variety of sources.
