Citation

Joachim H, Bartscher KH, Rebholz K, Pohl KD. Blutalkohol 1974; 11(4): 253-275.

Copyright

(Copyright © 1974, International Committee on Alcohol, Drugs and Traffic Safety and Bund gegen Alkohol und Drogen im Straßenverkehr, Publisher Steintor Verlag)

DOI

unavailable

PMID

unavailable

Abstract

An interaction between ethanol and isoniazid (INH) has been known for a long time though the exact symptoms and causes of the interaction are as yet unclear. The authors therefore carried out an investigation of the concentration of ethanol and INH in the blood of 13 subjects. Concentrations of potassium, sodium and hematocrit value were estimated. Ethanol was given as brandy (40%) and beer (5%) at a dose level of 0.64 g per kg body weight. The INH dose level was 200 mg 3 times per day with an additional 200 mg at the start of each ethanol test. No great influence on seral INH concentration or elimination was found although the blood ethanol concentrations were slightly disturbed after simultaneous application of INH and beer which in fact led to a higher blood ethanol concentration than that produced by simultaneous INH and brandy. The latter regimen did however produce a reduced hematocrit which may be explained as a net water flow into the blood following disturbance to the blood ethanol equilibrium. In spite of these results, the authors recommend that in a court of law no special judgment should be reserved for cases of INH ethanol application since obvious and clearly recognizable psychological disturbances occur sooner than they do when ethanol alone is consumed.