Omeprazole, ranitidine, and cimetidine have no effect on peak blood ethanol concentrations, first pass metabolism or area under the time-ethanol curve under 'real-life' drinking conditions

Effect of Food and Dosing Regimen on Safety and Efficacy of Proton Pump Inhibitors Therapy-A Literature Review

Proton pump inhibitors (PPIs) are the first-choice drugs used to prevent and treat acid-related diseases. However, a lack of satisfactory response to the standard PPI dose ("PPI failure") is often reported, especially in patients with gastroesophageal reflux disease. Poor compliance seems to be one of the main causes of PPI failure; hence, it is crucial to gain knowledge on how to properly administer PPIs. In this review, we aimed to evaluate the effect of food, beverages, and dosing regimen on pharmacokinetics and pharmacodynamics of PPIs and to frame recommendations for healthcare professionals to improve both patient's counseling and compliance to treatment with PPIs. A total of 201 papers were identified following a literature search. After full-text evaluation, 64 studies were included in the review. Co-administration of PPIs with a meal may affect both their bioavailability and effectiveness; however, the influence of food depends on the type of drug and its formulation. Except for pantoprazole, PPIs can be administered in the morning or evening; however, morning intake generally provides better daytime control of gastric acidity. In most cases, the choice of the proper schedule of administration should be based on the patient's symptoms and individual dosing preferences.

Pharmacokinetic and pharmacodynamic drug interactions with ethanol (alcohol)

Ethanol (alcohol) is one of the most widely used legal drugs in the world. Ethanol is metabolized by alcohol dehydrogenase (ADH) and the cytochrome P450 (CYP) 2E1 drug-metabolizing enzyme that is also responsible for the biotransformation of xenobiotics and fatty acids. Drugs that inhibit ADH or CYP2E1 are the most likely theoretical compounds that would lead to a clinically significant pharmacokinetic interaction with ethanol, which include only a limited number of drugs. Acute ethanol primarily alters the pharmacokinetics of other drugs by changing the rate and extent of absorption, with more limited effects on clearance. Both acute and chronic ethanol use can cause transient changes to many physiologic responses in different organ systems such as hypotension and impairment of motor and cognitive functions, resulting in both pharmacokinetic and pharmacodynamic interactions. Evaluating drug interactions with long-term use of ethanol is uniquely challenging. Specifically, it is difficult to distinguish between the effects of long-term ethanol use on liver pathology and chronic malnutrition. Ethanol-induced liver disease results in decreased activity of hepatic metabolic enzymes and changes in protein binding. Clinical studies that include patients with chronic alcohol use may be evaluating the effects of mild cirrhosis on liver metabolism, and not just ethanol itself. The definition of chronic alcohol use is very inconsistent, which greatly affects the quality of the data and clinical application of the results. Our study of the literature has shown that a significantly higher volume of clinical studies have focused on the pharmacokinetic interactions of ethanol and other drugs. The data on pharmacodynamic interactions are more limited and future research addressing pharmacodynamic interactions with ethanol, especially regarding the non-central nervous system effects, is much needed.

The medico-legal significance of pharmacokinetic interactions with ethanol

In the UK, the maximal permitted ethanol concentration for driving is 80 mg ethanol/100 mL blood, 35 μg ethanol/100 mL breath or 107 mg ethanol/100 mL urine. Drivers exceeding the prescribed limit face severe penalties, which they are often anxious to avoid, either by acquittal or by putting forward 'special reasons' why they should not be disqualified from driving. One frequently explored defence is that the accused was taking prescribed medication. Defence solicitors often ask the question whether the prescribed medication could have caused significantly altered blood ethanol concentrations. This paper reviews the impact of various medications and how they can influence the blood ethanol concentration. Although many drugs can interact with ethanol at a pharmacodynamic level, causing increased impairment, relatively few drugs interact with ethanol pharmacokinetically leading to significantly altered blood ethanol concentrations.

Is there an interaction between H2-antagonists and alcohol?

H2-antagonists are commonly prescribed drugs and alcohol use is widespread in the community. Any possible interaction may be important because of the frequent co-administration of both drugs and the potential for unexpected impairment of pyschomotor function, in particular, driving skills. Hepatic ADH is the major site of alcohol metabolism. ADH is also found in the stomach, but it is uncertain whether gastric ADH is able to metabolise a significant amount of alcohol in vivo. Significant first-pass metabolism can be demonstrated at lower doses of alcohol, and if alcohol is given after meals. Varying degrees of extraction of alcohol from the portal circulation probably explains the data regarding first pass metabolism rather than gastric metabolism by gastric ADH. H2-receptor antagonists inhibit gastric ADH activity to a variable extent. If gastric metabolism of alcohol is negligible then this inhibition has no relevance. Given the uncertainty regarding a mechanism of interaction, only carefully conducted studies in controlled environments will answer the question. The large inter-subject variability of alcohol absorption means that any study which seeks to determine the effect of an H2-receptor antagonist on ethanol metabolism must have sufficient numbers. A cross-over design, with each subject acting as his own control, is preferable to avoid ascribing an effect to treatment rather than to chance. The alcohol dosing studies are reviewed and the results summarised according to dose of alcohol given. At a dose of 0.15 g/kg of alcohol, four commonly used H2-antagonists may cause a small increase in blood alcohol concentrations in certain conditions. This absolute increase is very small. The magnitude of effect is far less than the effect of taking a meal before alcohol. At doses of 0.3 g/kg and above the majority of evidence favours no interaction between H2-antagonists and alcohol. There is no interaction at doses that would be expected to impair psychomotor skills (above 25 mg/dl). There remains a question regarding the cumulative effect of repeated small doses of alcohol and further studies are required. The relationship between ethanol absorption and gastric emptying raises the possibility that the effects of H2-receptor antagonists observed at very low doses of alcohol may be due to the acceleration of gastric emptying by these drugs. This is an attractive hypothesis that explains many aspects of the debate, but studies of the effect of H2-antagonists on gastric emptying have been conflicting.

Pharmacokinetic interactions between alcohol and other drugs

The frequent use of alcohol (ethanol) together with prescription drugs gives any described pharmacokinetic interaction significant clinical implications. The issue is both the effect of alcohol on the pharmacokinetics of various drugs and also the effect of those drugs on the pharmacokinetics of alcohol. This review discusses these pharmacokinetic interactions but also briefly describes some other effects of alcohol that are clinically relevant to drug prescribing. The use of several different study designs may be required before we can confidently state the presence or absence of any alcohol-drug interaction. Short term administration of alcohol in volunteers is the most common study design but studies of social drinking and prolonged moderate alcohol intake can be important in some situations. Community-based studies may illustrate the clinical relevance of any interaction. Alcohol can affect the pharmacokinetics of drugs by altering gastric emptying or liver metabolism (by inducing cytochrome P450 2E1). Drugs may affect the pharmacokinetics of alcohol by altering gastric emptying and inhibiting gastric alcohol dehydrogenase. The role of gastric alcohol dehydrogenase in the first-pass metabolism of alcohol is reviewed in this article and the arguments for and against any potential interaction between alcohol and H2 receptor antagonists are also discussed. The inhibition of the metabolism of acetaldehyde may cause disulfiram-like reactions. Pharmacodynamic interactions between alcohol and prescription drugs are common, particularly the additive sedative effects with benzodiazepines and also with some of the antihistamine drugs; other interactions may occur with tricyclic antidepressants. Alcohol intake may be a contributing factor to the disease state which is being treated and may complicate treatment because of various pathophysiological effects (e.g. impairment of gluconeogenesis and the risk of hypoglycaemia with oral hypoglycaemic agents). The combination of nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drugs and alcohol intake increases the risk of gastrointestinal haemorrhage.