[Alcohol-psychotropic drug interactions]

The problem of ethanol interactions with psychotropic drugs involves various factors whose complex action is examined in this article. Great care should be taken with regard to the alcohol consumption among patients treated with sedatives; the depressive action of ethanol on the central nervous system could be potentiated especially at the beginning of the treatment, as it seems that a certain habituation to the interactions may exist. However, one should be aware that the personality of the patient is perhaps more important to take into account that the consumption of drugs, at least as regards to the factors of risk in traffic accidents. Parallel to the interactions involving the receptors of the central nervous system, metabolic interactions are possible, however more difficult to describe: they affect drugs absorption, their hepatic metabolism and seem to act especially in chronic alcoholism or during barbiturates consumption.