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Drug preference and mood in humans: diazepam
Psychopharmacology
|January 1, 1980
Summary
Most people preferred d-amphetamine over placebo, but 2 mg diazepam was chosen equally with placebo. Higher diazepam doses showed lower preference, suggesting reduced abuse liability for diazepam compared to amphetamine.
Area of Science:
- Psychopharmacology
- Behavioral Neuroscience
Background:
- Understanding drug abuse liability is crucial for public health.
- Benzodiazepines, like diazepam, are commonly prescribed but have potential for misuse.
Purpose of the Study:
- To compare the reinforcing effects and subjective mood changes of d-amphetamine and diazepam in humans.
- To assess the abuse liability of diazepam relative to d-amphetamine and placebo.
Main Methods:
- Ten healthy volunteers participated in a drug choice experiment.
- Subjects chose between d-amphetamine, diazepam (2, 5, 10 mg), and placebo.
- Mood was assessed using the Profile of Mood States (POMS) at multiple time points.
Main Results:
- D-amphetamine was generally preferred over placebo.
- 2 mg diazepam was chosen equally with placebo, while higher doses were less preferred.
- D-amphetamine increased Vigor and Arousal; diazepam decreased Vigor and Arousal, increasing Fatigue and Confusion.
- Diazepam's effects were dose-dependent and most pronounced at 1 hour post-ingestion.
Conclusions:
- Diazepam exhibits a lower abuse liability compared to d-amphetamine in this study.
- Subjective mood effects of diazepam do not appear to drive its reinforcing effects.
- Findings suggest that diazepam's abuse potential may be limited, particularly at lower doses.