Failure of naloxone to reduce manic symptoms

Am J Psychiatry. 1980 Dec;137(12):1583-5. doi: 10.1176/ajp.137.12.1583.

Abstract

The authors conducted a double-blind placebo-controlled study in which patients with a wide range of manic symptoms were administered 20 mg of naloxone subcutaneously. Naloxone failed to improve manic severity, activation-arousal, or elation-grandiosity for intervals up to 3 hours. Global nurse ratings of mania did not improve over an 8-hour period. The authors suggest that the question of endorphin involvement in mania has not been resolved and recommend clinical studies with longer acting oral narcotic antagonists such as naltrexone.

MeSH terms

  • Affective Disorders, Psychotic / drug therapy*
  • Bipolar Disorder / drug therapy*
  • Double-Blind Method
  • Humans
  • Naloxone / therapeutic use*
  • Psychotic Disorders / drug therapy

Substances

  • Naloxone