HomeLifestyleHealth & FitnessStudy finds possible antidote for party drugs overdose

Study finds possible antidote for party drugs overdose

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A new study, published in Wiley’s Biopharmaceutics & Drug Disposition, says that diclofenac and other nonsteroidal antiinflammatory drugs (NSAIDs) may block the entry of gamma hydroxybutyric acid (a narcolepsy prescription and illicit party drug generally known as GHB) to the brain, lowering the risk of lethal overdose.

The study discovered that taking diclofenac after taking GHB resulted in lower GHB concentrations in the brain and better breathing. The animal model study was published in Biopharmaceutics & Drug Disposition. Previous research by the UB researchers discovered that the NSAIDs ibuprofen and ketoprofen also influenced the mobility of GHB in the body.

GHB has been licenced for a variety of clinical applications, including the treatment of narcolepsy, a persistent sleep disorder, and alcoholism. However, due to its significant potential for abuse as a club and date-rape drug, GHB prescriptions are limited. In excessive doses, the medicine might produce forgetfulness, sleepiness, and slowed breathing. There are no approved antidotes for GHB overdose at this time.

“The therapeutic utility of GHB in the treatment of narcolepsy [as Xyrem] has been overshadowed by its high prevalence of abuse. The abuse of GHB – known as Fantasy, Liquid Ecstasy and G – carries the risk of severe adverse effects including sedation, respiratory depression, hypothermia, coma and death,” says Marilyn Morris, PhD, SUNY Distinguished Professor and chair of the Department of Pharmaceutical Sciences in the UB School of Pharmacy and Pharmaceutical Sciences.

“Current treatment of GHB overdose is limited to supportive care. My laboratory has identified MCT1 inhibitors as a treatment strategy to prevent death after GHB overdoses. In this research, we identified the NSAID diclofenac as a MCT1 inhibitor and demonstrated its effectiveness as a potential antidote for GHB overdose. Also, our findings significantly suggest that diclofenac and other NSAIDs may decrease the effectiveness of Xyrem used in the treatment of narcolepsy.”  

Diclofenac, marketed under the brand name Voltaren, is used to alleviate pain and inflammation. Morris’ lab discovered that some NSAIDs can inhibit drug uptake by monocarboxylate transporters (MCTs), a family of proteins that transport molecules across biological membranes such as the bloodbrain barrier, which protects the brain from toxins and pathogens in the blood while allowing nutrients to pass through.

Morris’ lab is interested in the suppression of MCTs as an antidote because GHB relies on them for transit throughout the body.

The latest study sought to determine the influence diclofenac has on GHB toxicity by analysing the effect of their combination on respiratory depression – the most common cause of mortality after GHB overdose.

Diclofenac was discovered to limit GHB absorption in the brain by MCT1, the only monocarboxylate transporter present at the bloodbrain barrier, leading to a reversal of respiratory depression following GHB overdose.

Image Credit: iStock

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