Intravenous Vitamins in Acute Alcoholic Intoxication: Effects on Physiological and Psychological Functions

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Abstract
Summary: Sixteen male volunteer subjects of two different age groups were given placebo or a vitamin B complex preparation intravenously under double‐blind conditions fifteen minutes before a single oral dose of whisky, 2 ml (0.72 g ale) per kg, taken on an empty stomach.The effects were studied over a 5 hr period at 1 hr intervals. The tests comprised subjective mood estimates, reaction time measurements, physiological variables as blood glucose, blood pressure, pulse rate, as well as electrooculographic recordings of positional alcohol nystagmus (PAN) and of roving ocular movements (ROM). The test values were related to blood and urine alcohol levels.The results indicate that the vitamin preparation induced significantly improved performance and reduced subjective intoxication as compared to the values from the placebo plus alcohol condition. These effects were not accompanied by any concomitant changes in blood and urine alcohol level. The beneficial effects of the vitamins seemed to be greater in the younger group. In the other variables studied there were no significant differences between conditions.The findings exclude gross metabolic changes as the explanation of the alcohol‐antagonistic effects of the vitamin preparation, and point to the possibility of CNS mechanisms as the primary site of action.

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