Interactions between H1-antagonists and opioids: a drug discrimination study

Abstract

We previously demonstrated that combination of opioids, pentazocine and dihydrocodeine, with the histamine H1-receptor antagonists tripelennamine and chlorpheniramine could enhance their rewarding effects in rats. In the present study, the effects of combined treatment with opioids and H1-antagonists on discriminative stimulus effects were examined in rats trained to discriminate between cocaine (10 mg/kg) or morphine (3.0 mg/kg) and saline, since it is believed that discriminative stimulus effects of abused drugs are related to their rewarding effects. Tripelennamine and chlorpheniramine, but not pentazocine or dihydrocodeine, generalized to the discriminative stimulus effects of cocaine. Pentazocine (3.0 mg/kg) and dihydrocodeine (5.6 mg/kg) significantly potentiated the cocaine-like discriminative stimulus effects of low doses of tripelennamine and chlorpheniramine, respectively. On the other hand, pentazocine and dihydrocodeine, but not tripelennamine or chlorpheniramine, generalized to the discriminative stimulus effects of morphine. Neither 1.0 or 3.0 mg/kg tripelennamine nor chlorpheniramine affected the morphine-like discriminative stimulus effects of pentazocine and dihydrocodeine, respectively. These results suggest that the potentiation of the cocaine-like discriminative stimulus effects of H1-antagonists by opioids may be involved in the enhanced rewarding effects of combinations of opioids and H1-antagonists.