Subchronic fluoxetine treatment induces a transient potentiation of amphetamine-induced hyperlocomotion: possible pharmacokinetic interaction.

Abstract

The results of the present study show that 5 days of systemic treatment with fluoxetine (5 mg/kg) resulted in an augmented locomotor response to amphetamine (0.5 mg/kg). This augmented response to amphetamine was observed 24 and 48 h, but not 5 days, after the cessation of fluoxetine treatment. Subchronic fluoxetine treatment also produced an increase in the brain concentration of amphetamine when rats were challenged with amphetamine 48 h, but not 5 days, after the cessation of fluoxetine treatment. Thus, the effect of subchronic fluoxetine in augmenting amphetamine-induced hyperactivity was consistent with the effect of subchronic fluoxetine in augmenting the amphetamine concentration in the brain. This pattern of results indicates that subchronic fluoxetine potentiates the response to amphetamine within a limited time-window, and that this potentiating effect is likely to be due to the reduced metabolism of amphetamine via the inhibition of cytochrome P450 by fluoxetine and/or its metabolite norfluoxetine.