Carbamates And Benzodiazepines Have Different Effects On Detoxified Alcoholics' Sleep Polygraphy

We showed in a previous work that tetrabamate (molecular complex composed of febarbamate, difebarbamate and phenobarbital) induced delta sleep in alcoholics, compared to diazepam. The aim of the present study was to test the hypothesis that the effect of tetrabamate on delta sleep was due to the carbamate part of the drug. We compared the effects of diazepam, tetrabamate, and meprobamate on 32 recently detoxified alcoholic inpatients' sleep polygraphy. Except for sleep duration and wake after sleep onset, tetrabamate and meprobamate groups had a similar polygraphic profile, in contrast to diazepam. Compared to the diazepam group, tetrabamate and meprobamate groups showed a decrease in stage 2 and an increase in stage 4. The effects of tetrabamate and meprobamate on stage 4, compared to diazepam, had comparable amplitudes. We propose the hypothesis that carbamates exert their action on delta sleep through an antagonist effect on 5HT-2 or histamine H1 receptors.