Estrogen tied to drug vulnerability.

• Position: Hormones - Medical research - Brief Article

Estrogen may make the brain more vulnerable to addiction, with the effects of heightened susceptibility persisting even in the hormone's absence, according to a University of Michigan, Ann Arbor, study for the National Institute on Drug Abuse. "These new findings suggest that, when it comes to drug use. Women should be extremely cautious, especially younger women who may be experiencing major hormonal swings at just the same time in their lives when many of their peers are first experimenting with nicotine, cocaine, and other addictive substances." Cautions biopsychologist Jill B. Becker.

A series of studies on approximately 200 rats showing that female ones who received estrogen as well as cocaine over a period of three weeks exhibit 20-50% more "sensitization" than either female rats who did not receive estrogen or males. Sensitization was measured by quantifying repetitive movements of the head and forelimbs, and turning in circles. Drug sensitization is thought to cause craving for a drug...