Hormones, Drug Interactions, and Substance Use Disorders: Mechanisms, Modulation, and Translational Frontiers

Hormonal systems play a critical yet often underappreciated role in shaping vulnerability to substance use disorders (SUDs), the pharmacodynamics and pharmacokinetics of drugs of abuse, and the physiological and behavioral consequences of chronic substance exposure. Endocrine pathways—including stress hormones, gonadal steroids, metabolic hormones, and neuropeptides—interact dynamically with drugs of abuse to influence reward circuitry, neuroimmune signaling, metabolism, and overall health. At the same time, therapeutic agents for endocrine, psychiatric, or medical conditions can interact with substances of misuse, altering efficacy, toxicity, and addiction risk through complex drug–drug and drug–hormone interactions. Understanding these interactions is essential for developing personalized and more effective prevention and treatment strategies.

This special issue of Advances in Drug and Alcohol Research (ADAR) highlights emerging multidisciplinary and translational research at the intersection of endocrine biology, drug interactions, and substance use disorders. Reflecting ADAR’s mission to integrate molecular, cellular, systems, and clinical approaches—and its commitment to global collaboration—this issue brings together innovations from endocrinology, addiction neuroscience, neuroimmunology, pharmacology, microbiome science, and precision medicine. The goal is to identify mechanistic insights, biomarkers, and therapeutic avenues that can advance our understanding of how hormonal systems shape addiction trajectories and treatment outcomes.

We welcome manuscripts addressing—but not limited to—the following areas:
• Endocrine modulation of addiction vulnerability and progression, including roles of stress hormones (e.g., cortisol), gonadal steroids, thyroid hormones, metabolic hormones (e.g., insulin, leptin), and neuropeptides.

• Drug–hormone and drug–drug interactions influencing the pharmacology, toxicity, or therapeutic response of substances of abuse, including psychostimulants, opioids, alcohol, cannabinoids, hallucinogens, and emerging behavioral addictions.

• Molecular, genomic, proteomic, metabolomic, and microbiome-based insights into hormone–drug interactions and their downstream effects on neural and peripheral systems.

• Neuroimmune, neuroendocrine, and gut–brain axis mechanisms shaping the interplay between hormonal regulation and substance use.

• Sex and gender differences driven by hormonal cycles, endocrine conditions, or life-stage transitions (e.g., puberty, pregnancy, menopause, andropause) in SUD risk, behavior, and treatment outcomes.

• Clinical and translational research examining endocrine dysfunction, hormonal biomarkers, endocrine-targeted pharmacotherapies, and personalized medicine approaches for individuals with SUDs.

• Psychiatric and medical comorbidities (e.g., mood disorders, metabolic syndrome, chronic pain, reproductive disorders) in which hormone–drug interactions intensify disease burden.

• Impact of exogenous hormone use, including contraceptives, hormone replacement therapy, and gender-affirming hormone therapy, on substance use patterns, pharmacology, and health outcomes.

• Public health, harm-reduction, and policy perspectives addressing endocrine-related risk factors and drug interaction–related complications among people with substance use disorders.

Aligned with ADAR’s mission to accelerate scientific discovery through international, multidisciplinary collaboration, this special issue invites contributions from basic scientists, clinicians, and translational researchers worldwide. By advancing our understanding of hormonal influences and drug interaction dynamics, we aim to inform innovative prevention strategies, refine therapeutic approaches, and ultimately improve outcomes for individuals affected by substance use disorders.

Article types and fees

This Special Issue accepts the following article types, unless otherwise specified in the Special Issue description:

• Book Review
• Brief Research Report
• Case Report
• Commentary
• Editorial
• Letter to the Editor
• Mini Review
• Opinion
• Original Research
• ... View all formats

Articles that are accepted for publication by our external editors following rigorous peer review incur a publishing fee charged to Authors, institutions, or funders.

Article types

This Special Issue accepts the following article types, unless otherwise specified in the Special Issue description:

• Book Review
• Brief Research Report
• Case Report
• Commentary
• Editorial
• Letter to the Editor
• Mini Review
• Opinion
• Original Research
• Review

Keywords: Hormones, Drug Interactions, Substance Use Disorders, Endocrine Systems, Neuroendocrinology, Addiction, Neuroimmune Signaling, Microbiome, Sex and Gender Differences, Translational Research, Therapeutics