Disulfiram Treatment of Alcoholism a Review

A Prospective Study of Treatment Outcome in Alcohol Depen Dence Syndrome at Rims Hospital , Imphal

“…Older age, lesser duration of drinking, social stability, abstinence in the past, less severe alcohol related problems and better initial level been identified by various research as predicting good outcome. 16 In this study among the pretreatment variables, previous history abstinence, last onset drinking, short duration of drinking and low dependency (Low SADD score) are favouring for better outcome.…”

Disulfiram Implantation in Alcohol Dependency: Influence of Sociodemographic and Clinical Variables on Treatment Response

“…The implantation method was used for the first time in 1955 by Marie (28). Since studies have reported longer durations of abstinence with implantation of disulfiram compared to oral disulfiram, it has been suggested that implantation of disulfiram might be preferable as a maintenance treatment method (8).…”

“…Vomiting, respiratory depression, cardiovascular collapse, arrhythmia, myocardial infarction, acute congestive heart failure, unconsciousness, convulsion, and death may occur in more severe disulfiram-ethanol reactions. The mild and moderate levels of reaction may occur, when the blood alcohol concentration reaches 10 mg/dL and 50 mg/dL, respectively (8). It has been suggested that the development of the disulfiram-ethanol reaction at the initiation of treatment had no effect on treatment response (9).…”

Disulfiram inhibits the in vitro growth of methicillin-resistant staphylococcus aureus

“…A patient who consumes an alcoholic beverage during treatment with DSF will promptly experience the subjectively unpleasant disulfiram-ethanol reaction, which includes palpitations, malaise, flushing, nausea, and vomiting. The molecular basis of this interaction has been ascribed to the noncompetitive inhibition of aldehyde dehydrogenase by DSF, so that the ingestion of ethanol is followed by the accumulation of its first metabolite, acetaldehyde, in toxic quantities (8,10,13,16). However, the disulfiram-ethanol reaction might also be mediated by other enzymes, including dopamine P-hydroxylase (19) and alcohol dehydrogenase (2), which are also inhibited by DSF.…”

“…DSF might have been metabolized by the bacteria to form DDC, which is also an active inhibitor of MRSA growth (26). In addition, DSF and a number of its metabolites might inhibit bacterial growth by the chelation of metallic ions (9) or by the inhibition of enzymes, including aldehyde dehydrogenase (13,16), alcohol dehydrogenase (2), lactate dehydrogenase (15), and dopamine P-hydroxylase (19). Enzymic inhibition by DSF has been ascribed to irreversible disulfide interchange reactions with thiol groups (5).…”