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What Can Happen If An Alcoholic Is Given Disulfiram?

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Posted on Wed, 27 Aug 2014
Question: What can happen if an alcoholic is given disulfiram without his knowledge and the person keeps trying to drink on it? What breaks down in the body (enzymes?)? Does alcohol then go straight to the brain? And can it cause death/psychosis, etc.? Medically speaking--how does the alcohol affect someone who does not know they are being given it? The doctor says there is no test that can be given to prove the disulfiram is in the body. Why not???? We need a test. How can it it be that there is no test for it???????
doctor
Answered by Dr. Vishal Garala (4 hours later)
Brief Answer:
hii dear it is alcoholic disulfiram reaction

Detailed Answer:
Hello
I admire you for positive outlook
Very glad to see you
It is called alcohol disulfiram reaction

Usually in the body alcoho convert into acetic acid by enzyme alcoho dehydrogenase and further it convert into acetaldehyde by acetaldehyde dehydrogenase

Disulfiram inhibit this enzyme acetaldehyde dehydrogenase and due to that aacumalation of acetic acid occur in our body

Acetic acid is very toxic subastance cause reaction

That include nausea, vomiting, flushing, tachycardia, palpitaion, giddiness etc
some times cause hypotension, shock , coma , death etc


so it is must that without patient's knowledge it can not be given


it is usually given by writen consent

Specific instruction also given not to drink alcohol along with that


Disulfiram will stay in body upto 1 wk so it is unsafe to drink alcohol up to 1 wk after its last dose


Usually there is no any test because it is not necessary and its concentration is very difficult to measure
many drugs are undetectable beacuse we dont have such reagents to test it
Why we should have ?? Because itvis always to be given with information to the patient


It is one of the type of aversion therapy and very useful for chronic alcoholic

Will always here to help you
Feel free
Thank you
Take care
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Above answer was peer-reviewed by : Dr. Yogesh D
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Answered by
Dr.
Dr. Vishal Garala

Psychiatrist

Practicing since :2009

Answered : 1714 Questions

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What Can Happen If An Alcoholic Is Given Disulfiram?

Brief Answer: hii dear it is alcoholic disulfiram reaction Detailed Answer: Hello I admire you for positive outlook Very glad to see you It is called alcohol disulfiram reaction Usually in the body alcoho convert into acetic acid by enzyme alcoho dehydrogenase and further it convert into acetaldehyde by acetaldehyde dehydrogenase Disulfiram inhibit this enzyme acetaldehyde dehydrogenase and due to that aacumalation of acetic acid occur in our body Acetic acid is very toxic subastance cause reaction That include nausea, vomiting, flushing, tachycardia, palpitaion, giddiness etc some times cause hypotension, shock , coma , death etc so it is must that without patient's knowledge it can not be given it is usually given by writen consent Specific instruction also given not to drink alcohol along with that Disulfiram will stay in body upto 1 wk so it is unsafe to drink alcohol up to 1 wk after its last dose Usually there is no any test because it is not necessary and its concentration is very difficult to measure many drugs are undetectable beacuse we dont have such reagents to test it Why we should have ?? Because itvis always to be given with information to the patient It is one of the type of aversion therapy and very useful for chronic alcoholic Will always here to help you Feel free Thank you Take care