In order to treat alcoholism and other forms of substance abuse, a patient will have to undergo a drug rehab program successfully. Afterward, the patient will need aftercare program to remain drug-free. Along with continuous counseling, further medications may also be required. One of these medicines is disulfiram.
People who take disulfiram are unable to drink alcohol without suffering severely discomforting symptoms. For full effectiveness, users must be fully aware of this consequence of relapse.
Usually, the body metabolizes alcohol into acetaldehyde, and then into acetic acid.
However, the drug treatment disulfiram interferes with the transformation of acetaldehyde into acetic acid, resulting in greater amounts of acetaldehyde in the body after the consumption of alcohol.
A man with high levels of acetaldehyde in his bloodstream would suffer from severely uncomfortable symptoms. These may include chest pains, confusion, hyperventilation, muscle weakness, thirst, dizziness, nausea, and vomiting.
However, if disulfiram is taken in high doses, alcohol use may result in even more life-threatening reactions. Such reactions may include respiratory or heart failure, seizures, and even death.
Research have indicated that disulfiram use helps decrease the amount of alcohol intake during relapse. However, its effectiveness remains questionable regarding its use to prevent relapses. In any case, alcoholics who are supervised while taking disulfiram show better results than those who were unsupervised and thus may not have been fully compliant.
Disulfiram should not be taken by patients who suffer from poor impulse control, mental disorders or any other brain dysfunctions. Absolutely no one should take it without consulting a doctor, and without completely comprehending the possible results.
Categories: Health.
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