Hostname: page-component-6bf8c574d5-xtvcr Total loading time: 0 Render date: 2025-02-22T17:03:55.605Z Has data issue: false hasContentIssue false
  • English
  • Français

Disulfiram Treatment of Alcoholism

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  02 January 2018

Jonathan Chick ,
Kevin Gough ,
Wojciech Falkowski ,
Peter Kershaw ,
Brian Hore ,
Brij Mehta ,
Bruce Ritson ,
Richard Ropner  and
Denis Torley
Jonathan Chick*
Affiliation:
Department of Psychiatry, Edinburgh University, Royal Edinburgh Hospital EH10 5HF
Kevin Gough
Affiliation:
Department of Statistics, Fisons plc Pharmaceutical Division, Bakewell Road, Loughborough LE11 0RH
Wojciech Falkowski
Affiliation:
Department of Psychiatry, St George's Hospital, Blackshaw Rd, London SW17 0QT
Peter Kershaw
Affiliation:
Gartnavel Royal Hospital, 1055 St Western Rd, Glasgow G12 0XH
Brian Hore
Affiliation:
Alcoholism Treatment Unit, Withington Hospital, West Didsbury, Manchester M20 8AL
Brij Mehta
Affiliation:
Rotherham District General Hospital, Moorgate Rd, Rotherham S60 2UD
Bruce Ritson
Affiliation:
Department of Psychiatry, Royal Edinburgh Hospital
Richard Ropner
Affiliation:
Adult Mental Illness and Alcoholism Unit, Coney Hill Hospital, Gloucester
Denis Torley
Affiliation:
Alcohol Problems Clinic, Dykebar Hospital, Paisley, Renfrewshire PA2 7DE
*
∗Correspondence
Get access Rights & Permissions [Opens in a new window]

Abstract

To assess the efficacy of supervised disulfiram as an adjunct to out-patient treatment of alcoholics, a randomised, partially blind, six-month follow-up study was conducted in which 126 patients received 200 mg disulfiram or 100 mg vitamin C under the supervision of a nominated informant. In the opinion of the (blinded) independent assessor, patients on disulfiram increased average total abstinent days by 100 and patients on vitamin C by 69, thus enhancing by one-third this measure of treatment outcome. Mean weekly alcohol consumption was reduced by 162 units with disulfiram, compared with 105 units with vitamin C., and the disulfiram patients reduced their total six-month alcohol consumption by 2572 units compared with an average reduction of 1448 units in the vitamin C group. Serum gamma-GT showed a mean fall of 21 IU/I in patients on disulfiram but rose by a mean of 13 IU/I with vitamin C. Unwanted effects in the disulfiram group led to a dose reduction in seven patients and to treatment withdrawal in four (and in one vitamin C patient). Two-thirds of the disulfiram group asked to continue the treatment at the end of the study. There were no medically serious adverse reactions.

Type
Papers
Information
The British Journal of Psychiatry , Volume 161 , Issue 1 , July 1992 , pp. 84 - 89
Copyright
Copyright © 1992 The Royal College of Psychiatrists 

Access options

Get access to the full version of this content by using one of the access options below. (Log in options will check for institutional or personal access. Content may require purchase if you do not have access.)

References

Azrin, N. H., Sissons, R. W., Meyers, R. et al (1982) Alcoholism treatment by disulfiram and community reinforcement therapy. Journal of Behavior Therapy and Experimental Psychiatry, 13, 105–112.Google Scholar
Bigelow, G., Strickler, D., Liebson, I., et al (1976) Maintaining disulfiram ingestion among out-patient alcoholics: A security-deposit contingency contracting procedure. Behaviour Research and Therapy, 14, 378–381.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Bourne, P. C., Alford, J. A. & Bowcock, J. Z. (1966) Treatment of skid-row alcoholics with disulfiram. Quarterly Journal of Studies on Alcohol, 27, 42–48.Google Scholar
Chick, J., Kreitman, N. & Plant, M. (1981) Mean cell volume and serum gamma glutamyl transpeptidase as markers of alcohol consumption in working men. Lancet, i, 1249–1251.Google Scholar
Chick, J., Ritson, B., Connaughton, J., et al (1988) Advice versus extended treatment for alcoholism: a controlled study. British Journal of Addiction, 83, 159–170.Google Scholar
Edwards, J. & Dill, J. (1974) Alcoholism clinic in a military setting: a combined disulfiram and group therapy outpatient program. Military Medicine, 139, 206–209.Google Scholar
Fuller, R. K., Lee, K. K. & Gordis, E. (1988) Validity of self report in alcoholism treatment: results of a Veterans Administration Cooperative study. Alcoholism, 12, 201–205.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Fuller, R. K. & Roth, H. P. (1979) Disulfiram for the treatment of alcoholism: an evaluation in 128 men. Annals of Internal Medicine, 90, 901–904.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Fuller, R. K., Branchey, L., Briohtwell, D. R., et al (1986) Disulfiram treatment of alcoholism: a Veterans Administration cooperative study. Journal of the American Medical Association, 256, 1449–1455.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Gerrein, J. R., Rosenberg, C. M. & Manohar, V. (1972) Disulfiram maintenance in out-patient treatment of alcoholism. Archives of General Psychiatry, 28, 798–802.Google Scholar
Heather, N. (1989) Disulfiram treatment for alcoholism: deserves re-examination. British Medical Journal, 299, 471–472.Google Scholar
Keane, T. M., Foy, D. W., Nunn, B., et al (1984) Spouse contracting to increase Antabuse compliance in alcoholic veterans. Journal of Clinical Psychology, 40, 340–344.Google Scholar
Mack, G. A. & Skillings, J. H. (1980) A Friedman-type rank test for main effects in a two-factor ANOVA. Journal of the American Statistical Association, 75, 947–951.Google Scholar
O'Farrell, T. J. & Bayog, R. D. (1986) Antabuse contracts for married alcoholics and their spouses: a method to maintain Antabuse ingestion and decrease conflict about drinking. Journal of Substance Abuse and Treatment, 3, 1–8.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Peachey, J. (1988) Alcohol-sensitising drugs. Current Opinion in Psychiatry, 1, 335–340.Google Scholar
Peachey, J. & Naranjo, C. (1983) The use of disulfiram and other alcohol-sensitising drugs in the treatment of alcoholism. In Recent Advances in Alcohol and Drug Problems (eds Israel, Y., Kalant, H., Popham, R. E., et al), pp. 397–431. New York: Plenum Press CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Peachey, J., Annis, H. M., Bornstein, E. R., et al (1989) Calcium carbimide in alcoholism treatment. Part 1: a placebo-controlled, double-blind clinical trial of short-term efficacy. British Journal of Addiction, 84, 877–887.Google Scholar
Robichaud, C., Strickland, D., Bigelow, G., et al (1979) Disulfiram maintenance employee alcoholism treatment: a three-phase evaluation. Behaviour Research and Therapy, 17, 618–621.Google Scholar
Searle, S. R. (1971) Linear Models. New York: Wiley.Google Scholar
Sereny, G., Sharma, V., Holt, J., et al (1986) Mandatory supervised antabuse therapy in an outpatient alcoholism program: a pilot study. Alcoholism, 10, 290–292.Google Scholar
Stockwell, T., Murphy, D. & Hodgson, R. (1983) The Severity of Alcohol Dependence Questionnaire: its use, reliability and validity. British Journal of Addiction, 78, 145–156.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Vaillant, G. E. (1983) Natural History of Alcoholism. Cambridge, MA: Harvard University Press.Google Scholar
Submit a response

eLetters

No eLetters have been published for this article.