DISULFIRAM

Disulfiram 250mg, Oral tablet

Caffeine-containing Foods/Beverages

· Severity: Moderate

· Notes for Consumers: Although an interaction is possible, these drugs are often used together. Caffeine-related side effects may occur if your Caffeine intake is too high. Too much Caffeine can cause effects like nausea, nervousness, tremor, palpitations or fast heart rate, or sleeplessness. You may need to limit your Caffeine intake. Common foods and beverages containing caffeine include coffee, teas, colas and chocolate. Many non-prescription drugs, dietary supplements, and diet aids may also contain caffeine.

· Notes for Professionals: Disulfiram has been shown to inhibit caffeine elimination. Caffeine elimination decreased by 30 percent in those patients that were not recovering alcoholics and by 24 percent in those patients that were recovering alcoholics. During disulfiram therapy, patients may need to limit their caffeine intake if nausea, nervousness, tremor, restlessness, palpitations, or insomnia complaints occur. Adverse events were not noted during this pharmacokinetic study; however, the decrease could be significant in some patients, including some patients with cardiovascular disease.

Disulfiram 250mg, Oral tablet

Alcohol

· Severity: Severe

· Notes for Consumers: You should not drink alcoholic beverages or use products or medicines that contain alcohol while taking Disulfiram. When Alcohol is taken by patients receiving Disulfiram, an extremely unpleasant reaction occurs. This reaction includes flushing, throbbing headache, nausea, vomiting, sweating, throbbing in the neck, thirst, and other effects that may last from 30 minutes to several hours.

· Notes for Professionals: Disulfiram is contraindicated for use in patients who are receiving or have recently received alcohol or alcohol-containing preparations. Disulfiram should never be administered until the patient has abstained from alcohol for at least 12 hours. The ingestion of ethanol by patients receiving disulfiram causes an extremely unpleasant reaction ('Antabuse Reaction') that can last from 30 minutes to several hours; however, the intensity and duration are generally dependent upon the disulfiram dosage. Disulfiram administration causes ethanol intolerance by interfering with the hepatic oxidation of acetaldehyde, leading to increased acetaldehyde concentrations. The unpleasant reaction that occurs in patients who ingest ethanol while receiving disulfiram includes a throbbing headache, dyspnea, throbbing in the neck, nausea, copious vomiting, sweating, thirst, chest pain, palpitation, tachycardia, hypotension, blurred vision, vertigo, weakness, anxiety, syncope, and confusion. Typically, the reaction is followed by a deep sleep, but severe reactions include arrhythmias, cardiovascular collapse, esophageal rupture, polyneuritis, or respiratory depression. Fatalities have been reported rarely and usually are associated with administration of larger doses (> 500 mg daily) of disulfiram and ingestion of three or more alcoholic beverages. Certain medications contain a high percentage of ethanol and should not be co-administered with disulfiram and include, but may not be limited to: cyclosporine (parenteral and oral solutions; liquid-filled capsules contain ethanol in lower percentages), oral solutions of ritonavir , Kaletra (lopinavir; ritonavir), oral solutions of Zoloft (sertraline), and Taxol (paclitaxel) injection. Mild reactions have been associated with topical products containing ethanol. However, in other cases, no reactions have occurred from concomitant administration of disulfiram with ear drops, nebulizer solutions, or with small sips of wine.

<b>DISCLAIMER:</b><em> This drug information content is provided for informational purposes only and is not intended to be a substitute for professional medical advice, diagnosis, or treatment. Patients should always consult their physician with any questions regarding a medical condition and to obtain medical advice and treatment. Drug information is sourced from GSDD (Gold Standard Drug Database ) provided by Elsevier.</em>