DISULFIRAM

Disulfiram 250mg, Oral tablet

Alcohol

· Severity: Severe

· Notes for Consumers: Do not drink alcohol while taking this medication. Do not drink alcohol for 14 days after stopping this medication. Drinking alcohol while taking this medication, or within 14 days after stopping this medication, may cause severe discomfort that may last for hours. Contact your care team right away if you experience facial flushing or redness, severe headache, stomach cramps, nausea, or vomiting.

· Notes for Professionals: Advise patients to avoid alcohol and alcohol-containing products, including food products and topical preparations, while taking disulfiram. Patients should abstain from alcohol for at least 12 hours prior to beginning disulfiram therapy and should continue to avoid alcohol for at least 14 days after their last dose of disulfiram. When alcohol is consumed, disulfiram increases serum acetaldehyde concentrations causing a disulfiram-alcohol reaction that can last from 30 minutes to several hours. Disulfiram-alcohol reactions are extremely unpleasant. Symptom intensity and duration are generally dependent upon the disulfiram dosage and the amount of alcohol ingested. Symptoms may include flushing, throbbing in the head and neck, throbbing headache, respiratory difficulty, nausea, copious vomiting, sweating, thirst, chest pain, palpitation, dyspnea, hyperventilation, tachycardia, hypotension, syncope, marked uneasiness, weakness, vertigo, blurred vision, and confusion. In severe reactions, respiratory depression, cardiovascular collapse, arrhythmias, myocardial infarction, acute congestive heart failure, unconsciousness, convulsions, and death may occur.

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.

<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>