Drug name
Antabuse (Disulfiram)
Drug Instruction
This medication is prescribed for helping in the treatment of alcoholism. Please note that this drug cannot be considered as a cure for alcoholism and should be necessarily used in combination with seconding therapy and counseling. This preparate can under no conditions be
used without a person's knowledge.
Intake Instruction
Please make sure to take this medication by mouth, generally one or two tablets daily as prescribed by your health care provider. Tablets can be splintered or mixed with liquid if swallowing makes trouble. Please remember not to take this preparate for at least 12 hours after intake of alcohol. While being on treatment with this medication, it is crucial that you avoid alcohol in all its interpretations: beer, wine, aftershave lotions, colognes, liquid medications and other. Please read labels thoroughly, involving those of nonprescription products, and make sure to inform your pharmacist on the alcohol content if you need more information.
Drug Category and Mechanism
Antabuse performs sensitivity to alcohol which may lead to a highly undesired reaction when the patient under treatment swallows even small amounts of alcohol. Antabuse performs blockage of the oxidation of alcohol at the acetaldehyde stage. During alcohol taking metabolism after Antabuse intake, the density of acetaldehyde occurring in the blood may be levelled to 5 to 10 times higher than that explored while metabolism of the same amount of alcohol alone takes place. Concentration of acetaldehyde in the blood performs a complex of highly undesired symptoms named as the antabuse-alcohol reaction. This reaction, being is balanced to the dosage of both antabuse and alcohol, can keep on as long as alcohol is in the process of metabolism. Antabuse can not occur to impact the rate of alcohol sending away from the body.
Missed Dose
Should you miss a dose of this medicine please take it asap. If you find you have missed the previous dosage when it is almost time for your next dose, you should better skip the missed dose and go back to your regular dosing schedule. Taking double or extra doses at once is not recommended. If more than one dose is missed, please contact your attending medical doctor or health care provider.
Storage
The best conditions to keep the medicine at are to store them room temperature 68 and 77 degrees F (20 and 25 degrees C). The container where the medicine is stored should be tightly closed. It should be also strictly protected from moisture, heat and light.
Safety Precautions
Please inform your health care provider if you have any medical conditions, especially if any of these are applicable to you.
heart problems, liver or kidney disease, psychiatric disorders, diabetes, any allergies. This preparate causes inefficiency to alcohol. Taking alcohol while taking this medication may be the reason for severe side effects that can last from 30 minutes to several hours. It performs an uncommon reaction of flushing, headache, emesis, retching, giddiness, sweating, pounding heart (palpitations), and changes in vision or weariness when even small amounts of alcohol are absorbed. These antabuse-alcohol reactions can happen even up to two weeks after the medication has been stopped. As antabuse can cause drowsiness, please use caution when driving or any dangerous professional requiring alertness. Antabuse can be used only when necessarily needed during pregnancy. Please make sure to consult your health care provider the risks and benefits of medicament using. It is not yet explored whether antabuse is outfalls into breast milk. Please make sure to necessarily tun to your doctor before breast-feeding.
Probable Side Effects
This medication may be the reason for headache, giddiness, impatience, skin rash, acne, changes in vision and other. Please make sure to inform your physician if any of these effects keep on or worsen. Unlikely to occur but report immediately: tingling hands or feet, fatigue, weakness, loss of appetite, nausea, vomiting, strong stomach pains, dark urine, yellowing of the eyes or skin. If you notice other effects not listed above, please immediately contact your doctor or pharmacist.
Extra Information
An important note: This medicine is for you only. Sharing this medicine with others is not recommended.
In case you will be taking this medicine for an extended period of time, make sure to obtain necessary refills before your supply runs out.