An open randomized trial comparing disulfiram and naltrexone in adolescents with alcohol dependence

Abstract

Aims: This study aims to compare the efficacy of disulfiram (DSF) and naltrexone (NTX) for preventing alcoholic relapse in adolescents with alcohol dependence in routine clinical practice.Design: 58 adolescents with alcohol dependence having family members that would encourage medical compliance and would accompany them for follow‐up were randomly allocated to 6 months of treatment with DSF or NTX. Weekly psycho‐education was also provided. The psychiatrist, patient, and family member were aware of the treatment prescribed.Measurements: Alcohol consumption, craving and adverse events were recorded weekly for 3 months and then fortnightly. Serum gamma glutamyl transferase (GGT) was measured at the start and end of the study.Results: At the end of the trial 54 patients were still in contact. Relapse occurred at a mean of 84 days with DSF compared with 51 days for NTX. A total of 79.31% patients on DSF remained abstinent compared with 51.72% with NTX. Patients allocated with NTX however had less craving than the DSF group.Conclusions: DSF was thus found to be superior to NTX in preventing relapse in adolescents with alcohol dependence having good family support. Further comparisons between these drugs along with psychosocial treatments or alone in different settings are warranted.