Disulfiram doesn't always prevent drinking

Abstract

Alcoholic patients sometimes contend that they can continue to drink while taking disulfiram (Antabuse). It may be true. Evidence of the claim's veracity comes from a study presented at the recent New Orleans meeting of the American Society for Clinical Pharmacology and Therapeutics and subsequently published by J. E. Peachey, MD, head, behavioral pharmacotherapy clinic, clinical institute, Addiction Research Foundation, Toronto (<i>Lancet</i>1981;1:943-944). Peachey and co-workers reported that nonalcoholic paid volunteers who were given disulfiram, then small alcoholic drinks, were able to imbibe additional ethanol without untoward effects. In the double-blind study, 18 volunteers were randomly assigned to receive either disulfiram, 3.5 mg each evening, calcium carbimide (Temposil), 0.7 mg twice a day, or placebo over a 48-hour period. Calcium carbimide is a "sensitizing drug" that is similar to disulfiram but not available in the United States. Twelve hours after the last dose of drug or placebo, the volunteers were