Disulfiram in the Management of Alcohol Dependence

Abstract

Disulfiram remains an important option in the long-term treatment for alcohol dependence and has been shown in recent studies to be quite successful in treating patients with alcohol dependence. Although disulfiram’s mechanism of action in alcohol dependence was long thought to be its effects as a psychological deterrent, more recent studies have uncovered potential anti-craving effects as well. Recent studies have emphasized the importance of supervised disulfiram therapy and have stated the potential and unique benefits of disulfiram. The present chapter traces the role of disulfiram in the management of alcohol dependence over the past seven decades and discusses the use of disulfiram across diverse alcohol dependence populations along with the role of monitoring disulfiram therapy. The chapter also reviews certain studies on disulfiram implants and discusses the future research needs for disulfiram in alcohol dependence.