Never administer disulfiram to a patient who is inebriated with alcohol or without the patient’s consent. After consuming alcohol, the patient shouldn’t take disulfiram for at least 12 hours. After stopping disulfiram, a response could last for up to two weeks.

Chronic alcoholism is treated with the drug disulfiram. When even little amounts of alcohol are consumed, undesirable effects result. Common side effects include anxiety, flushing of the face, headaches, nausea, vomiting, chest discomfort, weakness, blurred vision, mental confusion, perspiration, coughing, and a racing heart. After alcohol intake, these effects start to manifest around 10 minutes later and continue for at least an hour. Disulfiram discourages drinking but is not an alcoholic cure.

Ask your doctor or chemist for more details if you’re interested in using this medication for any other conditions.

Disulfiram comes in oral tablet form. One daily dose is recommended. Ask your doctor or chemist to explain any instructions on your prescription label that you do not understand, and carefully follow their instructions. Just as prescribed, take disulfiram. Never take it in quantities or frequencies other than those recommended by your doctor.

In the event that you are unable to swallow the tablets, crush them and combine the drug with water, milk, coffee, tea, soft drinks, or fruit juice.

Before taking disulfiram,

• If you have an allergy to disulfiram or any other medication, tell your doctor and chemist at away.
• Especially amitriptyline (Elavil), anticoagulants (‘blood thinners’) like warfarin (Coumadin), isoniazid, metronidazole (Flagyl), phenytoin (Dilantin), any over-the-counter medications that might contain alcohol, and vitamins, be sure to let your doctor and pharmacist know what prescription and non-prescription medications you are taking.
• Inform your doctor if you have or have ever had thyroid disease, brain injury, epilepsy, diabetes, thyroid disease, kidney disease, or liver disease.
• Inform your doctor if you are expecting, intend to get pregnant, or are nursing a baby. Call your doctor if you become pregnant while taking disulfiram.
• Inform your doctor or dentist that you are taking disulfiram if you are having surgery, including dental surgery.
• You should be aware that this medication might make you sleepy. Until you are certain of how this medication affects you, do not operate machinery or drive a car.

Avoid drinking alcohol while taking disulfiram, for a period of several weeks after stopping the medicine, and while you are taking your initial dose as well as any alcohol-containing medications like cough syrup and wine.

Avoid any alcoholic foods and beverages, vinegars, and sauces.

As soon as you recall, take the missed dose. Skip the missed dose and carry on with your regular dosing plan, nevertheless, if it is almost time for the subsequent dose. Never take two doses at once to make up for missing ones.

Side effects from disulfiram could exist. If any of these symptoms are severe or do not go away, let your doctor know right once:

• Body rash
• Acne
• Light headache
• Drowsiness
• Tiredness
• Impotence
• Tongue taste of metallic or garlic-like flavour

Call your doctor right away if you have any of the following symptoms:

• Extreme fatigue
• Weakness
• Not enough energy
• Decrease in appetite
• Uneasy stomach
• Vomiting
• The colour of your skin or eyes
• Dark faeces

Keep this medication tightly closed in the original container and out of the reach of children. Keep it away from excessive heat and moisture at room temperature (not in the bathroom).

Unused prescriptions must be disposed of carefully to prevent pets, kids, and other people from ingesting them. You should not, however, dispose of this medication in the toilet. Instead, utilising a medicine take-back programme is the easiest approach to get rid of your medication. To find out about take-back programmes in your area, speak with your chemist or the garbage/recycling agency in your city. If you do not have access to a take-back programme, see the FDA’s Safe Disposal of Medications website at http://goo.gl/c4Rm4p for additional information.

All medications should be kept out of the sight and reach of children, as many of the containers (such as weekly pill containers and those for eye drops, lotions, patches, and inhalers) are not child-resistant and are simple for small children to open. Always lock safety caps and put the medication in a secure spot right away, up high and out of young children’s sight and reach, to prevent poisoning. http://www.upandaway.org

Call the poison control hotline at 1-800-222-1222 in the event of an overdose. Moreover, information can be found online at https://www.poisonhelp.org/help. Call 911 right once if the person has collapsed, experienced a seizure, is having difficulty breathing, or cannot be roused.

Keep all of your appointments with your physician and the lab. To monitor how you are responding to disulfiram, your doctor will request a few lab tests.

Always keep a card on you that states that you are taking disulfiram and lists the doctor or facility to contact in case of emergency. Ask your doctor or chemist how to obtain an identification card if you require one.

Avoid touching or inhaling the fumes from paint, paint thinner, varnish, shellac, and other alcohol-containing products. Use cautious while applying alcohol-containing items to your skin (such as rubbing alcohol, colognes, and aftershave lotions). When used with disulfiram, these medications can result in headaches, nausea, localised redness, or itching. Apply a small amount of an alcohol-containing product to a spot on your skin and leave it there for a couple of hours before using it. You can use the product safely if there is no redness, irritation, or adverse effects.

Never allow someone else to take your medication. If you have any queries regarding getting a prescription renewed, ask your chemist.

You should keep a written record of every drug you take, including prescription and nonprescription (over-the-counter) medications, vitamins, minerals, and other dietary supplements. Every time you see a doctor or are admitted to the hospital, you should carry this list with you. Also, it is crucial to have this knowledge on hand in case of emergency.