Alcoholism is a disease that affects millions worldwide. In the United States alone 700,000 people are treated daily for it.  Others fall through the cracks and never get the help they need.  This sadly means that millions more including family members, friends and loved ones of alcoholics will continue to suffer as well.  Is there a way to stop this trend that perhaps hasn’t been thought of yet?  Could there be a pharmaceutical solution to the problem?  What if people buy Antabus?  Will that help?

Before we can answer that question, it is important to state that medication alone will not cure alcoholism.  There needs to be both psychotheraputic treatment and motivation.  Contacting Alcoholics Anonymous is still a good first move.  For many, it is the only move they’ll need, because it is possible to break this addiction with counseling.  For others, though, the counseling just isn’t enough.  It may help, but reinforcement is needed.  That’s where medication comes into the picture and when it’s time to go online and buy Antabus.

With most medication, it’s important to know in advance just what the drug does and what negative side-effects, if any, it might produce.  In this case of this medication, all that the drug does is produce negative side-effects.  Essentially, people buy Antabus for the side-effects.

Antabus is absorbed by the gastrointestinal tract.  It is relatively nontoxic on its own, but that changes when someone who has taken it drinks alcohol.  Antabus, or Disulfiram makes the patient highly sensitive to even small quantities of alcohol by blocking its oxydation at the acetaldehyde stage during its metabolism.

This causes flushing, systemic vasodilation, respiratory difficulties, nausea, hypotension while the alcohol is being metabolized.  Essentially, drinking alcohol becomes a highly unpleasant experience.

I cannot stress enough that Antabus alone is not a cure for alcoholism, it’s a physical deterrent to drinking for chronic cases where the psychological message that you don’t have to drink and the encouragement that you can beat the bottle just isn’t enough.

The combination is like a carrot/stick approach, with Antabus acting as a particularly big and jagged stick.

One Response to “Managing Alcoholism With Medication”

1. Yes, You Can Beat Alcoholism With Antabuse! | 247-Pharmacy.com Blog says:

   June 8, 2010 at 4:17 pm

   [...] currently, it is its alcohol dependence efficacy that Antabuse is indicated for.  When you buy Antabuse you are taking a medication that [...]