Disulfiram in severe alcoholism—an open controlled study

Abstract

Background: Disulfiram is used to a great extent in Denmark to treat alcoholism but the evidence is limited. Aim: To study the effect of supervised disulfiram treatment in alcohol dependence. Subjects were recruited from a psychiatric emergency ward following alcohol withdrawal treatment. Methods: A total of n=39 patients were openly randomized to either disulfiram 800 mg twice a week for 26 weeks (n=19) or no disulfiram (n=20). All patients were also treated with cognitive behavioural therapy (CBT) in groups. Results: The rate of abstinence was 20% and 26% in the control and disulfiram group, respectively. This difference was not statistically significant (NS). A trend towards increased mean time to first drink was found in the disulfiram group (96 vs. 76 days in the control group, NS), while fewer patients in this group completed CBT group therapy (41% vs. 67% in the control group, NS). Alcohol-free days were 100 days in both groups (NS). Conclusion: Supervised disulfiram administration did not have any major impact on the treatment outcome.

• Alcoholism
• Cognitive behavioural therapy
• Disulfiram
• Randomization
• Treatment

Acknowledgement

The study received financial support from the following foundations: Trygfonden, Aase og Ejnar Danielsens Fond, The A.P. Møller Foundation for the Advancement of Medical Science. We thank our co-therapists Dr. Jan Vestergaard, dr. Larissa Nielsen, psychologist Nadja Qureshi and nurse Helle Christensen for participating in the study. The work by nurse Nina Eitman and the entire staff from the psychiatric emergency ward is highly appreciated.

Declaration of interest: The authors report no conflicts of interest. The authors alone are responsible for the content and writing of the paper.