Disulfiram (ANTALCOL, Antabuse) 500mg - 50 tabs

Uses

 This medication is used to help treat alcoholism. This drug is not a cure for alcoholism and must be used in combination with supportive therapy and counseling. This medication must never be used without a person's knowledge.
Notes

• Do not allow anyone else to take this medication.

Storage

• Store at room temperature between 59 and 86 degrees F (between 15 and 30 degrees C) away from moisture and sunlight.
• Do not store in the bathroom.

How To Use

• Take this medication by mouth, usually one or two tablets daily as directed by your doctor.
• Tablets can be crushed or mixed with liquid if swallowing is a problem.
• Do not take this medication for at least 12 hours after drinking alcohol.
• While taking this medication, it is extremely important you avoid alcohol in all forms including beer, wine, aftershave lotions, mouthwash, colognes, liquid medications.
• Read labels carefully, including those of nonprescription products, and ask your pharmacist about the alcohol content if you are uncertain.

Side Effects

• This medication may cause headache, drowsiness, restlessness, skin rash, acne, garlic-like aftertaste, changes in vision.
• Inform your doctor if any of these effects persist or worsen.
• Unlikely to occur but report tingling of hands or feet or jaundice symptoms (e.g., strong stomach pains or nausea, dark urine, yellowing of eyes or skin).
• If you notice other effects not listed above, contact your doctor or pharmacist.

Precautions

• Tell your doctor your medical history, especially of heart, liver or kidney problems; diabetes, psychiatric problems and of any allergies you may have, especially to rubber or pesticides.
• This medication causes an intolerance to alcohol.
• Drinking alcohol while on this medication can cause serious effects that can last from 30 minutes to several hours.
• It produces an unpleasant reaction of flushing, headache, nausea, vomiting, dizziness, sweating, pounding heart (palpitations), blurred vision or weakness when even small amounts of alcohol are ingested.
• These disulfiram-alcohol reactions can occur up to two weeks after the medication has been stopped.
• Because disulfiram can cause drowsiness, use caution when driving or engaging in activities requiring alertness.
• Disulfiram should be used only when clearly needed during pregnancy.
• Discuss the risks and benefits with your doctor.
• It is not known if disulfiram is excreted into breast milk.
• Consult your doctor before breast-feeding.

Missed Dose

• If you miss a dose, take as soon as remembered if it is within 12 hours of the missed dose.
• If it is past 12 hours when you remember, skip the missed dose and resume your usual dosing schedule.
• Do not double the dose to catch up.

Drug Interactions

• Disulfiram can affect the way your body reacts to other drugs.
• Tell your doctor about all the medications you may use (both prescription and nonprescription), especially of amitriptyline, isoniazid, metronidazole, theophylline, phenytoin and warfarin.
• Do not start or stop any medicine without doctor or pharmacist approval.