If someone taking Antabuse consumes alcohol, they will get sick.
The reaction is meant to make a person want to stop drinking alcohol.
Antabuse (disulfiram) is a medicine used to treatalcohol use disorder.
This article will cover how Antabuse treats alcohol use disorder, including what happens if you drink on Antabuse.
How Antabuse Works
When you drink alcohol, your body metabolizes it intoacetaldehyde.
This toxic substance is what causes many of thehangover symptomsthat come on after heavy drinking.
Usually, your body will break acetaldehyde down into a harmless substance called acetic acid.
In 1949, disulfiram became the first FDA-approved treatment for alcohol use disorder.
Antabuse prevents your body from turning acetaldehyde into acetic acid.
What Happens If You Drink Alcohol While on Antabuse?
In general, the symptoms will continue as long as alcohol is in the body.
Who Should Not Take Antabuse?
Antabuse can only be given to someone who is aware and has given their consent for treatment.
The drug should never be given to someone who is intoxicated.
How to Use Antabuse
Antabuse is usually taken as a tablet by mouth.
The tablets are 200 milligrams each, and you may need to take more than one dose per day.
Your provider will tell you how many tablets to take per day.
If you get an upset stomach on disulfiram or Antabuse, try taking it with food.
Does Antabuse Make You Lose Weight?
At least one small-scale study found that taking disulfiram reducedbinge-eating episodes,which could result in weight loss.
How Effective Is Antabuse?
What Antabuse Cant Do
Antabuse is a physical and psychological deterrent to help stop drinking.
The drug does not reduce the person’salcohol cravingsand does not treatalcohol withdrawal symptoms.
Antabuse is not a cure for alcoholism.
The medication only discourages drinking.
For more mental health resources, see ourNational Helpline Database.
If you have the urge to drink while youre on Antabuse, its important to reach out for help.
Center for Substance Abuse Treatment.Chapter 3Disulfiram.
In:Incorporating Alcohol Pharmacotherapies Into Medical Practice.
Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration.
NAMI.Disulfiram (Antabuse).
Caballeria E, Pons-Cabrera MT, Balcells-Olivero M, et al.
“Doctor, can I drink an alcohol-free beer?”
Low-alcohol and alcohol-free drinks in people with heavy drinking or alcohol use disorders: systematic review of the literature.Nutrients.
2022;14(19):3925.
Published 2022 Sep 22. doi:10.3390/nu14193925
NHS.Disulfiram.
Med Safe (NZ).Antabuse.
Stokes M, Abdijadid S.Disulfiram.
In:StatPearls[Internet].
NPS Medicine Wise (AU).Antabuse.
Winslow B, Onysko M, Hebert M.Medications for alcohol use disorder.Am Fam Physician.
2016;93(6):457-465.
2014;9(2):e87366.
Published 2014 Feb 10. doi:10.1371/journal.pone.0087366
NIAA.Coping with urges to drink.
2017;45(7):865-882. doi:10.1111/apt.13965
U. S. National Library of Medicine.Disulfiram.
