Symptoms of Disulfiram-like Reaction
Jun 05, 2019
Source: Cainiu Health
Dr. Li Yuhua
Introduction
When a disulfiram-like reaction occurs, patients may experience headache, dizziness, nausea, vomiting, blurred vision, excessive sweating, hallucinations, confusion, facial flushing, cyanosis of the lips, palpitations, shortness of breath, chest pain, chest tightness, dyspnea, limb weakness, somnolence, and even hypotension, shock, or coma.
Alcohol, also known as ethanol, undergoes a normal metabolic process in the human body: ethanol is first converted into acetaldehyde, then into acetic acid, and finally into water and carbon dioxide, which are excreted from the body.
Disulfiram is an anti-alcohol medication that works by interfering with the normal metabolism of alcohol. When alcohol is consumed after disulfiram administration—even in small amounts—acetaldehyde accumulates, leading to acetaldehyde toxicity and associated symptoms.
Similarly, consuming alcohol—or even topical exposure to alcohol—while taking certain medications such as cephalosporins, metronidazole, or furazolidone interferes with normal alcohol metabolism, causing acetaldehyde accumulation and resulting in toxic symptoms. This phenomenon is therefore termed a “disulfiram-like reaction.” The severity of a disulfiram-like reaction correlates positively with both the dosage of the medication and the amount of alcohol consumed.
Symptoms of a disulfiram-like reaction include headache, dizziness, nausea, vomiting, blurred vision, excessive sweating, hallucinations, confusion, facial flushing, cyanosis of the lips, palpitations, shortness of breath, chest pain, chest tightness, dyspnea, limb weakness, drowsiness, and—in severe cases—hypotension, shock, or coma.
