The
prototypical drug of this group is
disulfiram (brand name Antabuse), which acts as an
acetaldehyde dehydrogenaseinhibitor, preventing the metabolism of acetaldehyde into
acetic acid, and is used in the treatment of
alcoholism.[1][2] A variety of other drugs cause disulfiram-like reactions upon consumption of alcohol as unintended
drug interactions and
side effects.[1][2] Many disulfiram-like drugs act as inhibitors of acetaldehyde dehydrogenase similarly to disulfiram. However, some do not act via inhibition of this
enzyme, and instead act via other, poorly elucidated
mechanisms.
Unlike acetaldehyde dehydrogenase inhibitors and other disulfiram-like drugs,
alcohol dehydrogenase inhibitors such as
fomepizole (brand name Antizol) inhibit the
metabolism of alcohol into acetaldehyde, thereby increasing and extending the effects of alcohol and reducing its toxicity.[4] As such, they can be thought of as converses of disulfiram-like drugs.[4] Fomepizole is used medically as an
antidote against
methanol and
ethylene glycolpoisoning.[4]
List of agents
Intended
Drugs which cause disulfiram-like reactions upon ingestion of alcohol as an intended effect include:[5]
A number of drugs do not cause disulfiram-like reactions, but have other unintended interactions with alcoholic drinks. For example, alcohol interferes with the efficacy of
erythromycin. Patients on
linezolid and
tedizolid may be sensitive to the
tyramine present in tap beers and red wine.[8]
Natural
Natural compounds and species which have been found to cause disulfiram-like reactions upon ingestion of alcohol include:[11][12]