Drugs to Decrease Alcohol Consumption

To the Editor: In reference to the paper by Sellers et al. in the November 19 issue,* the basic paradigm for the use of disulfiram is not conditioned aversion. With currently accepted methods of disulfiram administration, the successfully treated patient will never have a disulfiram-alcohol reaction...

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Bibliographic Details
Published inThe New England journal of medicine Vol. 306; no. 12; pp. 747 - 748
Format Journal Article
LanguageEnglish
Published United States Massachusetts Medical Society 25.03.1982
Subjects
Alcohol Deterrents - therapeutic use
Alcoholism - rehabilitation
Humans
Lithium - therapeutic use
Placebos
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Summary:To the Editor: In reference to the paper by Sellers et al. in the November 19 issue,* the basic paradigm for the use of disulfiram is not conditioned aversion. With currently accepted methods of disulfiram administration, the successfully treated patient will never have a disulfiram-alcohol reaction. A close analogy to the mode of action of disulfiram is the placebo effect. It is the patient's expectation of a pharmacologic reaction that is in fact the therapeutic effect. This anticipation of an unpleasant experience seems not only to assist many patients in avoiding impulsive drinking but also to facilitate the dismissal of . . . No extract is available for articles shorter than 400 words.
ISSN:0028-4793
1533-4406
DOI:10.1056/NEJM198203253061217