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Disulfiram Therapy in Alcoholism: Patient Compliance Studied with a Urine‐Detection Procedure
Author(s) -
Gordis Enoch,
Peterson Karen
Publication year - 1977
Publication title -
alcoholism: clinical and experimental research
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 1.267
H-Index - 153
eISSN - 1530-0277
pISSN - 0145-6008
DOI - 10.1111/j.1530-0277.1977.tb05874.x
Subject(s) - disulfiram , medicine , placebo , drug , urine , drug compliance , compliance (psychology) , pharmacology , psychology , alternative medicine , social psychology , pathology
SUMMARY A simple urine test to verify disulfiram (Antabuse®) use has been developed. Compliance with disulfiram therapy was determined in 95 consecutive abstinent alcoholic patients in an outpatient clinic. All patients were allegedly taking disulfiram. Twenty percent of them were found not to be using the drug, even though they said they were. Disulfiram is unusual because it is probably the patient's belief that he is taking it that is therapeutic, not the action of the drug. Because of this, it is difficult to incorporate placebo controls and double‐blind procedures into studies of disulfiram efficacy. However, with any research design, no conclusions will be valid if based solely on patients' reports of use.