I just read about Anabuse, a drug that is supposed to hinder people with alcohol addictions from drinking. Just wondering anyone experiance good or bad with this drug.

I personally have not used the drug...........I have heard though if you take the drug.. and drink you can / will get violently ill. (throw up).

Donna

many states are no longer giving anabuse because of its dangerous side effects. any type of alcohol consumed or absorbed can make you violently ill. it raises your blood pressure and can cause strokes, even death. this not only means that you can't drink alcohol but you can't use anything with alcohol in it, cologne, aftershave, many cold medicines, etc. you would be surprised how many products contain alcohol. my hubby was on it and ate a certs with retsin( something for your breathe) and it made him terribly sick. it does not effect all people the same way and many say that it has been helpful but personally i wouldn't take the risk.

I had a girlfriend who used it and it was a miracle drug for her. At first she thought she could still drink though and after the first episode of being violently sick to her stomach, that was all it took for her. That was 25yrs ago and I am happy to say she is still sober.

I had a male friend who used it, but he thought that it would stop him from drinking and it didn't of course. Unfortunately, he also had emphysema and died within the year.

All my best to you and yours. Where there is a will there is a way. If one truely wants to stop drinking, this can be an adjunct to stopping, but it will not make you stop drinking if you are determined to drink. Just my opinions.

Thanks for all your thought. I had just heard about this on a TV show last night and had never heard of it before.

I've known one person who it just didn't work with. He continued to drink like a fish and never had so much as an upset stomach. I understand that reaction is unusual, but not unheard of.

Conwife is very right. I have a friend who was in the Navy ( years ago ) and was ordered to take Antabuse as part of his conditions of remaining in the navy.He was also in a alcohol class of some sort on the base.
He drank on it quite heavily one night with me and I was the one who had to call 911 for this young man when he almost within 15 minutes maybe 30 became violently and dangerously ill. He was barely breathing by the time the paramedics arrived. He swore off antabuse because of it. I'm not sure if he ever quit drinking. He was discharged from the Navy however and went back home.

To quit drinking one has to decide to quit and then do what EVER they have to, to stay quit.

Antabuse has the chemical name: Bis (Diethylthiocarbamoyl Disulfide). Antabuse produces a sensitivity to alcohol which results in a highly unpleasant reaction when the individual under treatment ingests alcohol. The mechanism of action is the blockade of the metabolism of alcohol (oxidation). A product of this oxidation is acetaldehyde. If antabuse is taken, the metabolism stops at the point of acetaldehyde production and there will be an increase in the concentration of acetaldehyde 5 - 10 times higher than in normal alcohol metabolism. The accumulation of acetaldehyde produces the "antabuse reaction." This reaction can range from a flush and throbbing in the head and neck to nausea, vomiting, breathing difficulty, chest pain, heart failure and possible death. This medication cannot be given to anyone with a history of severe heart disease, psychosis, allergy to antabuse, pregnancy, paraldehyde use or metronidazole use. It must be used with caution in the patient with a history of diabetes, seizures and liver disease. Antabuse can be of benefit when used in conjunction with a comprehensive treatment program for alcohol dependence.

My kids father is a drunk that could drink and take anabuse and not get sick. that is not is most cases but I really think that if the person is going to take it then they should really want to be sober!!!