Esperal is a preparation with disulfiram in the composition. Used for the treatment of chronic alcoholism. The principle of treatment is not to reduce cravings for alcohol or reduce intoxication, but to the incompatibility of disulfiram and ethyl alcohol. As a result, a reaction is launched, in some cases incompatible with life. In order to avoid the deplorable consequences for the patient’s health in such cases, they use an antidote to Esperal.
Composition and release form of Esperal
The drug has in its composition the main active substance - disulfiram. It is incompatible with ethyl alcohol and causes severe intoxication, which in some cases can cause death. It is used as the main drug or as part of complex therapy for chronic alcoholism at any stage.
The drug is produced in the following forms:
- tablets for oral administration (for patients who are willing to accept treatment and have recognized their illness);
- gel in ampoules for coding by “hemming” under the shoulder blade or into the major muscle of the body;
- a solution in ampoules for intravenous administration (used both for voluntary treatment and for coding for a certain period of time).
Indications for use of the drug
Instructions for use with "Esperal" states that the main indication is the treatment of chronic alcoholism. This is a complex social and mental illness that develops for at least five years and often leads to the death of the patient. Of course, a fatal outcome occurs most often from injuries sustained while intoxicated, or from chronic fatal diseases that inevitably develop in every person with an addiction.
There are three stages of alcoholism. The first signs of the disease are the loss of quantitative control. This means that a person cannot stop at a small amount of an alcoholic drink - imperceptibly for himself, he gets drunk to an inadequate state. There is acute intoxication, paralysis of the nervous system. All organs suffer. At the second stage, invisibly for a sick person, binges begin for two to three days. Or, if the patient is socially active, "moderate" daily drinking begins. This process can last for years, but chronic intoxication will certainly make itself felt by the development of diseases of the liver, stomach and pancreas.
Method of using the drug
Instructions for use with "Esperal" states that the drug cannot be secretly added to a person with an alcohol addiction in food or drink. Treatment or coding can only be done with the approval of a sick person. There is even a special agreement that the patient signs before the coding procedure for alcoholism. Thus, he confirms that he is aware of the possible consequences of drinking alcohol after taking Esperal. The antidote is not always obtained on time, but in the end, death can occur.
If a person is aware of the extent of the problem, then it is possible to carry out treatment at home with the help of tablets. In the event of craving for alcohol, the patient will be stopped by the fact that his blood contains disulfiram incompatible with ethyl alcohol.
Analogs and substitutes of the drug
The modern pharmacological market offers the following analogues of the drug, which also include disulfiram (respectively, the same antidote is used):
- "Teturam" - the cheapest version of the drug with disulfiram in the composition, is produced by a domestic pharmacological company, is available only in tablet form;
- "Lidevin" - a German drug, is produced in the form of tablets, the main active ingredient is disulfiram. "Lidevin" contains B vitamins, designed to improve the functioning of the nervous system of a person with alcohol dependence.
Disulfiram reaction: what is it?
The treatment of alcoholism by Esperal still causes controversy among narcologists and psychiatrists. This is not just a “magic pill” for addiction, but a serious drug with many side effects. The patient is forced to stop drinking alcohol while taking the medication. If he does not, a disulfiram reaction awaits him.
What is it and how is it manifested? While metabolites of disulfiram are present in the patient’s blood, ethyl alcohol will cause persistent intoxication, since the liver will not be able to process it. Signs of a disulfiram reaction:
- life-critical increase or decrease in blood pressure;
- lack of air;
- hyperemia of the skin;
- symptoms of a heart attack, pre-infarction condition;
- cerebral edema;
- arrhythmia, angina pectoris;
- cerebral hemorrhage;
- nausea and vomiting, pain in the epigastric region;
- toxic effects on the liver can trigger the onset of fatty degeneration of the organ.
Feasibility of using Esperal in alcoholism
Why do many narcologists have a negative attitude to the idea of ​​treating alcoholism with such methods? Because the rejection of alcohol comes in fear. A person must realize the whole depth of his problem and abandon the poison himself. Only under this condition is it possible to achieve long-term remission. 95% of coded alcoholics "break" in the first year. They either come to the narcologist and ask for an antidote to Esperal, or they violate all coding conditions and drink, despite the threat to life. This is why narcologists are often against the use of coding or the forced use of pills.
How can I remove Esperal from the body? In fact - no way. When taking tablets, you should wait 14 days before removing the residual metabolites of the decomposition of the substance. If the ampoule with the medicine was filed intramuscularly, you should remove it and wait 14 days.
The antidote to Esperal: the nuances of using
There is no antidote capable of neutralizing the action or removing disulfiram from the body. There is a popular belief that ascorbic acid helps, iron preparations are an erroneous opinion, not a single vitamin or mineral can in any way affect the acceleration of disulfiram metabolites from the body.
Most often, an addiction specialist is an aggressive patient who is in a state of withdrawal symptoms. They have a kind of “breaking”: unmotivated aggression, anxiety, psychopathy due to the inability to drink alcohol. In some cases, doctors are threatened. Such patients are not able to adequately perceive reality.
In such a situation, narcologists administer vitamins under the guise of an Esperal antidote. The name is most often not reported to the patient. But there is always a conversation about the inappropriateness of drinking alcoholic beverages.
There is only one substance that can be used indirectly as an antidote to the Esperal gel, the ampoule with which was sewn into the muscle. This is a 1% methylene blue solution.
Indications for use of antidote
The only substance that can be considered as a conditional antidote to Esperal is a 1% solution of methylene blue.
This drug allows you to eliminate the discomfort that occurs when drinking alcohol during the treatment of chronic alcoholism. If a person drank alcohol, despite the fact of the presence of disulfiram in the blood, and he started a reaction, you should call an ambulance as soon as possible and explain the situation. In this case, a 1% solution of methylene blue is administered intravenously. This allows you to partially reduce intoxication and prevent death. Introduced intravenously, the antidote "Esperala" allows for several minutes to achieve normalization of heart rhythm. In some cases, its use can save the patient's life.
Reviews on the use of antidote
Many people have experienced the effects of the drug. Alas, patients with alcohol addiction often relate to their own health with a high proportion of negligence.
Reviews about the antidote to the Esperal gel, which was sewn intramuscularly for prolonged exposure, are positive. Unlucky men and women already two to three days after the coding procedure abuse alcohol and as a result develop a state of acute intoxication. In fear of near death, people call the ambulance. Arriving doctors immediately injected 1% methylene blue solution intravenously.
It is impossible to make such injections yourself for "decoding". The substance does not interrupt the effect of disulfiram, but only mitigates the effects of its reaction with ethyl alcohol.
The problem of alcoholism in our society
Alcohol addiction is more difficult to treat than drug addiction, as it is socially encouraged. From an early age, a child observes alcoholic traditions in his family. drinking alcohol is associated with a holiday.
In our country, about 65% of mature men and 37% of women suffer from chronic alcoholism - this is unofficial preliminary data. People are in no hurry to consult a doctor, since they believe that they are doing well with their health. the result is a decrease in the age of mortality and an increase in the proportion of liver diseases among the working population.