Elimination characteristics of disulfiram over time in five alcoholic volunteers: a preliminary study

Abstract

The elimination of disulfiram and its metabolites for 24 h after disulfiram administration was studied in 5 healthy male alcoholic volunteers. On high-performance liquid chromatography, a single 500-mg dose resulted in a gradual increase in plasma disulfiram and its metabolites, with peak levels generally occurring 8 h after dosing. There was considerable interpatient variability (e.g., in 1 volunteer no disulfiram was detected during the entire 24-h sampling period). Breath carbon disulfide was 9.1% of the dose of disulfiram administered, which is less than that expected theoretically.