Antabuse is available in the United Kingdom through an implant, rather than a pill. Some professionals and patients alike feel as though this method of delivering the medication is better. 

When you have the Antabus implant, you get medication delivered to your body slowly, for 12 months straight. Doctors appreciate this method because it forces their patients to remain compliant. The Disulfiram implant price is also quite comparable to the pill. 

There is no telling when the Antabuse implant might be available in the USA. Right now, people are still only using the Antabus tablets. However, this could change a lot in the years to come.

In order to get a prescription for Antabuse, you have to go to the doctor. This is a drug that is frequently prescribed on an outpatient basis. Please note that you cannot buy Antabus over the counter. It has to be gotten by prescription only. Also, there are no non-prescription Antabus alternatives.

When taking Disulfiram, side effects are common. Remember that this is a powerful drug that must be taken with extreme care. Some Antabus side effects are typical, and should be expected, while others are problematic, and need to be reported. 

Common Antabuse side effects include: 

• Acne, and possibly a skin rash
• A mild headache
• Feeling drowsy or tired
• Having a metallic taste in the mouth
• A lack of interest in sex, or possible impotence 

Serious side effects of Disulfiram include: 

• Signs of an allergic reaction
• Feeling confused
• Exhibiting unusual thoughts or strange behaviors
• Extreme fatigue
• A slow heart rate, or a weak pulse

There are some drugs that should not be taken along with Disulfiram. These can include: 

• Dilantin
• Certain vitamins and minerals
• Blood thinners, such as Coumadin
• Elavil
• Isonizid
• Any medication that could possibly contain alcohol 

When taking Antabuse, patients are strictly instructed not to drink alcohol of any kind. In fact, they must refrain from drinking alcohol for quite some time. The goal of this medication is to make alcohol less attractive, and the drug does a very good job of this. 

It’s so important for you to heed these Disulfiram contraindications. The indications behind Antabuse are strict, and you don’t want to make yourself sick.

People frequently wonder, “I took one Antabuse. Can I drink alcohol?” They may think that because they took less than the usual Disulfiram dosage, the effectiveness will be lower. That’s just not the way this medication works.

Antabuse has a very long half-life. That means that even if you only took a small dose today, yesterday’s Disulfiram dose is still in your body. In fact, even drinking 48 hours after Antabus isn’t recommended. You really need to wait up to 14 days after your last dose of Antabuse to consume alcohol.

Sometimes people will throw caution to the wind, and just go ahead and have a drink. For most people, this only happens one time. This is because drinking on Antabuse produces side effects that are pretty severe. You are likely to experience:

• Intense and frequent vomiting
• A pounding headache
• Severe anxiety
• Sudden chest pain
• Weakness throughout the body
• Feeling confused
• Blurry vision 

When you drink on Antabuse, you feel like you have a terrible hangover after just a little alcohol. This can even be true if you consume alcohol through medication, or through your food. It’s a powerful drug that does not mix well with alcohol at all. This is what makes it so effective for alcoholics.

While there are many people who believe Antabus to be wonderful, there are others who only see it as problematic. One of the reasons for this is that Antabuse does nothing to help with cravings for alcohol. For this reason, some people believe that another drug might be better, such as Naloxone or Naltrexone. Cravings can make it very difficult to stay on the right path with recovery. 

Another problem with Disulfiram is the fact that people need to be compliant when they take it. All too often, people will “forget” to take their medication for weeks at a time. Suddenly, it’s out of their systems, and they just go back to drinking. For this reason, many physicians wonder if Antabuse is really all that effective. As many as 80% of people who use Antabus simply stop taking it. 

Finally, Disulfiram makes people very sensitive to alcohol from any source. They may inadvertently get exposed to alcohol, and suffer from a severe reaction. Patients are instructed to avoid cooking alcohols and products like cough medicine and mouthwash. Any of these can lead to a severe reaction to the alcohol in the products.

Many doctors simply don’t prescribe Antabuse for their patients. A growing number of them feel that it’s not nearly as effective as something like Alcoholics Anonymous. Many doctors would rather have their patients in alcohol rehab than relying on Antabus. They say that it serves more as a crutch than anything else. 

It’s also important to note that the Disulfiram contraindications list is pretty long. Doctors may be deterred from prescribing this drug because they’re nervous about drug interactions. It can also make certain medical problems much worse.