Alcohol and Disulfiram interaction
Alcohol and Disulfiram: the Disulfiram prescribing label flag this combination with the strongest language, such as a contraindication, a boxed warning, or an instruction to avoid it.
Do not combine without a prescriber's guidance. The label language below is the strongest FDA uses.
What the FDA labels say
From the Disulfiram label · effective 2026-05-27
WARNING Disulfiram should never be administered to a patient when he is in a state of alcohol intoxication, or without his full knowledge.
CONTRAINDICATIONS Patients who are receiving or have recently received metronidazole, paraldehyde, alcohol, or alcohol-containing preparations, e.g., cough syrups, tonics and the like, should not be given disulfiram.
He should be warned to avoid alcohol in disguised forms, i.e., in sauces, vinegars, cough mixtures, and even in aftershave lotions and back rubs.
The Disulfiram-Alcohol Reaction Disulfiram plus alcohol, even small amounts, produce flushing, throbbing in head and neck, throbbing headache, respiratory difficulty, nausea, copious vomiting, sweating, thirst, chest pain, palpitation, dyspnea, hyperventilation, tachycardia, hypotension, syncope, marked uneasiness, weakness, vertigo, blurred vision, and confusion.
Mild reactions may occur in the sensitive individual when the blood alcohol concentration is increased to as little as 5 mg to 10 mg per 100 mL.
Curated guidance for Alcohol
Can cause a disulfiram-like reaction: flushing, nausea, vomiting, rapid heartbeat, and headache.
Taking more than these two? Interactions stack. Check your whole list at once; it stays in your browser.
Open in the checkerNot medical advice. Interaction Checker quotes FDA label text and NIH fact sheets. Whether an interaction matters for you depends on doses, timing, kidney and liver function, and other conditions. Confirm with a pharmacist or prescriber.