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National differences in disulfiram prescribing

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  02 January 2018

Jonathan Chick  and
Colin Brewer
Jonathan Chick*
Affiliation:
University of Edinburgh, Royal Edinburgh Hospital Edinburgh EH10 5HF
Colin Brewer
Affiliation:
The Stapleford Centre, London SW1 9PN
*
∗Correspondence
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Abstract

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Aims and method

To test the impression of wide national differences in the use of deterrent medication in the treatment of alcohol dependence, data showing comparative sales of disulfiram in 13 countries were obtained.

Results

Sales in Britain were lowest, and less than a tenth of those in Denmark. Rates bore no relation to alcohol sales or an index of alcohol-related problems in the 13 countries.

Clinical implications

British doctors may apply a particularly cautious risk/benefit ratio for disulfiram. The disparity may also reflect the predominantly nonmedical approach to treating alcohol dependence in Britain.

Type
Original papers
Information
Psychiatric Bulletin , Volume 23 , Issue 6 , June 1999 , pp. 335 - 339
Creative Commons
Creative Common License - CCCreative Common License - BY
This is an Open Access article, distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution (CC-BY) license (http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/), which permits unrestricted re-use, distribution, and reproduction in any medium, provided the original work is properly cited.
Copyright
Copyright © 1999 The Royal College of Psychiatrists

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