Calcium carbimide, sold as the
citrate salt under the trade name Temposil, is a
disulfiram-like medication. Its effects are similar to the medication
disulfiram
Disulfiram is a medication used to support the treatment of chronic alcoholism by producing an acute sensitivity to ethanol (drinking alcohol). Disulfiram works by inhibiting the enzyme acetaldehyde dehydrogenase, causing many of the effects of ...
(Antabuse) in that it interferes with the normal metabolism of alcohol by preventing the breakdown of the metabolic byproduct
acetaldehyde
Acetaldehyde (IUPAC systematic name ethanal) is an organic chemical compound with the formula CH3 CHO, sometimes abbreviated by chemists as MeCHO (Me = methyl). It is a colorless liquid or gas, boiling near room temperature. It is one of the mos ...
. The result is that when alcohol is consumed by users of calcium carbimide, they experience severe reactions which include symptoms such as sweating, difficulty breathing, rapid heartbeat, rash, nausea and vomiting, and headache.
A recent 9-year study found that incorporation of supervised carbimide and the similar medication, disulfiram, into a comprehensive treatment program resulted in an abstinence rate of over 50%.
Temposil was developed by Drs. Ken Ferguson and
Gordon Bell, who tested the medication on themselves. It was patented in 1955 by the Alcoholism Research Foundation of Ontario.
See also
*
Acamprosate
References
Alcohol and health
Acetaldehyde dehydrogenase inhibitors
Citrates
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