Episodio hipomaníaco desencadenado por disulfiram en tratamiento de alcoholismo / Hypomanic episode caused by disulfiram in treatment of alcohol dependence

El uso de fármacos aversivos, como el disulfiram, en el tratamiento de la dependencia o abuso al alcohol es un pilar fundamental y existe una amplia evidencia de su eficacia y seguridad, siendo el número de efectos adversos muy escasos, como bien han señalado recientemente B. Oshea o P. A. Sherif. Sin embargo, en una población muy reducida que comparte determinados factores de riesgo se ha observado que su uso puede ser un desencadenante de cuadros psicóticos o maníacos. Se presenta el caso de una mujer de 57 años, con diagnóstico de dependencia de alcohol de más de 6 años de evolución y antecedentes de distimia tratada por la unidad de salud mental durante más de 10 años sin una evolución favorable. Acude a nuestra unidad para tratamiento ambulatorio de deshabituación. Después de realizar durante más de un año tratamiento psicoterapéutico de tipo motivacional y tratamiento farmacológico centrado en la reducción de daños, se optó por el uso de disulfiram con la intención de conseguir un cese total del consumo. Se observó un cuadro hipomaníaco en relación con el consumo de dicho fármaco que revirtió al sustituirlo por carbimida y la instauración de un antipsicótico atípico (AU)

The use of aversive drugs is a mainstay in the treatment of alcohol dependence or abuse, and there is wide evidence of their efficacy and safety, with there being very few adverse effects as has recently been pointed out by B. Oshea or P.A. Sherif. However, it has been observed that their use can trigger psychotic or manic symptoms in a very small population that shares certain risk factors. The case is presented of a 57 year-old woman diagnosed with alcohol dependence of over 6 years onset. She had suffered from dysthymia that was treated in a Mental Health Unit for more than 10 years without favourable progress. She came to our unit for outpatient treatment for addiction. After performing psychotherapeutic motivational therapy and a drug treatment type focused on harm reduction for more than a year, we opted for the use of Disulfiram with intent to complete cessation of consumption. A hypomanic picture was observed in relation to consumption of the drug, which reversed on being replaced with carbimide and the introduction of an atypical antipsychotic (AU)

Impact of involuntary out-patient commitment on reducing hospital services: 2-year follow-up.

Aims and method To evaluate whether involuntary out-patient commitment (OPC) in patients with severe mental disorder reduces their use of hospital services. This is a retrospective case-control study comparing a group of patients on OPC (n = 75) and a control group (n = 75) which was composed of patients whose sociodemographic variables and clinical characteristics were similar to those of the OPC group. Each control case is paired with an OPC case, so the control case must have an involuntary admission in the month that the index OPC case admission occurred. Emergency room visits, admissions and average length of hospital stay over a 2-year follow-up after the initiation of OPC were compared. Results No statistically significant evidence was found in the use of mental healthcare services between the two groups. Different reasons for admission found between the groups limit similarity when comparing the two. Clinical implications The findings cast doubt over the effectiveness of this legal measure to reduce emergency visits, the number of admissions and the length of stay in the hospital.