Disufiram

Date: February 2025, Version 4.0

Quick read

Disulfiram might be prescribed very occasionally during pregnancy to treat alcohol use disorder.

What is it?

Disulfiram (Antabuse®, Esperal®) is a medicine to help people with alcohol use disorder stop drinking. Disulfiram works by causing very unpleasant side effects if a person drinks alcohol while taking it.

Benefits

What are the benefits of taking disulfiram?

Disulfiram treats alcohol use disorder and can prevent the serious health problems that are caused by heavy drinking. In pregnancy, this can include damage to your unborn baby and some pregnancy complications.

For information on Fetal Alcohol Syndrome and other problems caused by heavy drinking in pregnancy, please see the Bump leaflet on Alcohol.

Risks

Are there any risks of taking disulfiram during pregnancy?

Only a small number of pregnant women taking disulfiram have been studied. While no obvious problems have been noted, it is not possible to rule out effects on the baby. Because of this, disulfiram is only used in pregnancy when there is no other way to avoid drinking alcohol and the risks from alcohol are thought to be greater than the possible risks from disulfiram.

Disulfiram will only be prescribed in pregnancy if a doctor is confident that you won’t drink while taking it. This is because mixing alcohol and disulfiram causes symptoms that can be harmful to both you and your baby.

If you are taking disulfiram and find out that you are pregnant, please tell your GP or specialist as soon as possible as they will want to make sure that it is still right for you.

Alternatives

Are there any alternatives to taking disulfiram?

Yes, for most people there are other ways to help with heavy drinking. If you need support to stop drinking in pregnancy please speak to your midwife, GP, or specialist.

No treatment

What if I prefer not to take disulfiram during pregnancy?

Disulfiram can usually be avoided during pregnancy as there are other ways to treat alcohol use disorder. Your doctor will only prescribe medicines when absolutely necessary and will be happy to talk to you about any concerns that you might have.

Will my baby need extra monitoring?

All pregnant women in the UK should be offered a detailed anomaly scan at around 20 weeks of pregnancy as part of their routine antenatal care. No extra monitoring for major birth defects is required following disulfiram use in pregnancy.

Are there any risks to my baby if the father has taken disulfiram?

We would not expect any increased risk to your baby if the father takes disulfiram.

Who can I talk to if I have questions?

If you have any questions regarding the information in this leaflet, please discuss them with your health care provider. They can access more detailed medical and scientific information from www.uktis.org.

How can I help to improve drug safety information for pregnant women in the future?

Our online reporting system (MyBump Portal) allows women who are currently pregnant to create a secure record of their pregnancy, collected through a series of questionnaires. You will be asked to enter information about your health, whether or not you take any medicines, your pregnancy outcome and your child's development. You can update your details at any time during pregnancy or afterwards. This information will help us better understand how medicines affect the health of pregnant women and their babies. Please visit the MyBump Portal to register.

General information
Sadly, miscarriage and birth defects can occur in any pregnancy.

Miscarriage occurs in about 1 in every 5 pregnancies, and 1 in every 40 babies are born with a birth defect. This is called the ‘background risk’ and happens whether medication is taken or not.

Most medicines cross the placenta and reach the baby. For many medications this is not a problem. However, some medicines can affect a baby’s growth and development.

If you take regular medication and are planning to conceive, you should discuss whether your medicine is safe to continue with your doctor/health care team before becoming pregnant. If you have an unplanned pregnancy while taking a medicine, you should tell your doctor as soon as possible.

If a new medicine is suggested for you during pregnancy, please make sure that the person prescribing it knows that you are pregnant. If you have any concerns about a medicine, you can check with your doctor, midwife or pharmacist.

Our Bumps information leaflets provide information about the effects of medicines in pregnancy so that you can decide, together with your healthcare provider, what is best for you and your baby.