ATC code N07BB02 (WHO) PubChem CID 6335910 UNII ZLR270912W | CAS Number 8013-88-5 ChemSpider 21106422 Molar mass 288.268 g/mol | |
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AHFS/Drugs.com International Drug Names | ||
Calcium carbimide, sold as the citrate salt under the trade name Temposil, is an alcohol sensitizing agent. Its effects are similar to the drug disulfiram (Antabuse) in that it interferes with the normal metabolism of alcohol by preventing the breakdown of the metabolic byproduct acetaldehyde. 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 drug, 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 drug on themselves. It was patented in 1955 by the Alcoholism Research Foundation of Ontario.