Possible Interaction: Ethanol and Moxalactam

“We conclude that moxalactam pretreatment may induce a disulfiram‐like reaction after ethanol ingestion in some, probably due to inhibition of aldehyde dehydrogenase, and that alcoholic beverages are contraindicated in patients receiving moxalactam.”

“While no consistent moxalactam effect on ethanol or acetaldehyde elimination was observed, two subjects experienced mild disulfiram‐like reactions to ethanol after moxalactam pretreatment.”

“Several reports have described an unpleasant disulfiramlike reaction to alcohol experienced by patients taking cephalosporin antibiotics such as cefamandole (CMD), cefoperazone and moxalactam (1-4).”

“A review is made of the pharmacological, biochemical and chemical aspects of the unpleasant 'Antabuse-like' reaction that may be induced in drinkers of alcohol by pre-treatment with certain beta-lactam antibiotics with a 1-methyltetrazole-5-thiol sidechain (such as moxalactam , cefamandole and cefoperazone).”

“Disulfiram-like reactions are also related to the side chains associated with coagulation defects and have been reported when patients receiving cefoperazone, moxalactam , or ceftriaxone have ingested alcohol.”

“The time course of inhibition of ethanol metabolism by moxalactam appears to differ from that of disulfiram.”

“The interval between pretreatment with moxalactam and administration of ethanol that gave the maximal effect ranged from 3 to 24 hr.”