Norfolk and Suffolk NHS Foundation Trust
Pharmacy, Hellesdon Hospital, Norwich, NR6 5BE
http://www.nsft.nhs.uk/
Esther Johnston
01603-421452
esther.johnston@nsft.nhs.uk
How long will the medicine take to work for alcohol dependence?
Before starting it is sometimes a good idea to set out your aims of success in advance and be realistic with these.
We would mention that there is sometimes a danger or risk that switching medicines too quickly means you don't get the best out of one medicine and perhaps then search for the "magic bullet", expecting a miracle. No one develops alcohol dependence in a few days, rather over several or many years, so it is unfair to expect an improvement overnight
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Acamprosate - this should be started as soon as possible after you have stopped drinking alcohol. It will start to have an effect after about a week or so. The effect should build steadily over the next few months.
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Naltrexone - this starts to work in about an hour, the peak is after about an hour and the effect can last for 2-3 days.
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Disulfiram - the effect starts very quickly e.g. within a few hours. Because of this, you should not take disulfiram if you have had alcohol within the last 24 hours, or you may get an unpleasant reaction. The effect can last for up to two weeks after the last dose.
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Thiamine - in Wernicke's Encephalopathy (see question above), thiamine injection (as Pabrinex®) can start to have an effect in a few hours. The tablets are slower to work because not very much is absorbed into the body.
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Vitamin B Compound Strong - some of the effects of vitamin B co strong appear soon after taking it. However, the most important action to help the symptoms of vitamin deficiency may take weeks or even months of regular vitamin B co to become fully effective.
Updated 8.11
Main pharmacy contact points
Chief Pharmacist: Esther Johnston, 01603-421452
Deputy Director and Clinical Pharmacy Manager: John Hunter, tel: 01603-421364.
Consultant Pharmacist: Stephen Bazire 01603-421452.
Norfolk and Suffolk NHS Foundation Trust has several bases in Norfolk and two in Suffolk.
Norfolk and Waveney HQ:
Main Trust switchboard at Hellesdon Hospital in Norwich, tel: 01603-421421
Hellesdon Hospital pharmacy, dispensary and all enquiries, tel: 01603-421212, fax: 01603-421365
Pharmacy office tel: 01603-421319
Medicines Information tel: 01603-421212 (8.30am to 6pm)
Opening hours:
Main pharmacy open Monday to Friday: 8.30-16.30 (open at 9.15 on Wednesdays for staff meeting)
Unthank Road pharmacy tel: 01603-671917 open 9.15-12.00 Monday to Friday, also Tuesday and Wednesday afternoons for dose assessments.
Unthank Road pharmacy tel: 01603-750031 (open Monday-Friday 9.15-12noon)
Suffolk:
Ipswich: Woodlands unit 01473 891700
Main Trust switchboard in Ipswich, tel: 01473 329000 (St Clement's Hospital, due to close later in 2012)
Other enquiries, tel: 01473 329629
Medicines Information tel: Mon-Fri 01473-329141 [please leave a message and we will ring you back] or e-mail medicine.info@nsft.nhs.uk
Bury St Edmunds:
Wedgwood Unit on the West Suffolk Hospital site is 01284 719700
Service objectives:
The pharmacy service to Norfolk and Suffolk NHS Foundation Trust has five main aims:
- Efficient drug distribution and purchasing
- Provision of accurate and independent education and information about medicine therapy to service users and carers
- Information and education for Trust and other professionals, and voluntary helpers
- Clinical activities to help ensure the optimum use of drug therapies
- Medicine management to ensure the most cost-effective use is made of resources
