Treatment of the Acute Alcohol Withdrawal State: A Comparison of Four Drugs

A double-blind study of 537 patients evaluated the relative efficacy of four drugs-chlordiazepoxide, chlorpromazine, hydroxyzine, and thiamine-commonly used in treating alcohol withdrawal symptoms, specifically to prevent delirium tremens and convulsions. Of the 55 patients who developed these symptoms, two percent were in the chlordiazepoxide group; the incidence ranged from ten to 16 percent in the other treatment groups. The authors conclude that chlordiazepoxide appears to be the drug of choice among those tested.