Acute encephalopathy and polyneuropathy after disulfiram intoxication.

A chronic alcoholic who had ingested a very high dose of disulfiram (29 g over a 1-week period) without simultaneous alcohol intake developed an acute encephalopathy and a severe flaccid tetraparesis that worsened over the course of several days, even after the intake of the drug had stopped. Recovery was both slow and incomplete. One year after intoxication, the patient still had distal weakness in the arms and legs, and hypesthesia in the hands and feet.