Home › Cheat Sheets › Pharmacological Therapies

Disulfiram and Aversion Therapy — NCLEX Cheat Sheet

Alcohol becomes a violent illness
🔖 Save
👤 By the CinnaRN Clinical Content Team 🕐 Updated 2026-08-31 🏷️ Pharmacological Therapies 🔖 Free to read, print, and share
💡

Use this quick-reference guide to spot, treat, and prevent Disulfiram and Aversion Therapy on the NCLEX. Keep it handy during review and on exam day!

🩺

📒 The 1-minute cheat sheet

✅ How It Works

  • Blocks alcohol metabolism → acetaldehyde builds up
  • Two weeks to take effect, two weeks to clear

✅ The Reaction

  • Flushing, throbbing headache, vomiting
  • Tachycardia, hypotension, sweating
  • Can progress to collapse

🎓 Hidden Alcohol — Teach All Of It

  • Mouthwash · aftershave · cologne · perfume
  • Hand sanitiser · insect repellent
  • Anything ending in ‘elixir’
  • Unbaked icing (vanilla extract)
  • Cooked-off alcohol is safe — e.g. red wine vinaigrette
✨

Quick Tip

Focus on the highlighted numbers and the red-flag items — those are what the NCLEX tests most on disulfiram and aversion therapy.

📖 Related Topics

Digoxin ToxicityHeparin TherapyWarfarin TherapyAcetaminophen Poisoning in Children
Was this helpful? ✎ Suggest an edit

Master Disulfiram and Aversion Therapy with practice, not just reading

4,000+ NCLEX-style questions with rationales, 51 interactive NGN cases, and an AI tutor — free every day, no card needed.

Practice Pharmacological Therapies questions free →
Download on theApp Store GET IT ONGoogle Play USE IT ON YOURLaptop · Web

One account — your progress syncs across phone, tablet & laptop.

Related Pharmacological Therapies cheat sheets

Digoxin ToxicityDig level > 2.0 ng/mL Heparin TherapyMonitor aPTT, antidote protamine Warfarin TherapyMonitor INR, antidote vit K Acetaminophen Poisoning in ChildrenAntidote = N-acetylcysteine Serotonin SyndromeToo much serotonin = hyperthermia Neuroleptic Malignant SyndromeAntipsychotic emergency: lead-pipe rigidity Tardive DyskinesiaLate involuntary movements, often irreversible Lithium ToxicityToxic > 1.5 mEq/L

🔥 Most-searched NCLEX cheat sheets

HypokalemiaK+ < 3.5 mEq/L HyperkalemiaK+ > 5.0 mEq/L Digoxin ToxicityDig level > 2.0 ng/mL Heart FailurePump fails → congestion HydralazineDirect arteriolar vasodilator MontelukastLeukotriene blocker → PREVENTION only TheophyllineNarrow range: 10-20 mcg/mL Desmopressin (DDAVP)Synthetic ADH → water retention HemophiliaX-linked, ↓ clotting factor Polycythemia Vera↑↑ RBCs → thick blood Fluid Volume Deficit (dehydration)Fluid loss > intake PheochromocytomaAdrenal tumor → catecholamine surge Multiple MyelomaPlasma cell cancer → bone + Ca↑ Pain Assessment (PQRST)Pain is what the patient says it is