Mechanisms of Disulfiram-induced Cocaine Abstinence: Antabuse and Cocaine Relapse

Disulfiram inhibition of the norepinephrine (NE) biosynthetic pathway. In the catecholamine synthesis pathway, tyrosine is converted into 3,4-dihydroxy-L-phenylalanine (L-DOPA) by tyrosine hydroxylase (TH), which is then transformed into dopamine by aromatic amino acid decarboxylase (AADC), whereupon dopamine b-hydroxylase (DBH) converts dopamine into norepinephrine. Disulfiram inhibits DBH, reducing the production of norepinephrine and increasing the pool of dopamine.