Alcohols (medicine)

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This article is about use of alcohols in medicine. For ethanol as a psychoactive drug, see Alcohol (drug). For other uses, see Ethanol.

Alcohol
by mouth
Drug classAntiseptics, disinfectants, antidotes
ATC code
Legal status
Legal status
Pharmacokinetic data
MetabolismLiver
Identifiers
CAS Number
PubChem CID
DrugBank
ChemSpider
UNII

Alcohols, in various forms, are used medically as an

ethylene glycol toxicity when fomepizole is not available.[1]

Side effects of alcohols applied to the skin include skin irritation.

spores.[7] Concentrations of 60% to 90% work best.[7]

Medical uses

95% ABV ethanol is known as spiritus fortis in medical context.

Antiseptics and disinfectants

Alcohols

Ethanol is listed under Antiseptics, and Alcohol based hand rub under Disinfectants, on the World Health Organization's List of Essential Medicines.[8]

Applied to the skin, alcohols are used to

needle stick and before surgery.[2] They may be used both to disinfect the skin of the person and the hands of the healthcare providers.[2] They can also be used to clean other areas,[2] and in mouthwashes.[3]

Both ethanol and isopropyl alcohol are common ingredients in topical antiseptics, including hand sanitizer.[9]

Treatment for ethylene glycol toxicity, and methanol toxicity

When taken by mouth or

ethylene glycol toxicity[10] when fomepizole is not available.[1]

Mechanism

Ethanol, when used for toxicity,

kidneys.[11]

Sclerosant

Absolute ethanol is used as a sclerosant in sclerotherapy. Sclerotherapy has been used "in the treatment of simple pleural effusions, vascular malformations, lymphocytes and seromas."[12]

Sedative

Ethchlorvynol, developed in the 1950s, was used to treat insomnia, but prescriptions for the drug had fallen significantly by 1990, as other hypnotics that were considered safer (i.e., less dangerous in overdose) became much more common. It is no longer prescribed in the United States due to unavailability, but it is still available in some countries and would still be considered legal to possess and use with a valid prescription.

Society and culture

Economics

Ablysinol (a brand of 99% ethanol medical alcohol) was sold from $1,300 to $10,000 per 10-pack[

hypertrophic obstructive cardiomyopathy in the US through 2025, despite "misuse" of the orphan drug act.[13][14][15][unreliable source?
]

Unproven COVID-19 hand sanitizer

Main article: List of unproven methods against COVID-19

Vodka was alleged to be an effective homemade hand sanitizer, or an ingredient in one. The company whose brand was alleged to be protective responded to the rumours by citing the US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention statement that hand sanitizers needed to be at least 60% alcohol to be effective, and stating that their product was only 40% alcohol.[16][17][medical citation needed]

History

See also: Medicinal Liquor Prescriptions Act of 1933

Ancient world

Since

general anesthetic.[18]

Beer is one of the earliest known ingredients for wound healing. A medical prescription from Mesopotamia describes a method for healing wounds:[19][20]

Pound together fur-turpentine, pine-turpentine, tamarisk, daisy, flour of inninnu strain; mix in milk and beer in a small copper pan; spread on skin; bind on him, and he shall recover.

Late Middle Ages

Alcohol has been used as an antiseptic as early as 1363, with evidence to support its use becoming available in the late 1800s.[21]

Modern period

benzodiazepines and is no longer sold anywhere.[25]

References

  1. ^
    ISBN 9780857111562
    .
  2. ^
    ISBN 9789241547659
    .
  3. ^
    ISBN 978-1-118-28020-1. Archived
    from the original on 18 September 2017.
  4. ISBN 978-3-319-14911-0. Archived
    from the original on 18 September 2017.
  5. PMID 25327922
    .
  6. ^ "WHO Model List of Essential Medicines (19th List)" (PDF). World Health Organization. April 2015. Archived (PDF) from the original on 13 December 2016. Retrieved 8 December 2016.
  7. ^
    PMID 9880479
    .
  8. hdl:10665/325771
    . WHO/MVP/EMP/IAU/2019.06. License: CC BY-NC-SA 3.0 IGO.
  9. ^ Research Cf (12 May 2023). "Q&A for Consumers | Hand Sanitizers and COVID-19". FDA.
  10. PMID 27147840
    .
  11. S2CID 26495651
    .
  12. PMID 34447570
    .
  13. ^ Paavola A (12 February 2020). "Why price of dehydrated alcohol is going from $1,300 to $10K". www.beckershospitalreview.com.
  14. ^ "Biotech executives, having pledged fair pricing, criticize drugmaker for steep hike". BioPharma Dive.
  15. ^ "Statement on Belcher Pharmaceuticals". linkedin. Retrieved 19 October 2023.
  16. ^ "Fact or Fiction: Tito's Vodka can be used in hand sanitizer?". KGTV. 10 March 2020. Retrieved 9 April 2020.
  17. ^ "Coronavirus: Don't use vodka to sanitise hands". BBC News. 6 March 2020.
  18. ISBN 978-1-4614-8441-7. Archived
    from the original on 18 September 2017.
  19. PMID 24525756
    .
  20. PMID 16799371
    .
  21. ISBN 9780683307405. Archived
    from the original on 13 January 2017.
  22. PMID 14903452
    .
  23. PMID 13028241
    .
  24. PMID 13159700
    .
  25. ^ Hines RD (2002). The Pursuit of Oblivion. p. 327.
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