Thiamine is a water-soluble vitamin found in organ meats, pork, whole grains or enriched cereals, bran, legumes, rice and wheat germ. Your body uses thiamine for brain and nervous system function, as well as for converting food into energy and keeping your eyes, hair, liver and skin healthy. Alcoholics need more thiamine than those who do not regularly consume alcohol.
Alcoholism and Thiamine
Alcoholics do not absorb as much thiamine as do normal healthy individuals, according to a March 2005 article in "Alcohol and Alcoholism." However, the amount they absorb varies from individual to individual, making determining how much thiamine they need difficult. Many alcoholics develop thiamine deficiency due to a combination of inadequate intake, poor use of thiamine by the cells and poor thiamine absorption. MedlinePlus estimates between 30 and 80 percent of alcoholics have this condition, with some of them having the more serious form called Wernicke's encephalopathy.
Thiamine Deficiency
Symptoms of thiamine deficiency include abdominal pain, depression, difficulty breathing, fatigue, irritability, loss of mental function and heart damage. Wernicke-Korsakoff syndrome is a severe form of thiamine deficiency common in alcoholics, which causes amnesia, confusion, drowsiness, memory impairment, loss of muscle coordination, coma and nerve damage.
Recommended Intake
The recommended dietary allowance for adult women is 1.1 mg per day, and for adult men it is 1.2 mg per day. Alcoholics at risk for Wernicke-Korsakoff syndrome usually improve with injections of 250 mg of thiamine plus other B vitamins and vitamin C given once a day for three to five days, and those already suffering from Wernicke-Korsakoff syndrome usually improve with injections of 500 mg of thiamine plus other B vitamins and vitamin C given three times a day for at least two days, according to the "Alcohol and Alcoholism" article.
Considerations
Injections of thiamine can cause side effects in rare instances, including itching, difficulty swallowing, coughing, facial swelling and hives. Due to the risk of side effects with injections, many doctors prefer to give thiamine orally. However, oral thiamine is not absorbed well by alcoholics. Alcoholics with Wernicke-Korsakoff syndrome that are given low doses of thiamine orally instead of being injected with high doses do not improve, instead their condition continues to deteriorate.
References
- "Alcohol and Alcoholism"; Thiamine Administration in Alcohol-dependent Patients; Roberta Agabio; March 2005
- MedlinePlus; Thiamine (Vitamin B-1); November 2010
- Drugs.com: Thiamine (Oral Route, Injection Route)
- National Institute on Alcohol Abuse and Alcoholism; The Role of Thiamine Deficiency in Alcoholic Brain Disease; Peter R. Martin, M.D., et al.; July 2004
- University of Maryland Medical Center; Vitamin B-1 (Thiamine); Steven D. Ehrlich, NMD; June 2009
