Thiamine supplementation for deficiency in adults

For adults at low risk of thiamine deficiency, to treat and prevent deficiency, use:

thiamine 100 mg orally, daily. thiamine thiamine thiamine

For adults at high risk of thiamine deficiency (eg those who drink large amounts of alcohol or are severely malnourished), initial supplementation should be with at least¹ Latt, 2014:

thiamine 300 mg intravenously or intramuscularly, daily for 3 days² thiamine thiamine thiamine

FOLLOWED BY EITHER

thiamine 100 mg intravenously or intramuscularly, daily for 1 to 2 weeks thiamine thiamine thiamine

thiamine 100 mg orally, 3 times daily for 1 to 2 weeks. thiamine thiamine thiamine

Once the initial supplementation course is complete, the patient should receive maintenance therapy. A suitable maintenance regimen is:

thiamine 100 mg orally, daily. thiamine thiamine thiamine

For patients with hazardous alcohol use without other complications, thiamine supplementation can be stopped once the patient stops drinking alcohol.

Thiamine should be given before administering glucose for hypoglycaemia to patients at high risk of thiamine deficiency, because glucose may further deplete thiamine stores and precipitate Wernicke encephalopathy.

Note: Always give thiamine before administering glucose for hypoglycaemia to patients at high risk of thiamine deficiency.

¹ For patients with a disorder of alcohol use who have good nutritional status and good oral intake, initial parenteral therapy may not be required.Return

² For intramuscular doses larger than 2 mL, consider dividing the dose among multiple injection sites. Do not use the intramuscular route for patients with coagulopathyHaber, 2021.Return