Wernicke’s Encephalopathy: A Series of 7 Cases and Literature Review

Table 2. Comparative table of IV thiamine protocols in Wernickeencephalopathy

Society / Reference	Initial dosage	Acute-phase duration	Maintenance dose	Oral switch	Particularities / precautions
Royal College of Physicians (UK) Thomson et al., 2002	500 mg IV every 8 h	≥ 2-3 days	250 mg/day IV for 5 days	100-200 mg/day	Administer before glucose; dilute in 100 mL 0.9% NaCl; monitor Mg²⁺
EFNS (Europe) Galvin et al., 2010	500 mg IV every 8 h	≥ 3 days	250 mg/day IV or IM	100-200 mg/day oral	Protocol widely used in neurology; also used in prevention (alcoholism, bariatric surgery, hyperemesis gravidarum)
USA (UpToDate / NIH 2023)	500 mg IV every 8 h	2-3 days	250 mg/day for 3–5 days	100-200 mg/day	Prevention: 100 mg IV/day for high-risk patients; systematic magnesium supplementation
Consensus practice (Lancet Neurol 2022)	≥ 500 mg IV every 8 h	2-3 days	250 mg/day for 3–5 days	100-200 mg/day	Most widely recommended regimen; optimal for preventing Korsakoff syndrome