Wednesday, November 19, 2008

Alcohol Withdrawal


Symptoms: within the first 6-24 hours after the last drink patients may feel tremulous, diaphoretic, and have palpitations. Seizures can occur within the first 48 hours, and may be tonic-clonic in nature. Hallucinations may occur 12-48 hours after the last drink, and can be tactile, auditory or visual. Finally, onset of the dreaded Delirium Tremens may occur at 2 -6 days. This manifests as agitation, hallucinations, and autonomic instability (tachycardia, hypertension, hyperthermia) - it has a mortality rate of about 5%.

A key point: make sure you are dealing with alcohol withdrawal...rule out other etiologies for behavioural changes/seizures/decreased level of consciousness.

Treatment: revolves around symptoms control. Thiamine administration, multivitamins, and of course, benzodiazepenes. Benzo's should be dosed in a symptom-triggered method with protocols like the Clinical Institute Withdrawal Assessment for Alcohol Scale (CIWAS-Ar). Also, This is a perfect time to get our multidisciplinary team involved to help deal with underlying social issues.

A good review Article: Here

3 comments :

pamela said...

You can self detox more safely at home, after spending a few hours getting medicated in a clinic or under a medical supervision by doctor..
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pamela said...

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