Alcohol Withdrawal Syndrome

While some people experience very few withdrawal symptoms, others may suffer from more serious side effects. For example, delirium tremens is one of the most severe of alcohol withdrawal symptoms.

• Alcoholics who have had two or more alcohol withdrawals show more frontal lobe cognitive dysfunction than those who have experienced one or no prior withdrawals.
• Symptom-triggered therapy with benzodiazepines remains the cornerstone of management.
• If you drink daily, your body becomes dependent on alcohol over time.
• Another reason alcohol dependence is so dangerous is that the withdrawal symptoms from alcohol can be fatal.

Withdrawal from other sedative-hypnotic agents causes symptoms similar to those occurring in alcohol withdrawal syndrome. The spectrum of withdrawal symptoms and the time range for the appearance of these symptoms after cessation of alcohol use are listed in Table 2. Generally, the symptoms of alcohol withdrawal relate proportionately to the amount of alcoholic intake and the duration of a patient’s recent drinking habit.

Caron Outpatient Treatment Center

Call for an appointment with your provider if symptoms persist after treatment. How well a person does depends on the amount of organ damage and whether the person can stop drinking completely. Alcohol withdrawal may range from a mild and uncomfortable disorder to a serious, life-threatening condition. Permanent and life-long abstinence from alcohol is the best treatment for those who have gone through alcohol withdrawal. Alcoholics are often deficient in various nutrients, which can cause severe complications during alcohol withdrawal, such as the development of Wernicke syndrome. To help to prevent Wernicke syndrome, these individuals should be administered a multivitamin preparation with sufficient quantities of thiamine and folic acid. During alcohol withdrawal, the prophylactic administration of thiamine, folic acid, and pyridoxine intravenously is recommended before starting any carbohydrate-containing fluids or food.

The use of benzodiazepines is beneficial in lessening agitation, preventing withdrawal seizures, and reducing the progression of withdrawal symptoms. Pharmacists should be well educated on AUDs and their treatment and on the treatment of AWS to facilitate and optimize timely and appropriate patient care, which alcohol withdrawal syndrome symptoms could ultimately lead to saving a patient’s life. Alcohol inhibits NMDA neuroreceptors, and chronic alcohol exposure results in up-regulation of these receptors. Abrupt cessation of alcohol exposure results in brain hyperexcitability, because receptors previously inhibited by alcohol are no longer inhibited.

How Long Do Withdrawal Symptoms Last?

Chronic use of alcohol leads to changes in brain chemistry especially in the GABAergic system. Various adaptations occur such as changes in gene expression and down regulation of GABAA receptors. During acute alcohol withdrawal, changes also occur such https://ecosoberhouse.com/ as upregulation of alpha4 containing GABAA receptors and downregulation of alpha1 and alpha3 containing GABAA receptors. Neurochemical changes occurring during alcohol withdrawal can be minimized with drugs which are used for acute detoxification.