Complications of Alcohol Withdrawal PMC

Someone with a mild-to-moderate alcohol use disorder may have a problem with alcohol without developing significant dependence. In such cases, alcohol withdrawal may not occur when they cut back or quit drinking. However, about half of people with alcohol use disorders will experience withdrawal symptoms. If you have been drinking heavily for an extended period of time—anywhere from a few weeks to many years—and you suddenly stop or significantly reduce your alcohol consumption, you will go into alcohol withdrawal. The effects are particularly strong in the brain, where alcohol produces feelings of relaxation and calmness. Chronic alcohol consumption disrupts brain chemicals called neurotransmitters.

The imbalances caused by prolonged alcohol use are responsible for the occurrence of DTs, although it is currently unclear as to the exact mechanisms which produce it. There is also still some mystery as to why DTs occur in some people, and not in others. Out of all people who will experience withdrawal from alcohol, only about 1-5% of them will experience DTs. Anxiety disorders are manifested by extreme fear and anxiety, accompanied by heart palpitations; shallow, rapid breathing (i.e., hyperventilation); sweating; and dizziness.

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People with epilepsy should consult their doctor before using alcohol, as alcohol can affect epilepsy medications. Alcohol use can also trigger seizures in people with epilepsy if withdrawal symptoms begin to occur. Epilepsy can cause seizures to occur with more mild levels of alcohol withdrawal than would occur in most people. Withdrawal seizures can begin within just a few hours after stopping drinking, or they can take up to 72 hours to start. Withdrawal is something that happens when your body has become dependent on the presence of drugs or alcohol.

If you are dependent on alcohol, it’s important to participate in a medically-supervised detox program, which can help alleviate the risks of the situation. However, people who have epilepsy are at an even greater risk of having a seizure if they suddenly stop using alcohol after developing a dependency. For individuals with epilepsy, consuming why does alcohol withdrawal cause seizures three or more drinks can trigger status epilepticus, a seizure that lasts longer than five minutes as the alcohol leaves the body. Epilepsy medications produce side effects that acutely mimic the effects of alcohol. Therefore, people who are on epilepsy medications may become intoxicated faster and experience more pronounced side effects.

Introduction ‐ Medical Burden of Alcohol Abuse

Some experts link excessive alcohol consumption to the development of epilepsy. Inpatient and residential treatment can provide additional medical monitoring to ensure your safety and sobriety. The main concern over the development of delirium tremens during alcohol withdrawal is the threat of mortality that comes with it. Delirium tremens is estimated to come with a 35% risk of death if you go through it without treatment. The kinds of withdrawal symptoms you experience will depend on the substance you were dependent on.

Unfortunately, recovering from episodes of alcohol withdrawal does little to remove the long-term risk of seizures, and individualized treatment is needed to overcome AUD. For patients at risk of generalized seizures but who can’t take benzodiazepines, other antiseizure medications [14] are available. Preferred agents include topiramate (also used to treat epileptic seizures) and acamprosate to help regulate brain chemistry. Prescribing a benzodiazepine for alcohol withdrawal is a popular treatment for those at risk of focal seizures, and helps many people pass their detox comfortably. They’ve discovered that people who undergo multiple relapses are more likely to need medical treatment during detox, and are more a risk of severe symptoms such as seizures.

What does it feel like to have an alcohol-related seizure?

Inhibitory neurotransmitters prevent certain chemical messages from passing on. The prodrome stage can last for 10 minutes and involves some of the first signs that a seizure may be about to happen. Symptoms that you may experience in this stage include confusion, anxiety, irritability, and headache. When GABA comes to bind to the nerve cell, it opens up a channel to a negative charge that slows down brain activity.

Withdrawal seizures usually consist of generalized convulsions alternating with spasmodic muscular contractions (i.e., tonic-clonic seizures). Seizures that begin locally (e.g., with twitching of a limb) suggest the presence of a co-occurring disorder, which should be fully investigated. The most severe manifestations of AW include hallucinosis, seizures, and DT’s (see also the figure on pp. 63, from Victor and Adams’ classic paper).

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