Alcohol Withdrawal Seizures: Causes, Symptoms, and Treatment

Prolonged alcohol consumption alters neurotransmitter activity, and sudden cessation leads to hyperexcitability in the brain. Alcohol withdrawal seizures are a serious and potentially life-threatening condition that requires immediate medical attention and professional care. Early intervention and evidence-based treatment are crucial for ensuring safety and achieving long-term recovery. As the parenteral form of clomethiazole is no longer available, its application is dependent on sufficient alertness and cooperation to enable peroral treatment.

What Are Alcohol Withdrawal Seizures Like?

In addition, the presence of alcohol withdrawal seizures increases the probability of delirium tremens (28). The severity of alcohol withdrawal symptoms Alcoholics Anonymous depends on the severity of the alcohol use disorder. However, those with a history of heavy or prolonged alcohol use can develop severe alcohol withdrawal symptoms. These symptoms can develop and change suddenly and aggressively, including alcohol withdrawal seizures and delirium tremens, which can be fatal without the proper treatment.

• Therefore, it is critical to comprehend potential hazards along with complexities linked with seizures during this process.
• The primary goal is to stabilize brain activity, prevent seizure recurrence, and manage withdrawal symptoms.
• When your body develops chemical dependence on alcohol, it adapts to a consistent chemical balance change over time.

Differentiating Seizures from Other Conditions

A tonic-clonic seizure has a tonic (stiffening) and clonic (rhythmic jerking) phase. This may be accompanied by a groan or cry as air is forced through the vocal cords. Biting or the tongue or the inside of the cheek can cause blood-tinged saliva. Or contact us online to be connected with a compassionate intake specialist who can give you more information. For long-term management, medications such as acamprosate and naltrexone have proven effective in treating AUD and can help reduce or eliminate alcohol use.

Is Alcohol Dependence the Same as Alcoholism?

While the reason for this is not fully understood, alcohol does create changes in receptors in your brain that affect your likelihood of having a seizure. While epilepsy can develop on its own in people who do not use alcohol, long-term alcohol use will increase the risk of epilepsy developing in some people. In mild to moderate cases, individuals can tend to withdrawal symptoms through at-home or outpatient care. Treatment is highly individualized based on symptom presentation and the length of someone’s https://ecosoberhouse.com/ alcohol use. While you’re in inpatient treatment, you may also be treated with IV fluid, which can help keep you hydrated through the withdrawal process. Medical detox programs may also involve therapies to address alcohol use disorders.

In early stages, symptoms usually are restricted to autonomic presentations, tremor, hyperactivity, insomnia, and headache. In minor withdrawal, patients always have intact orientation and are fully conscious. The patient should be checked for other signs of alcohol withdrawal such as tachycardia, tachypnea, mydriasis, elevated blood pressure, hyperthermia, diaphoresis, and tremor, among others (27). In addition, perform a neurologic examination to determine possible etiology (79). Clinical features distinctive of either epilepsy or alcohol withdrawal seizures should be delimited (05). In contrast, patients in a withdrawal state frequently manifest other symptoms like tremor, anxiety, irritability, delirium, and agitation.

Treatment / Management

• For “mild” cases of alcohol addiction, withdrawal can include disrupted sleep patterns, anxiety, headaches, abdominal pain, elevated heart rate, excessive perspiration, and nausea.
• GABA is a neurotransmitter responsible for slowing down activity in your brain so you can sleep, relax, and release stress.
• Early intervention and evidence-based treatment are crucial for ensuring safety and achieving long-term recovery.
• It must exist in balance with glutamate, which is a neurotransmitter that increases electrical activity in the brain.
• Individuals experiencing alcohol seizures need a comprehensive treatment plan that includes medication, therapy, and lifestyle changes to prevent future episodes.
• When that depressant is removed, you may feel a sudden lack of its rewarding effects, leading to nervousness, insomnia, and anxiety.

You can prevent future episodes by proactively repairing your body and brain. After recounting this experience to a doctor years later, I was told that if I had not had a seizure and simply blacked out, that I had experienced DT’s – and was probably about an inch away from experiencing a seizure. The most important neurotransmitters involved in this phenomenon are GABA and glutamate. It must exist in balance with glutamate, which is a neurotransmitter that increases electrical activity in the brain. While dependence is the result of changes in your brain’s chemical balance, addiction involves your brain’s reward system. This system encourages you to repeat important activities, such as eating.

Drink in Moderation and Avoid Binge Drinking

Gabapentin and topiramate, while not officially approved for this use, can serve as second-line treatments for AUD. Diagnosing alcohol-related seizures (ARS) is a complex process that involves distinguishing these seizures from other types and identifying their link with alcohol use or withdrawal. Figure 2 illustrates how to proceed in the clinical setting of suspected AWS to confirm the diagnosis and to start sufficient therapy. Use of this website and any information contained herein is governed by the Healthgrades User Agreement. Below alcohol withdrawal seizure is a collection of FAQs based on what we do know about this subject. Withdrawal symptoms may not follow this exact chronology depending on factors such as duration and frequency of alcohol use.

According to the National Institute on Alcohol Abuse and Alcoholism (NIAAA), alcohol is the most commonly used substance in the United States, with over 75% of individuals aged 12 and older reporting lifetime consumption. Alcohol consumption spans a spectrum from low-risk to severe alcohol use disorder (AUD). Alcohol withdrawal syndrome poses a significant clinical challenge arising from the spectrum of AUD—a prevalent condition affecting a substantial portion of the United States population. The syndrome typically presents as mild anxiety and gastrointestinal discomfort and can progress to severe manifestations, such as alcohol withdrawal delirium, which poses significant diagnostic and management challenges.