How long does it take to treat delirium tremens? Delirium tremens

Classic delirium tremens: early signs

Early signs of “classic” alcoholic delirium (delirium tremens) usually last for several days. At this time, sleep disorders, nightmarish frightening dreams, and fears predominate. Characterized by variable affect with a predominance of anxiety. Asthenic complaints are constant.

In 20% of cases, the development of delirium tremens is preceded by grand mal and, less commonly, abortive epileptic seizures. Epileptic seizures often occur on the first or second day of alcohol withdrawal syndrome.

In other cases, delirium tremens may develop following an episode of verbal hallucinations or an outbreak of acute sensory delusions.

The first stage of delirium tremens

Mood changes present early in the course of the disease become increasingly noticeable. There is a rapid change of opposite affects: depression, anxiety or fearfulness are easily replaced by euphoria, causeless fun.

Alcohol-dependent people during this period are excessively talkative, restless, restless. Speech is rapid, inconsistent, slightly incoherent, and attention is easily distracted. Facial expressions and movements are lively, fast, sharply changing.

Disorientation or incomplete orientation in place and time are common. Orientation in one’s own personality, as a rule, is preserved even in the advanced stages of delirium tremens.

Alcohol addicts are characterized by mental hyperesthesia - a sharp increase in susceptibility when exposed to various stimuli, sometimes even indifferent ones. There are influxes of vivid memories, figurative ideas, and visual illusions. Sometimes episodes of auditory hallucinations occur in the form of acoasms and phonemes, and various elements of figurative delirium are noted.

By evening, all symptoms increase. Night sleep is disturbed, and frequent awakenings in a state of anxiety are observed.

Second stage of delirium tremens

The symptoms of the first stage are joined by pareidolia - visual illusions of fantastic content. They can be black and white or color, static or dynamic. Hypnagogic hallucinations of varying intensity are characteristic.

Sleep continues to be intermittent, with frightening dreams. When waking up, an alcohol dependent person cannot immediately distinguish a dream from reality.

Hyperesthesia increases, photophobia appears. Dream-like experiences alternate with a state of relative wakefulness, with stupor.

The third stage of delirium tremens

At the third stage of delirium tremens, complete insomnia is observed, and true visual hallucinations appear. Tactile hallucinations are also characteristic (most often in the form of a very realistic sensation of the presence of a foreign object - a thread or a hair in the mouth), verbal hallucinations are possible, mostly of a threatening nature.

Multiple and moving microscopic hallucinations predominate - insects, small animals, snakes, as well as threads, wires, cobwebs. Less often, alcohol-dependent people see large, including fantastic animals, people, humanoid creatures - “the wandering dead”.

Visual hallucinations can come closer, move away, change in size, and undergo transformations before the eyes of an alcohol addict. They can be single or multiple, sometimes they are scene-like and, reflecting certain situations (feasts, spectacles), can kaleidoscopically replace each other.

An alcohol-dependent person in this state loses orientation in place and time, but retains orientation in his own personality. Affective disorders are labile, fear, anxiety, and confusion predominate.

At the height of delirious disorders, an alcoholic person is an interested spectator. As delirium (delirium tremens) worsens, auditory, olfactory, thermal, and tactile hallucinations occur.

Disorders of the body diagram come down to sensations of changes in the position of the body in space - surrounding objects begin to swing, fall, and rotate. The sense of time also changes – it can shorten or lengthen.

Behavior, affect, delusional statements correspond to the content of hallucinations. Patients are fussy and have difficulty staying in place.

Due to the predominance of the affect of fear, alcohol-dependent people try to run away somewhere, leave, hide, shake something off themselves, knock it down or rob it, and turn to imaginary interlocutors. Speech in this case is abrupt, consisting of short phrases or individual words. Attention becomes hyper-distracted, mood is extremely changeable, facial expressions are expressive.

For a short time, bewilderment, complacency, surprise, despair alternate one another, but fear is most often and most constantly present.

The appearance of delusional ideas is possible, mostly fragmentary and reflecting hallucinatory disorders. The content is dominated by delusions of persecution, physical destruction, and, less often, jealousy and adultery. Delusional disorders in delirium (delirium tremens) are not generalized; they are affectively intense, specific, unstable, and completely dependent on hallucinatory experiences.

An alcohol dependent person in this state is highly suggestible. So, if you give him a sheet of clean white paper and ask him to read what is written, he sees text on this sheet that he is trying to reproduce ( Reichart's sign); starts a long conversation with the interlocutor if you give him a switched off handset or some other object called a handset ( Aschaffenburg's sign). When pressing on closed eyes and asking certain specific questions, an alcohol-dependent person experiences corresponding visual hallucinations ( Lipman's sign).

It should be borne in mind that signs of increased suggestibility arise not only at the height of psychosis, but also at the very beginning of its development and at its end, when acute symptoms are reduced. So, for example, you can cause persistent visual hallucinations in a patient after the end of delirium, if you force the patient to peer at shiny objects ( Bekhterev's symptom).

In the third stage of a typical alcoholic delirium (delirium tremens), periodically and briefly, disorders can spontaneously weaken and even disappear almost completely - so-called lucid intervals arise, during which alcohol-dependent people experience significant asthenic symptoms. In the evening and at night, there is a sharp increase in hallucinatory and delusional disorders, psychomotor agitation increases, and anxiety can reach the level of raptus. By morning, the described state is replaced by soporotic sleep.

The end of delirium tremens

This is where the development of delirium tremens ends in most cases. The recovery from psychosis is usually critical - after deep, long sleep, but it can also be lytic - gradual. Symptoms can be reduced in waves, with alternating weakening and resumption of psychopathological symptoms, but at a less intense level.

The memories of an alcohol dependent person about the experience of a mental disorder are fragmentary. He can remember (and often in great detail) the content of painful experiences and hallucinations, but he does not remember and cannot reproduce his behavior that occurred around him in reality. All this is subject to partial or complete amnesia.

The end of delirium (delirium tremens) is accompanied by intensely expressed emotional-hyperesthenic weakness. The mood is changeable - tearfulness, depression, elements of faint-heartedness alternate with causeless sentimental contentment and enthusiasm; asthenic reactions are required.

After reduction of the clinical picture of delirium tremens, transitional syndromes are observed in some cases. These include residual delusions - an uncritical attitude towards the experience or individual delusional ideas, mild hypomanic (more often in men), as well as depressive, subdepressive or asthenic-depressive states (more often in women).

The structural and dynamic characteristics of the thought process are partially changed, but no pronounced incoherence or disintegration of thinking is observed. After exiting the psychotic state, there is a slowdown and low productivity of thinking, but it is always quite consistent and coherent. Manifestations of a kind of alcoholic reasoning and alcoholic humor are possible.

The course of delirium tremens is usually continuous (in 90% of cases), but can also be intermittent, when 2-3 attacks are observed, separated by “light intervals” lasting up to a day.

The duration of delirium tremens (delirium tremens) averages from 2 to 8 days; in a small percentage of cases (up to 5%), delirium can last up to 10 days.

What to do after treatment for delirium tremens

An alcohol dependent person needs medical help during and after delirium tremens. After medical treatment, it is necessary to eliminate the underlying, spiritual and psychological causes and consequences of alcoholism. The recovering person needs the help of an experienced priest and psychologist. Such assistance can be obtained at our center.

Delirium delirium or, as this condition is popularly called, delirium tremens, is a psychotic disorder that occurs in people suffering from alcoholism after withdrawal from alcohol. In ICD 10, the disease is classified under F10.4 and is defined as an abstinence state with delirium. Treatment and diagnosis of the pathological condition falls within the competence of psychiatrists and narcologists.

It is worth noting that delirium tremens can occur not only in chronic alcoholics. Signs of this condition may well appear in men and women who do not drink alcohol often and in large doses, but have drank, for example, low-quality alcohol, called surrogate. In addition, the risk of developing alcoholic delirium increases in people with serious pathologies of the central nervous system and those who have suffered traumatic brain injuries. It should be noted that the consequences of the first attack can become quite severe, and in the future it is possible that episodes of delirium tremens may recur when taking even small doses of alcohol.

Causes

The main reason why most people develop delirium tremens lies in severe alcoholism. An acute attack can occur if long-term binge drinking and alcohol withdrawal are stopped. At the same time, delirium tremens does not occur in a state of intoxication; its first manifestations begin several days after taking the last dose of alcohol. A severe hangover is a predisposing factor to the development of the described illness.

In some cases, delirium tremens also occurs in people who do not suffer from alcoholism, but who have taken a large dose of alcohol. Other reasons for the development of the pathological condition include organic brain damage under the influence of ethanol, a strong neurotoxin. The risk group also includes people with severe somatic diseases.

Stages and manifestations

Typically, delirium tremens, which appears for the first time, is interpreted by doctors as the second stage of alcoholism, when a person has a clear physical and mental dependence on alcohol. Alcohol delirium has three stages:

1. Korsakov psychosis. The first stage of alcoholic delirium, in which alcoholics fully manifest sleep, memory and mood disorders;
2. Rave. A mild form of psychosis, characteristic of most chronic alcoholics. Characterized by the absence of any forms of hallucinations;
3. Severe third stage. It manifests itself as various neurological disorders and is considered “full-fledged” delirium tremens.

Treatment, as a rule, is prescribed by a doctor depending on at what stage the patient is diagnosed with delirium tremens. Its symptoms can be quite varied and include a number of different psychotic and somatic disorders:

All these symptoms clearly indicate that a person is experiencing delirium tremens, which is much easier to combat in the absence of severe alcohol dependence. In any case, only timely, qualified treatment will help to avoid complications and normalize the condition of an alcoholic.

Korsakov psychosis

This type of psychosis was first described at the end of the nineteenth century by psychiatrist Korsakov,
who believed that this condition develops mainly in people over the age of forty who suffer from third-degree alcoholism. With Korsakov's psychosis, damage to the peripheral nervous system occurs and various mental disorders are observed.

Thus, a similar pathological condition that characterizes delirium delirium is manifested primarily by impaired memory function. An alcoholic is unable to remember events that took place very recently, does not remember the names of places and people, and experiences disorientation. Manifestations of increasing anxiety and depression are also expressed.

Neurological manifestations of Korsakov's psychosis include pain in the nerve trunks, impaired sensitivity and tendon reflexes. In its advanced form, the pathology leads to paralysis, which in some cases is not reversible.

Hallucinations

Most people associate delirium tremens with hallucinations, which occur in patients mainly at night. Most often, the patient is haunted by visual images of those creatures or objects of which he feels fear when sober. Sometimes entire scenes from horror films unfold before a person’s eyes.

You can suspect hallucinations in a patient by his facial expressions, since they reflect his emotions and experiences. Behavior at this time also becomes inappropriate - a person can shake off spiders that are only visible to him, brush away insects, etc. In addition to visual images, alcoholics in a similar state may experience tactile and auditory hallucinations. They are able to sense the presence of a foreign object in the oral cavity, mosquito bites, non-existent itching, and also enter into dialogue with the object of their own visions. In such a state, the patient becomes truly dangerous, since the voices in his head can force him to do literally anything.

Complications

Delirium tremens, characterized by serious clouding of reason, poses a serious threat both to the victim himself and to his loved ones. The consequences of such a condition can be very sad, because alcoholics, without realizing it, are capable of causing serious harm to loved ones, trying to somehow get rid of obsessive images or commit suicide.

In addition, this condition negatively affects the functioning of almost all body systems. The most common consequences of delirium tremens include alcoholic hepatitis, stomach bleeding, and digestive disorders. Since during the period of alcoholic delirium the immune system is weakened, the patient’s risk of developing infectious diseases and exacerbation of chronic pathologies increases. The most serious complication in the absence of timely therapeutic assistance can be death.

Help at home

Experts say that you cannot treat delirium tremens at home and get rid of the pathology without consulting a doctor, but you need to know what to do when an attack occurs and provide first aid to the patient when an attack begins. First of all, you should bring the person into a horizontal position, placing him on his back. If necessary, the patient can be tied to bed so that he does not cause harm to himself and others. You need to put an ice compress on your forehead or provide a cold shower. To prevent dehydration, drink as much water as possible.

Sedatives will help relieve the patient's agitation. It is very important not to leave the person alone, but to ensure constant control. In the future, it is recommended to immediately seek medical help, as delirium delirium is a serious disorder that should be treated as soon as possible.

Therapy

The question of how to prevent and treat delirium tremens is quite acute for relatives of people suffering from severe addiction to alcohol. Treatment of alcoholic delirium is carried out in an inpatient setting under the supervision of a narcologist and a psychiatrist. The attack can be controlled with a number of medications. If treatment is not started in a timely manner, the consequences can be dire, including death.

Among the entire arsenal of drugs used in the treatment of delirium tremens, psychotropic and detoxification drugs, as well as drugs that help restore water-salt balance and metabolism, come first. In addition, complex treatment involves restoring the activity of the cardiovascular and respiratory systems.

Detoxification is especially important in this pathological condition. To remove toxic substances that cause delirium tremens from the patient’s body, doctors use droppers with hemodez and glucose and perform hemosorption.

Delirium tremens is an unhealthy condition that arises in the final stages of chronic dependence on the use of alcohol-containing liquids. In medicine, this disease is usually called delirium, caused by excessive libation of intoxicating drinks. Delirium tremens is expressed by hallucinations, delirium, chills and fever. Hallucinations are often threatening in nature. Often, an alcoholic suffering from the disease in question seems to see various dangerous insects or devils. The main danger of the described disorder is the likelihood of self-harm and suicide.

Delirium tremens requires immediate medical intervention. A typical feature of the disease in question is the rarity of its development against the background of drunkenness; it usually occurs after the cessation of the usual “volumes” of alcohol consumption on the second to fifth day.

Symptoms of delirium tremens

The disorder in question is considered a symptom of alcoholism. Its specificity lies in its onset when one is sober and feels an aversion to alcohol-containing liquids. This condition is considered a kind of harbinger caused by alcohol.

Delirium tremens after binge drinking poses a threat to the alcoholic. A person, after a long-term binge and a hangover, is in an excited state, accompanied by mood swings and. The subject, being in this unhealthy state, is capable of unconsciously causing harm to his own person.

Most often it occurs after five to seven years of abuse of strong drinks in individuals with alcoholism of the second or third stage, after a long binge or as a result of stopping drinking after drinking every day for weeks or several months. Much less often, people who do not abuse alcohol-containing liquids on a regular basis, after prolonged consumption of large amounts of alcohol, or due to the use of alcohol substitutes, are susceptible to this disease. The most vulnerable group of people are individuals who have previously suffered severe central nervous system illnesses or brain injuries. In patients who have suffered a severe form of psychosis of alcoholic etiology in the past, it may recur even after injecting small doses of alcohol-containing drinks into themselves. In almost a third of cases, symptoms of delirium tremens develop when a person is forced by some physical illness to stop drinking intoxicating liquids.

Delirium tremens after heavy drinking occurs, as a rule, in the first few days, in some situations – on the fourth or sixth day. Before the onset of delirium, during the hangover period, the following symptoms of delirium tremens may be detected: vomiting, speech disorders, headaches and a number of other disorders of neurological origin. In twelve percent of cases, the onset of the described illness is preceded by convulsions.

The first signs of delirium tremens are anxiety that cannot be explained, a premonition of impending trouble, and disturbance of dreams. Among the somatic symptoms, the following are distinguished: tremor of the limbs, facial flushing, excessive sweating, increased heart rate, increased temperature and blood pressure, redness of the eyes. Sleep deteriorates, and dreams become heavy and filled with nightmares; visual illusions often occur before falling asleep. While awake, visual and auditory delusions are possible: patients hear doors slamming, bells, footsteps.

Around the fourth night, insomnia appears, accompanied by strong and picturesque visual illusions. They often contain insects and small mammals, less often - non-existent creatures such as devils, gnomes, elves. The nature of hallucinations is quite individual. In addition, the described disorder is also characterized by tactile deceptions. It seems to the patient that insects are crawling on the skin, which he often tries to catch, chase and crush. Often an alcoholic hears voices, sometimes calling to do something, mocking, teasing, and sometimes not addressed to him personally.

In this condition, patients become inadequate. They are completely in the grip of hallucinations. Patients communicate with voices, try to fight off apparent animals or fairy-tale creatures, and try to escape from bandits. Some people have various delusional ideas, for example, an alcoholic has or may feel that his wife is cheating with every man he meets. Others, on the contrary, are overly excited, they are drawn to heroic deeds, they invent feats that they supposedly performed earlier and talk about them.

The mental state of individuals in a state of delirium tremens is unstable, periods of calm are replaced by excitement, and unbridled joy and complacency.

During the day, delirium tremens often recedes slightly - the patient becomes more adequate, he orients himself in the situation, an understanding of the presence of the disease comes, he can tell about what is happening at night, but with the onset of evening, psychosis takes its toll again. The duration of delirium tremens on average ranges from three to five days.

The signs of delirium tremens are usually well expressed, so they are difficult to confuse with another disease.

Alcoholic delirium is also characterized by erroneous orientation in time and environment. Patients often do not know where they are, do not recognize their own home or the house of their relatives, do not know what time it is, and cannot keep track of the time. But they always clearly state their own last name, first name, as well as other information about themselves. In other words, the preservation of personal orientation is observed.

Often, individuals in a state of delirium tremens exhibit actions that imitate their professional activities. The alcoholic is absolutely confident that he is at work and performing daily work duties. In addition to this, he makes movements with his hands or makes sounds appropriate to the work process or place. A complex form of the development of psychosis caused by the abuse of alcoholic beverages is “muttering” delirium, manifested by constant muttering and manual manipulation such as palpating, rubbing, and smoothing. Such symptoms often indicate a possible fatal outcome.

The condition of a patient experiencing delirium tremens worsens as psychosis increases:

— the temperature is high, may exceed 40°C;

- pressure increases;

- heartbeat is irregular and rapid;

- there is dehydration of the body;

- the concentration of nitrogen in the blood increases;

- acidosis occurs;

- it is difficult for the patient to move, so he “lives” in bed all the time;

- leukocytosis and increased ESR are typical;

- tremor, trembling of muscles and limbs is observed;

- chills are replaced by sweating, characterized by a specific “aroma” reminiscent of the smell of unwashed feet;

- the liver is enlarged, yellowness and sclera appear;

- pallor of the dermis is observed (therefore, delirium caused by excessive alcoholic libations is called delirium tremens), facial hyperemia is often possible.

The following stages of delirium are distinguished. The first is characterized by a depressive mood, dream disturbance, and frequent mood swings. Human behavior is practically unchanged, but a significant decrease in memory can be noticed, and temporary gaps also occur. The patient may not remember the events of the last days of life (a couple of days).

At the second stage, the disease also does not completely reveal itself. The alcoholic does not yet see illusory insects or fictional characters. However, here he already has excessive suspicion. He believes that he is being deceived or suspects those around him of a conspiracy against himself. Patients may begin to chase someone and behave aggressively. This stage often leads to the desire to commit suicide.

The third stage is considered the most severe stage of delirium. It usually appears a few days after stopping the intake of alcohol-containing liquids. Characterized by severe headaches, convulsions, incoherence of speech, and lack of content.

Delirium tremens symptoms and consequences, regardless of the gender of the individual, do not go away without a trace. The most serious consequences of the experience are observed in brain activity. A person sometimes completely loses the ability to remember, and also loses previously acquired knowledge. Memory disorders prevent a person from remembering even the names of loved ones. In addition to brain activity, there are disturbances in the functioning of the kidneys, intestines, myocardium, liver and capillaries.

Rhythm disruptions and defects in the fibers of the capillary walls cause many other ailments. Upon recovery from delirium tremens, patients often require hemodialysis, since the cleansing function of the kidneys is disrupted. In severe cases, kidney function is not fully restored and the individual requires constant hemodialysis procedures. To restore health, a person must completely renounce the consumption of alcohol and other intoxicating liquids, as well as receive a course of treatment aimed at eliminating harmful symptoms.

Consequences of delirium tremens

When such an unhealthy condition as delirium caused by excessive consumption of intoxicating liquors or delirium tremens occurs, the symptoms and consequences of such a condition often affect the subsequent life of the individual. Alcoholic delirium is the most common type of acute psychosis that develops against the background of prolonged abuse of alcoholic substances. More often, this pathology is observed in people who have been abusing intoxicating drinks for a long time and belong to the age group “forty plus”.

In addition, if a person has previously suffered from delirium tremens, then there is a 100% chance of expecting a recurrence of an attack of psychosis. Almost always, if the subject has experienced the first case of delirium and continues to “eat” alcohol-containing liquids, then even a short binge will subsequently give rise to a new attack of delirium tremens.

The consequences of delirium tremens are often unpredictable. There are cases of complete healing from the disease, but more often negative consequences remain. Often, there is also death. According to information from statistical authorities, approximately ten percent of alcoholics without appropriate treatment measures die from delirium tremens.

In addition, the described violation often leads to domestic murders. An alcoholic, being in a state of aggressiveness, hallucinates, loses memories, is unable to recognize the faces of loved ones, and does not know what is happening to his person. In almost 50 percent of cases, patients cured of severe delirium die later due to liver destruction, myocardial dysfunction, cerebral edema, and central nervous system pathologies.

There are several variations in the outcome of delirium tremens, namely coma, transformation into a chronic course, deep clouding of consciousness, and death. Suicide under the influence of hallucinations or an inadequate behavioral response that accompanies delirium tremens can lead to death. Because one of the manifestations of delirium is loss of spatial orientation. Because of this, people in such an inadequate state can get hit by a car or fall out of a window.

In 5–10% of cases, individuals who have suffered delirium tremens experience convulsions, suffer from pneumonia, cirrhosis of the liver, serious heart disease, and cerebral edema. The condition of the described disorder is quite difficult for alcoholics to tolerate and often serves as a kind of trigger for the initiation of therapeutic measures aimed against alcoholism. Since each attack of delirium tremens significantly depletes the body and weakens a person. A patient who survives two or three episodes of delirium tremens risks ending his days with dropsy of the brain.

The disease in question has a rather poor prognosis and is also characterized by a high percentage of deaths. Often the result of episodes of delirium tremens is an alcoholic. In this state, the alcoholic cannot remember the attending physician, remember the day of the week, or his own place of residence. The worst thing is that this process is irreversible.

Statistical studies show that for some individuals who abuse alcohol, a few months of “heavy” drinking is enough to bring themselves to psychosis, while for others it may take years. The time of onset of delirium depends on the quality of alcohol-containing liquids consumed and the physical condition of the drinker. In addition, heredity plays a significant role. If, for example, a grandmother or grandfather abused strong drinks, then most likely their grandchildren or children will surpass them in this “field.” If, at the first clinical manifestations of delirium, urgent measures are not taken and the issue of how to treat delirium tremens is not resolved, then the alcoholic will harm not only his own person, but also those around him, and may even kill.

Treatment of delirium tremens

If the above symptoms of delirium tremens appear, the alcoholic must be immediately sent to the hospital. Since the disease in question is an emergency condition requiring emergency therapeutic measures.

It is better not to treat delirium tremens at home. Therapeutic intervention must be targeted, specialized and implemented within a psychiatric hospital.

The main strategic objectives of the treatment of delirium tremens are considered to be: relief of agitation, elimination of insomnia, elimination of convulsions, removal of intoxication, and the fight against concomitant pathologies and consequences.

How to treat delirium tremens? Below are some basic principles to help you understand this. In the first turn, the treatment of the described illness involves acting in the following directions: somatic treatment and impact on the functioning of the patient’s psyche. Therefore, psychotropic medications, hydration and detoxification therapy, high dosages of vitamins C and B (in particular thiamine), substances aimed at restoring normal water-salt metabolism and normalizing the functioning of organs are used, since the disease in question affects the liver, myocardium, kidneys, respiratory system. The prescription of sedatives and hypnotic drugs is also justified.

In order to treat delirium caused by excessive drinking of intoxicating drinks, benzodiazepines (Lorazepam) are used to relieve, eliminate vegetative symptoms and insomnia, prevent the development of convulsions and antipsychotics (Haloperidol) to relieve agitation.

Phenothiazines (Chlorpromazine) are also used in the treatment of the described pathology. In addition to benzodiazepines, which reduce the likelihood of developing convulsions, some patients are prescribed additional antiepileptic drugs: Hydantoin or barbiturates.

In the abortive version of delirium, carbamazepine is effective for stopping seizures and relieving agitation. Compared to benzodiazepines, it is better at eliminating psychosis. However, with severe development of the condition in question, Carbamazepine is contraindicated. Myocardial performance is supported by Korglykon and Niketamide. In order to prevent cerebral edema, the use of Lasix is ​​recommended.

As written above, treatment of delirium tremens at home is not recommended, but relatives should understand what to do when delirium tremens occurs.

Firstly, you should try to calm the person down and put him to sleep. If the victim behaves hostilely and inappropriately, then it is recommended to tightly tie his limbs and remove foreign objects from his vicinity that could possibly harm his own body or others.

Secondly, the victim should be provided with cool air (for example, a damp bandage on the forehead) and plenty of fluids.

Thirdly, you can give the person sedatives to help him fall asleep. For this you can use decoctions of mint and chamomile.

Fourthly, it is necessary to call a psychiatric team. Treatment of delirium tremens at home is unsafe for the drinker, those around him and his relatives. Without adequate therapeutic measures, a person will not overcome this condition. Self-medication can cause much more damage than good.

It is necessary to realize that an individual experiencing alcoholic psychosis needs adequate and complete therapeutic intervention in a clinical setting and under the supervision of psychiatrists. In addition, it is permissible to prescribe the correct course of treatment only after carrying out a full range of diagnostic measures.

The information presented in this article is intended for informational purposes only and cannot replace professional advice and qualified medical care. If you have the slightest suspicion that you have this disease, be sure to consult your doctor!

Delirium tremens is a condition that occurs in binge alcoholics after a long binge on the 2-5th day after a sharp cessation of alcohol (during abstinence and when withdrawing from binge drinking)

Treatment of delirium tremens in alcoholics!

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Suspicion of delirium tremens?

Treatment of delirium tremens is possible only in a hospital setting, since it is a severe complication of alcoholism. In the absence of proper treatment, death is possible. Up to 15% of patients die from delirium tremens.

Delirium tremens: symptoms and consequences

If signs of delirium tremens do not appear within a week after quitting alcohol and provided that there is no treatment and alcohol is not taken in prophylactic doses, then delirium tremens will no longer occur, and you don’t have to worry about it.

As narcologists write and chronic alcoholics confirm on forums, delirium tremens comes on suddenly, often against the background of prolonged insomnia.

Delirium tremens syndromes are relieved through deep sleep, into which the person simply falls, but memories after delirium are well preserved.

Delirium tremens cannot be treated by placing a drip, the service to sober up at home will not help you, and delirium tremens is not just a withdrawal from alcohol: it is a serious disruption in the functioning of the entire body - only hospitalization in a hospital!!!

The most terrible consequences of delirium tremens can be:

Coma, stuporous states.

Encephalopathy.

Edema and swelling of the brain.

If the productive symptoms of psychosis do not go away within a month or the duration of delirium tremens is two weeks or more, then intensive complex treatment is required, including spinal punctures, intravenous infusions, and active drug therapy.

Delirium tremens - how to quickly recover from delirium tremens

Since treating delirium tremens at home is impossible, it is unreasonable to count on quick treatment at home. The problem is that the acute stage of abstinence itself affects processes in the functioning of the brain that often cannot be treated with conventional medications for alcoholism, since this will aggravate the condition. Moreover, these medications can cause irreparable harm. And procedures such as infusions, blood purification, spinal cord punctures cannot be carried out at home in principle: it is unrealistic to bring so much equipment into the house, even if funds allow.

Urgent help for delirium tremens

8 495 432 18 47

Remember all the symptoms and signs of delirium tremens and do not hope for a miracle. When a person begins to “see a squirrel,” it is not at all funny, and this is not an anecdotal situation. The person actually dies before your eyes. Do not allow such traumatic consequences of delirium tremens! Call a narcologist as soon as the first symptoms of delirium tremens begin to appear. And after drug treatment, we continue to work with addiction to alcohol - this is the psychological part of complex treatment.

Delirium tremens (also known as delirium tremens) is one of the most common psychoses from which alcoholics suffer. In most cases, delirium tremens begins to develop in those people who constantly drink alcohol and are over 40 years of age. In chronic alcoholism, delirium tremens occurs more often. If a person is intoxicated for several days or weeks, then psychosis is simply guaranteed.

Interestingly, delirium tremens affects not only chronic alcoholics, but also those people who drink low-quality alcohol, people with traumatic brain injury, as well as people who suffer from diseases of the central nervous system. If a person has ever been in a state of delirium tremens, then it is likely that in the future it may recur even after taking a small dose of alcohol.

Why does delirium tremens occur?

Among the main causes of the condition are:

• Prolonged and heavy drinking;
• Consumption of substitute alcohol;
• Somatic pathology;
• Serious brain damage.

The pathogenesis of delirium tremens has not been fully studied to date. It is assumed that the strongest influence is exerted by disturbances in the exchange of neurotransmitters in the central nervous system.

Symptoms of delirium tremens

An alcoholic begins to lose orientation in time and space. The main symptom of psychosis is the appearance of hallucinations, vivid and abundant illusions.

Visual hallucinations usually predominate. Very often, patients begin to see small animals: rodents, snakes, spiders, large insects. Devils also often appear that tease the alcoholic and bite their tongue. In addition, large animals (dogs, bears, elephants) may appear. The alcoholic, in most cases, fights the hallucinations, scolds them, fights or runs away from a possible attack.

With auditory hallucinations, the alcoholic begins to hear various remarks and voices from almost everywhere. They are addressed specifically to him, condemn him and scold him, and sometimes threaten him. The patient talks to them, argues, begins to make excuses or threaten. Often, auditory hallucinations can be in the form of orders that are meekly carried out by the alcoholic.

Tactile hallucinations can manifest themselves as a very realistic sensation of the presence of some object in the mouth (hair or thread), the feeling of insects crawling over the body, bites, etc.

The hallucinations listed above can be combined. At the same time, the images that appear often have a specific plot on a given topic, in which the alcoholic acts as a central figure. Often, hallucinations can occur in the format of the profession that the patient had (builder, loader, driver, etc.).

In addition to hallucinations, illusions may occur (this is not the same thing). Alcoholics begin to perceive their surroundings incorrectly: they can see abstract images against the background of simple objects (for example, very often the illusion is caused by pictures on wallpaper).

During delirium tremens, in most cases, the alcoholic begins to have delusional ideas that reflect hallucinatory experiences. The patient is in a bad and anxious mood. When hallucinating, alcoholics may experience fear and show aggression towards others, which makes them potentially dangerous. On the other hand, the patient may develop depression, which, under the influence of fear from hallucinations, can lead to suicide. Systematically, with delirium tremens, a state of euphoria is observed in the alcoholic, which is accompanied by flat humor on the part of the patient.

In most cases, delirium tremens causes active motor arousal, which reflects the scenes of hallucinations experienced by the patient. An alcoholic will attack non-existent opponents or run away from them. At the same time, they may well jump out of a window or run across the road.

Somatic symptoms:

• Pronounced trembling;
• Large pupils, but reaction to light remains;
• Tendon reflexes are strengthened;
• Body temperature rises slightly;
• The pulse quickens, high blood pressure is observed;
• Redness of the skin is observed on the face;
• The presence of inflammatory phenomena from the gastrointestinal tract, coated tongue;
• The liver is enlarged and painful on palpation;
• An increase in the amount of bilirubin and leukocytes in the blood.

According to severity of manifestation Delirium tremens is usually divided into:

• With a predominance of auditory hallucinations;
• Traditional form of delirium tremens;
• Fantastic delirium tremens;
• Severe form.

The duration of delirium tremens is usually several days. The intensity of the above clinical symptoms fluctuates at different times of the day. Patients sleep little and have disturbed sleep.

The disease can end as unexpectedly as it began. Symptoms immediately subside after this. Patients fall asleep and wake up practically healthy. In the following days, the effects of psychosis may be observed.

Consequences of delirium tremens

Three main development options can be distinguished: delirium tremens either ends, or develops into a chronic form, or leads to coma and death. The cause of death, as a rule, is suicide, which occurs when the alcoholic's mind is affected by hallucinations.

In 10% of cases, even proper treatment of delirium tremens can result in serious heart disease, seizures, pneumonia, cerebral edema, and liver disease.

In addition, the consequences of psychosis include memory loss, dementia, cardiovascular disease, and liver damage. As a rule, very often repeated delirium tremens can lead to death. We probably don’t need to talk about the fact that against the backdrop of delirium tremens, a huge number of crimes occur.

If delirium tremens occurs repeatedly or for the umpteenth time in a row, then it is necessary to think specifically about treating the person. Because the next attack of such psychosis may be the last. In this case, loved ones must take drastic measures to treat the alcoholic, as well as to get him out of binge drinking.

Treatment of delirium tremens

Traditional medicine is not used to treat delirium tremens. Exacerbations may begin 4-5 days after drinking alcohol. Delirium tremens is easily identified by speech disturbances, headaches, convulsions, vomiting and other characteristic signals that will indicate neurological disorders.

At home, you can help the patient by tying him to the bed. In this case, at least he won’t be able to harm himself. It is recommended to give the alcoholic water to drink to prevent dehydration, and also to carry out symptomatic treatment at high temperatures using cold baths and water rubdowns.

In general, for any manifestations of psychosis, it is necessary to call an ambulance and paramedics. If you do not have the opportunity to use medical help, then you need to find a place where the patient will sleep. Various sleeping pills are best suited for this. When using a sleeping pill, it should never be mixed with alcoholic drinks, so drinking alcohol should be excluded.

Once delirium tremens passes, the patient should think about what to do with his alcohol addiction. Even after the first delirium tremens, a person will have serious mental disorders.