Alcohol withdrawal syndrome: mechanisms, manifestations, and management

can you have a seizure from alcohol withdrawal

Alcohol is one of the most common recreational substances in the world. Despite its legal status and cultural acceptance, it is a serious psychoactive substance that can profoundly affect your health. Alcohol can be dangerous to abuse, but it can also be dangerous to quit too quickly. If you’ve been drinking heavily for a time and then quit cold turkey, you may experience some of the most dangerous withdrawal symptoms of any substance. Alcohol withdrawal can include dangerous symptoms like seizures, which can come on suddenly and lead to serious consequences. This article discusses alcohol withdrawal, its symptoms, and potential complications.

What Are the Legal Consequences of Alcohol Abuse?

Although these are general guidelines, your tolerance or consumption recommendation can vary based on your overall health, size, and medical condition. This depends on the individual and the results of laboratory tests that their doctor may order. In general, blood work will test serum magnesium, and replacements will occur if indicated. The person should also try to eat three well-balanced meals per day and drink enough water to remain hydrated. Benzodiazepines carry a Food and Drug Administration boxed warning because there is a risk of dependence. If you’re prescribed a medication from this class of drugs talk with your doctor about the risks before taking them and always follow the doctor’s instructions.

  • Below, you’ll learn more about seizures, how they can be linked to alcohol use, abuse and alcoholism, and how to know whether you or someone you love might be addicted to alcohol.
  • By avoiding heavy and binge drinking, individuals can significantly reduce their risk of experiencing seizures related to alcohol withdrawal.
  • From there, you may continue in residential or outpatient addiction treatment, depending on your needs.
  • Not everyone who experiences a seizure has epilepsy, which is typically diagnosed after two or more seizures.
  • The main concern over the development of delirium tremens during alcohol withdrawal is the threat of mortality that comes with it.

Managing Alcohol Seizures Through Lifestyle Adjustments

can you have a seizure from alcohol withdrawal

For people at low risk of complications, an office visit to your primary care provider, along with at-home monitoring and virtual office visits, may suffice. People at high risk of complications should enter a short-term in-patient detox program. There is no exact timeline for alcohol withdrawal, and individual factors, such as the level of dependence on alcohol, will influence it. Over time, however, the body builds a tolerance to alcohol, and a person may have to drink more and more to get the same feeling. Meanwhile, the brain is producing more and more neurotransmitters, making a person further imbalanced. Therefore, understanding how alcohol withdrawal causes seizures is vital.

Management and Treatment

In another 2020 study, researchers found that people with epilepsy were more 5 times more likely to die from alcohol-related causes than people without epilepsy. In a 2020 study, research found that the risk of SUDEP was twice as high in people with a history of alcohol dependence or substance misuse disorder. Afterward an alcohol-related seizure, the person’s skin may appear dusky or slightly blue if the seizure lasted for a long time. The person may also soil themselves due to loss of bowel and bladder control when the body relaxes. Awareness or consciousness typically returns slowly after a generalized tonic-clonic seizure.

  • We will also talk about why it’s important to recognize them and get prompt treatment.
  • The timeframe will be different for everyone, but seizures will normally start within the first 72 hours.

If someone has a seizure fromalcohol withdrawal symptoms, you should move things out of the way that they could accidentally hurt themselves with during the seizure. You should also call 911 and get emergency medical help as soon as possible, even if the seizure has stopped. After the seizure, you should position them on their side and ensure that their airway is clear while waiting for emergency assistance. AUDs are common in patients referred to neurological departments, admitted for coma, epileptic seizures, dementia, polyneuropathy, and gait disturbances.

  • Go to the nearest emergency room or call 911 (or your local emergency service number) if you or a loved one has any concerning symptoms of alcohol withdrawal.
  • According to the Epilepsy Foundation, some studies have linked chronic alcohol misuse to the development of epilepsy.
  • People who go through depressant withdrawal can have more severe symptoms with subsequent withdrawal periods.
  • This article explores how alcohol affects people with epilepsy and provides recommendations for how much alcohol is best to consume.
  • Binge drinkingand alcohol withdrawal togethercan cause seizures, even in people not previously diagnosed with epilepsy.

What are the symptoms of alcohol withdrawal?

can you have a seizure from alcohol withdrawal

This typically involves bending and straightening of the major joints (elbows, hips, and knees). The person’s face may turn bluish if they have trouble breathing during a prolonged seizure. Tolerance and physical dependence occur due to compensatory functional changes in the brain.

  • Prolonged drinking can lead to compensatory changes in your brain, such as the down-regulation of GABA receptors and increased expression of NMDA receptors.
  • If your home environment is not supportive for staying sober, talk with your doctor.
  • Withdrawal is your body’s response to stopping or cutting back on using an addictive substance like alcohol.
  • People with alcohol use disorder should be monitored by a medical professional when withdrawing from alcohol.

It is also possible to experience seizures as a result of alcohol withdrawal. This can happen after someone who has misused alcohol for a long time stops consuming it. It is possible for chronic alcohol consumption to cause seizures in people without a history of seizures. As the seizure ends, the person may lose bowel or bladder control due to relaxation of the body.

can you have a seizure from alcohol withdrawal

A summary of relevant markers in the emergency setting is given in Table 3. The detection of ethanol itself in different specimens is still a common diagnostic tool alcohol withdrawal seizure to prove alcohol consumption. There is a large degree of variability in alcohol metabolism as a result of both genetic and environmental factors. In several studies, possible predictors for the development of a severe AWS have been investigated. Medical history and laboratory biomarkers are the two most important methods for the identification of patients at high risk. When you go through the acute phases of detox at Clear Life Recovery, you will be under qualified medical supervision.

Understand Alcohol Withdrawal Seizure Treatment & Prevention

Our facility is conveniently located within the heart of New Jersey, under 20 minutes from Philadelphia. We have a full range of treatment options, including medical detox, inpatient care, partial hospitalization programming, and intensive outpatient services. During check-ups, doctors can monitor for signs of chronic conditions that may increase seizure risk, such as hypertension or diabetes. They can also review and adjust any medications that could adversely interact with alcohol, thereby reducing seizure likelihood. Unprovoked seizures that occur more than 48 hours after a person’s last drink may be due to another cause, such as head injury or withdrawal from other drugs.

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