Common Alcohol Withdrawal Symptoms
There are numerous different alcohol withdrawal symptoms. The longer a person struggles with alcohol dependency and addiction, the more severe that person’s condition becomes. The more severe a person’s alcohol dependency and addiction become, the higher his or her tolerance also becomes. This causes people to experience more severe alcohol withdrawal symptoms.
Some of the more common alcohol withdrawal symptoms include the following:
- Headaches
- Anxiety
- Insomnia
- Fatigue
- Mood changes
- Fever
- Confusion
- Vomiting
- Gastrointestinal disturbances
- Excessive sweating
- Heart palpitations
- Increased heart rate
- Increased blood pressure
- Rapid breathing
- Hallucinations
- Tremors
- Seizures
- Hyperthermia
Managing Alcohol Withdrawal Symptoms
The only way to stop experiencing alcohol withdrawal symptoms is to properly learn how to deal with alcohol withdrawal symptoms. To overcome alcohol dependency and addiction, one must attend alcohol detox followed by alcohol addiction treatment.
Because alcohol detox requires individuals to slowly taper their use of alcohol until they are no longer drinking and no longer have any alcohol in their bodily systems, it’s impossible to completely avoid experiencing alcohol withdrawal symptoms while detoxing. It is possible to manage one’s alcohol withdrawal symptoms during detox though through medication-assisted treatment.
Medication-Assisted Treatment
Medication-assisted treatment is when doctors prescribe individuals in medical detox prescription medications to help them more easily manage their withdrawal symptoms. There are certain types of prescription medications that are safe to use when treating alcohol withdrawal symptoms from certain substances. Below are the prescription medications that doctors sometimes prescribe individuals in alcohol detox to help them learn how to deal with alcohol withdrawal symptoms.
Doctors prescribe FDA-approved benzodiazepines for alcohol withdrawal. Benzodiazepines that doctors prescribe to individuals to help them manage their alcohol withdrawal symptoms include:
- Chlordiazepoxide (Ex. Librium)
- Clorazepate (Ex. Tranxene)
- Diazepam (Ex. Valium)
- Oxazepam (Ex. Serax)
Examples of anticonvulsant medications that doctors sometimes prescribe to people suffering from seizures during medical detox due to alcohol withdrawal include:
- Carbamazepine ( Ex. Tegretol)
- Gabapentin (Ex. Neurontin)
- Oxcarbazepine (Ex. Trileptal)
- Valproic Acid (Ex. Depakene)
FDA-approved medications that people typically hear about when it comes to treating alcohol withdrawal symptoms due to alcohol dependence and addiction.
- Disulfiram (Antabuse)
- Naltrexone (Vivitrol and Revia)
- Acamprosate (Campral)