This brings better balance between excitatory and calming nerve signals, which can relieve alcohol withdrawal symptoms. Talk to your doctor if you’re concerned about your drinking habits. They can also help you manage any symptoms of alcohol withdrawal you experience when you stop drinking. These include seizures, hallucinations, and a high body temperature.

What to Do if Someone Is Having Alcohol Withdrawal Seizures?

If the side effects seem life threatening or you think you’re having a medical emergency, call 911 or your local emergency number immediately. Experts recommend people going through alcohol withdrawal get monitored. Outpatient plans with check-ins can treat milder cases are alcohol withdrawal seizures dangerous of withdrawal. Alcohol withdrawal happens when people who have an alcohol dependency either stop drinking or significantly curb their drinking. Alcohol withdrawal occurs when someone who is physically dependent on alcohol suddenly stops or reduces their drinking.

Stage 1: 6 to 12 hours after last drink

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. 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. In some cases, excessive alcohol consumption may lead people to miss meals or medication, which can also make seizures more likely in people with epilepsy.

Outlook for alcohol withdrawal syndrome

Tolerance and physical dependence occur due to compensatory functional changes in the brain. Research shows that only a small portion of people with AWS require medical treatment. If you need help finding a primary care doctor, then check out our FindCare tool here. Read on to learn about the symptoms of AWS, as well as how it can be treated or prevented.

When to seek emergency help

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. If your home environment is not supportive for staying sober, talk with your doctor. Your doctor may be able to connect you with shelter programs for people recovering from alcohol addiction. The symptoms may worsen over 2 to 3 days, and some milder symptoms may persist for weeks in some people.

If you’re taking any drug or substance that can cause chemical dependence, quitting cold turkey can be dangerous. When your body develops chemical dependence on alcohol, it adapts to a consistent chemical balance change over time. When you stop drinking abruptly, a significant chemical change happens all at once. This will throw your body into chemical imbalance, which leads to uncomfortable feelings of withdrawal. For people with epilepsy, alcohol may interfere with anti-seizure medications and increase the risk of seizures. People with alcohol withdrawal seizures may also experience tremors, hallucinations, muscle spasms, and a rapid heart rate.

• If an alcohol withdrawal seizure occurs, it is a medical emergency.
• Alcohol can also impact how certain medications are absorbed by the body.
• Under this dosing, Ativan is given as needed at a dose based on the severity of your symptoms.
• Severe and complicated alcohol withdrawal requires treatment in a hospital — sometimes in the ICU.
• It’s also a central nervous system depressant, and your body may become more reliant on ethanol the longer it’s exposed to it.

Supportive care