Treatments for Alcohol Withdrawal
Alcohol Withdrawal: Is the Diagnosis Correct?
The first step in getting correct treatment is
to get a correct diagnosis.
Differential diagnosis list for Alcohol Withdrawal may include:
Alcohol Withdrawal: Research Doctors & Specialists
Research all specialists including ratings, affiliations, and sanctions.
Drugs and Medications used to treat Alcohol Withdrawal:
Note:You must always seek professional medical advice about any prescription drug, OTC drug, medication, treatment
or change in treatment plans.
Some of the different medications used in the treatment of Alcohol Withdrawal include:
Unlabeled Drugs and Medications to treat Alcohol Withdrawal:
Unlabelled alternative drug treatments for Alcohol Withdrawal include:
- Alprazolam
- Alprazolam Intensol
- Apo-Alpraz
- Med-Alprazolam
- Novo-Alprazol
- Nu-Alpraz
- Xanax
- Atenolol
- Apo-Atenolol
- Novo-Atenolol
- Nu-Atenolol
- PMS-Atenolol
- Tenoretic
- Tenormin
- Clonidine
- Apo-Clonidine
- Catapres
- Catapres-TTS
- Combipres
- Dixarit
- Duraclon
- Novo-Clonidine
- Nu-Clonidine
- Thioridazine
- Apo-Thioridazine
- Mellaril
- Mellaril-S
- Millazine
- Novo-Ridazine
- PMS-Thioridazine
- SK-Thioridazine
Latest treatments for Alcohol Withdrawal:
The following are some of the latest treatments for Alcohol Withdrawal:
- Acamprosate
- Cognitive behaviour therapy
- Social skills training
Hospitals & Medical Clinics: Alcohol Withdrawal
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Book Excerpts: Treatment of Alcohol Withdrawal
Treatments of Alcohol Withdrawal: Online Medical Books
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Alcohol-related disorder:
Treatment
(Professional Guide to Diseases (Eighth Edition))
Total abstinence from alcohol is the only effective treatment. Supportive programs that offer detoxification, rehabilitation, and aftercare, including continued involvement in Alcoholics Anonymous (AA), may produce good long-term results.
Acute intoxication is treated symptomatically by supporting respiration, preventing aspiration of vomitus, replacing fluids, administering I.V. glucose to prevent hypoglycemia, correcting hypothermia or acidosis, and initiating emergency treatment for trauma, infection, or GI bleeding.
Treatment of chronic alcohol abuse requires a varied approach that may include medications to deter alcohol use and treat effects of withdrawal; psychotherapy, consisting of behavior modification techniques, group therapy, and family therapy; and appropriate measures to relieve associated physical problems.
Aversion, or deterrent, therapy involves a daily oral dose of disulfiram to prevent compulsive drinking. This drug interferes with alcohol metabolism and allows toxic levels of acetaldehyde to accumulate in the patient’s blood, producing immediate and potentially fatal distress in the event he consumes alcohol up to 2 weeks after taking it. Disulfiram is contraindicated during pregnancy and in the patient with diabetes, heart disease, severe hepatic disease, or any disorder in which such a reaction could be especially dangerous. Another form of aversion therapy attempts to induce aversion by administering alcohol with an emetic.
The first drug approved by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration for the treatment of alcohol-related disorder since disulfiram is naltrexone, an opiate antagonist that effectively reduces the amount of intake, severity of craving, and relapse incidence. It’s believed to work by preventing the effects of increased endorphins produced as a product of increased alcohol intake.
For long-term success, the recovering individual must learn to fill the place alcohol once occupied in his life with something constructive. Therapy using disulfiram or naltrexone may only substitute one drug dependence for another, so it should be used prudently.
Benzodiazepine isn’t recommended during rehabilitation due to its addictive nature and the potential for reinforcing the substance abuse behavior.
ELDER TIP Because the older patient may be more sensitive to these drugs, withdrawal may take longer (weeks or months) and be more severe than in a younger adult.
Supportive counseling or individual, group, or family psychotherapy may help. Ongoing support groups are helpful. In AA, a self-help group with more than 1 million members worldwide, the alcoholic finds emotional support from others with similar problems. About 40% of AA’s members stay sober as long as 5 years, and 30% stay sober longer than 5 years.
» READ BOOK EXCERPT ONLINE »
Source: Professional Guide to Diseases (Eighth Edition), 2005
Alcoholism:
Treatment
(Handbook of Diseases)
Total abstinence from alcohol is the only effective treatment. Supportive programs that offer detoxification, rehabilitation, and aftercare, including continued involvement in Alcoholics Anonymous, may produce good long-term results.
Acute intoxication is treated symptomatically by supporting respiration, preventing aspiration of vomitus, replacing fluids, administering I.V. glucose to prevent hypoglycemia, correcting hypothermia or acidosis, and initiating emergency treatment for trauma, infection, or GI bleeding. Acute withdrawal is also treated with oral multiple B vitamins, including thiamine. Administer fluids as needed, but avoid overhydrating the patient.
CLINICAL TIP: The possibility of intoxication with other drugs should be considered and a blood or urine sample sent for toxicology as appropriate.
Treatment of chronic alcoholism involves counseling, education, and cognitive techniques; psychotherapy (consisting of behavior modification techniques, group therapy, and family therapy); and appropriate measures to relieve associated physical problems.
Aversion, or deterrent, therapy may involve a daily oral dose of disulfiram to prevent compulsive drinking. (See Avoiding the risks of disulfiram therapy.)
UNDER STUDY: The opioid-antagonist drug naltrexone has been shown to reduce the ability to return to drinking and shorten periods of relapse. Longer-term trials are needed.
Tranquilizers, particularly the benzodiazepines, are used to decrease withdrawal symptoms of the central nervous system and are administered routinely to decrease risk of seizures. These drugs are administered and decreased over 3 to 5 days. Status epilepticus should be treated aggressively; initial treatment with lorazepam I.V. is effective.
Supportive counseling or individual, group, or family psychotherapy may help. Ongoing support groups are also helpful.
» READ BOOK EXCERPT ONLINE »
Source: Handbook of Diseases, 2003
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