Do they die of delirium tremens? Delirium tremens: symptoms and consequences. What to do if there are signs of delirium tremens? Varieties of manifestation of alcoholic delirium

Society associates signs of delirium tremens in alcoholics with the development of hallucinations, mainly of a visual nature, and often treats this with humor. "Delirium tremens" or alcoholic delirium is a severe psychophysiological condition that, without proper treatment, can lead to severe social consequences or death of the patient. Therefore, it is important to know what to do if a person has delirium tremens. This will be discussed in the article.

Causes

Before you figure out what to do with delirium tremens, you need to understand the reasons for causing it. Alcoholic delirium is a violation of consciousness, in the form of its stupefaction, accompanied by hallucinations, delirium, fear and motor excitement. This is one of the types of alcoholic psychosis that occurs at the height of the withdrawal syndrome (cancellation).

There are many variants of the origin of the common name "delirium tremens". According to one version, this describes an extreme condition (by analogy with "white heat") in alcoholism, which is accompanied by fever.
Delirium on the background of alcohol consumption occurs not only in chronic alcoholics, it can appear in a person who does not suffer from addiction.

In this case, the reason may be the use:

1. Lots of alcohol.
2. Alcohol surrogates.
3. Simultaneously different psychoactive substances.
4. Alcohol on the background of mental illness.

Chronic alcoholism is a disease that has a long course and is accompanied by the systematic consumption of alcohol-containing substances, with the development of mental and physical dependence. With this disease, irreversible damage to internal organs and personality occurs.

Signs of mental addiction are:

• neglect of the consequences of abuse;
• irresistible attraction;
• the appearance of abstinence;
• loss of control over use;
• loss of interest in the environment;
• increased resistance to alcohol;
• thoughts of drinking cover the entire consciousness.

There are three stages of dependence:

1. neurotic.
2. Addict.
3. Encephalopathic.

Alcoholic delirium can occur in stages 2 and 3.

The provoking factors may be:

• hard drinking;
• drinking a large amount of alcohol;
• injuries, especially craniocerebral;
• infections;
• exacerbation of chronic somatic diseases;
• operations.

If a loved one had symptoms of delirium tremens, then it is important to know what the consequences are and how long they live after an attack. It depends on the duration of the disease, how soon qualified assistance is provided, age and the presence of concomitant pathology.

The consequences of delirium tremens after drinking can be as follows:

• recovery;
• development of psychopathologies;
• coma;
• death.

Death can occur due to self-harm or suicide against the background of delirium and hallucinations, as well as as a result of severe decompensation of vital body systems. Alcoholic psychosis can occur repeatedly. Most often, repeated attacks are more severe.

Withdrawal symptoms

The provocateur of delirium is the withdrawal syndrome in alcoholism, the treatment of which is carried out at home. The cause of the “withdrawal syndrome” is the withdrawal from the binge or a quantitative decrease in the dose of alcohol. A hangover is relieved by taking a serving of alcohol.

Withdrawal symptoms depend on the characteristics of the state of the human body, but in psychiatry there are mandatory clinical manifestations that are inherent in everyone, these are:

• tremor of the limbs (especially the hands) and tongue;
• feeling of extreme weakness;
• weakness;
• unbearable thirst;
• increased heartbeats;
• lack of appetite;
• diffuse headache;
• increased blood pressure;
• anxiety;
• dizziness;
• sweating;
• irrepressible desire to drink;
• inability to sleep, nightmares.

Which is caused by visual, auditory and / or tactile hallucinations, chills and fever. Hallucinations are usually threatening in nature, often presented in the form of small dangerous creatures (insects, devils). Most often ends in recovery, very rarely in death. The main danger in delirium is the risk of self-harm.

A characteristic feature of alcoholic delirium is that it never develops against the background of intoxication, but occurs only in a sober patient, with the abolition of the usual intake of alcohol.

With alcoholism, some terrible conditions take place both for the patient himself and for his relatives. One of them - alcoholic delirium or delirium tremens. Delirium in Latin means madness, insanity.

Delirium tremens- acute alcoholic psychosis, it is characterized by a disorder of consciousness, sudden onset of terrible visual, auditory hallucinations, disorientation in time and place, delirium, fear, strong arousal, unreasonable aggression.

Alcoholic delirium, as a rule, occurs 2-4 days after the cessation of binge, but it may also develop during the binge period. The first attack of delirium tremens follows after a long binge, the second and subsequent attacks are possible after less prolonged binge drinking.

Signs of the onset of delirium tremens

It is possible to determine that a patient with alcoholism will soon have delirium tremens by the following featured:

• Oddly enough, but on the eve of delirium tremens, alcoholics practically do not feel craving for alcohol, stop drinking alcohol, they say that it disgusted them and causes disgust.
• Happening towards evening sudden mood swings: carelessness and complacency are replaced by melancholy, anxiety, depression, unreasonable fear, apathy. Patients are excited, restless, cannot sit still, constantly chatting.
• Noticed enhanced shaking hands and feet.
• Dream restless, brief, with frequent nightmares. After a while it comes complete insomnia, which further enhances fear, anxiety, anxiety in the patient.
• They begin to hear voices, intimidation, terrifying visual images appear, over time these hallucinations are becoming larger.

This condition in a person with alcoholism can last from several hours to several days.

Symptoms of delirium tremens

Alcoholic delirium manifests itself in the form of various hallucinations : visual, auditory, tactile, reflected in movements and facial expressions sick. Let's take a closer look at these disorders.

visual hallucinations

An attack of delirium tremens begins at nightfall and is progressive. Visual images appear, deceptions of perception, illusions arise, for example, when a shadow from objects or clothes hanging on a hanger is mistaken for a person or a lurking monster.

Hallucinations are very diverse, most often they reflect what once frightened the patient. But mostly, they seem to be small insects and animals: mice, rats, spiders, worms, snakes, cockroaches, there are hallucinations in the form cobwebs, wires, ropes, threads, in which the alcoholic gets entangled and cannot get out. Terrible images of strange people: killers, dead, devils, werewolves, monsters, reminiscent of characters from horror films. Monsters make faces, tease, attack an alcoholic, cut with knives, beat with sticks, injure him with firearms. Destruction and chaos reigns around the patient, rivers of blood flow. It happens that visual hallucinations do not have volume and are perceived by a drunkard as movie or resemble a kaleidoscope, periodically replacing each other.

auditory hallucinations

Simultaneously with visual images, auditory hallucinations occur, related in theme to visual visions. Patients begin to hear rustling of animals, hissing of snakes, screams, threats, abuse, calls for help. It seems to an alcoholic that something terrible is happening nearby, as if someone wants to harm loved ones, abuse his daughter, wife, kidnap children, rob the house. The patient wants to rush to help, but at the same time he is mortally afraid that this may overtake him too.

Movement, facial expressions and speech

Movement and facial expressions the patient is fully consistent with the visions in the power of which he is. On his face you can see fear, confusion, grimaces of horror. Alcoholics shake off crawling insects, crush them, repel animals and monsters, try to get out of the web, wave their arms in defense of themselves, hide, hide in a corner, peer at objects, look for something. The patient feels like they are biting him, crawling over him, hurting him, hitting him, injuring him or feeling a foreign body in his mouth, trying to spit it out, get it with his fingers - this is how tactile hallucinations.

Alcoholic speech abrupt and often consists of short phrases, cries, the patient can talk to imaginary interlocutors from his visions.

A drunkard may suddenly rush to run, jump out of a window. Sometimes, under the influence of psychosis, an alcoholic grabs some thing and rushes to help or tries to protect himself from an imaginary attack, which can seriously harm people next to him.

suicide in a state of delirium tremens, this is nothing more than getting rid of obligatory hallucinations or obedience to the voice that the patient supposedly hears inside himself. Often a sick person cannot find another way out, does not know how to cope with nightmares and kills himself.

Disorientation in place and time

Characteristic of alcoholic delirium orientation error in place and time. An alcoholic often does not know where he is, cannot recognize his home and relatives, determine what time it is and how much time has passed since the onset of delirium tremens. But meanwhile, he clearly names his first name, last name and other data about himself, i.e. Orientation in his own personality he retained.

In the evening and at night, all these manifestations of alcoholic psychosis are intensified, and getting weaker in the morning and afternoon, and the patient's condition improves somewhat, but without appropriate treatment By the evening delirium symptoms come back again.

There are periods when hallucinations leave the patient, the symptoms of delirium are weakened or disappear completely, such moments are called lucid intervals. At this time, the patient can talk about his hallucinations, ghostly horrors.

Severe forms of alcoholic delirium

Occupational delirium

Alcoholics during delirium tremens often exhibit behavior that imitating his work activity. The patient is in full confidence that he is at work and performs his usual duties. At the same time, he moves his hands, makes sounds corresponding to his workplace.

Mussitating ("mumbling") delirium

A complex case of the development of acute alcoholic psychosis - murmuring delirium. When the patient lies in bed and incessantly mutters something, at the same time he makes characteristic movements in the form of rubdowns, palpations, smoothings. This behavior may be a sign of a possible fatal outcome.

Change in physical condition with delirium tremens

Health status a patient with alcoholic delirium worsens over time since the onset of psychosis:

• there is an increase in body temperature, it can reach 40 degrees and above;
• blood pressure rises, rapid and irregular heartbeat is noted;
• there is severe dehydration of the body;
• acidosis;
• the level of nitrogen in the blood rises;
• leukocytosis and increased ESR are characteristic;
• the patient cannot move, is in bed all the time;
• there is a tremor, trembling of muscles and limbs (therefore, another name for delirium is shaking delirium);
• chills alternate with sweating, which has a specific smell, like from unwashed feet for a long time;
• there is an increase in the liver, yellowness of the eye proteins occurs;
• pallor of the patient's skin is noted (therefore, delirium is also called delirium tremens), but sometimes, on the contrary, reddening of the skin of the face is possible.

By the abundance of everyday synonyms for this rather specific psychotic disorder, one can already judge its popularity among the people. The best known, most popular and most frequent of all alcoholic psychoses. One might say, the king (or queen?) of alcoholic psychoses.
Although in fact, the term "alcoholic psychosis" is not entirely correct, it is used by virtue of an established tradition. It is more correct to say "metal-alcohol psychosis" and you will soon find out why.

There are a lot of misconceptions about alcoholic delirium. In my opinion, there are not so many even about schizophrenics. Therefore, if you want to survive delirium tremens, just getting drunk will not help. Drinking too much won't help either. It is necessary to comply with a number of formalities for this.
You should know that alcoholic delirium happens:
1. Only in alcoholics.
2. Only after drinking
3. Only a sober person.

This psychosis develops exclusively against the background of characteristic changes that occur with patients with alcoholism, and this alcoholism should already be the second stage (out of 3 possible).
Actually, the very fact of the development of alcoholic delirium is an unequivocal reason to put the 2nd degree of alcoholism, i.e. the stage of physical dependence, when it is no longer just a craving for alcohol and the inability to live without it, but when the body is already physically dependent on alcohol.
And as a simple and obvious consequence of this physical dependence - a hangover syndrome is formed (alcohol withdrawal syndrome, if correct).
At the same time, it must be said that the hangover of an alcoholic and your hangover are two big differences (I proceed, of course, from the tacit assumption that people who do not suffer from this disease are reading me now).

An alcoholic's hangover is withdrawal, your hangover is postintoxication. Those. when a healthy person feels bad in the morning and wants to die, this is how the toxin is metabolized, which got into your body in the evening.
There's a lot going on there, in particular ethyl alcohol is metabolized to acetaldehyde. In this state, you are unlikely to want to get a new portion of the toxin, which you already know very well if you have ever seen vodka from a hangover.
This condition is unpleasant, but short-lived, and usually disappears by dinnertime, if you haven’t drunk something gloomy at all.

An alcoholic does not have some banal hangover. An alcoholic has alcohol withdrawal syndrome, and the products of alcohol metabolism in the blood are not the biggest trouble. The biggest trouble is that the body suffers from a lack of ethyl alcohol in the blood and the only way to alleviate the condition is to drink more, while you will throw up if you try to drink.
This condition is accompanied by a violation of everything that is possible and it lasts for several days, up to a week.
It looks like this.
pH blood is shifted towards acidification (due to the formation of vinegar from alcohol). The blood loses ions and trace elements, primarily potassium, sodium, calcium and magnesium. The osmotic pressure of the blood drops, i.e. water leaves the bloodstream and enters the tissues.
From this: a) the blood thickens, b) the tissues swell. Therefore, the mucous membranes dry (“dry in the mouth”, you know, right?), The tissues, on the contrary, are edematous (swollen face, for example).
From tissue wicking, there is also pallor and hyperhidrosis (sweating, with expanded abstinuhe, it pours from a person in a stream, despite the fact that the tongue is dry like an emery grater). As a result of thickening of the blood, there is a sharp increase in the load on the heart, which is already not easy, because there is no potassium and the conduction system of the heart suffers from this - and, as a result, rhythm disturbances.
The heart beats irregularly and with an effort. Pressure jumps, causing headaches. Due to direct toxic damage, massive death and decay of liver cells (hepatocytes) and pancreas occurs, their contents fall out again into the blood. Those. toxic hepatitis & pancreatitis is added to everything.
Of course, there can be no talk of any normal operation of the digestive system in such circumstances, therefore, a person is not able to drink or eat, he immediately turns out.
Well, plus, the defeat of the peripheral nervous system, so everything shakes and the legs go numb and are taken away.
An additional intake of alcohol gives a new intoxication, which overrides the effects of intoxication of the previous one.

To avoid the gamut of experiences described above, it is enough for a person to be drunk all the time, because when he gets sober, then everything starts again immediately. Our organism is an incredibly tenacious thing, so it lasts for a long time.
This is how a binge turns out when a person drinks day after day, not with the aim of already enjoying intoxication, but because he cannot stop.
As soon as you stop, you are immediately overtaken by the punishment for all the days of drinking. And the longer you drink, the heavier the retribution.
As a result, the longer you drink, the harder it is to stop.
As a result, after a week or two, it happens differently, even up to several months, since the body's compensatory abilities, although colossal, are not unlimited, complete depletion of reserve capabilities occurs. This is called spontaneous breakage of binge. A person can no longer drink, even if he wants to, even if he tries. He is physically unable to hangover. He pours one hundred grams into himself - he immediately turns it out, pours one hundred grams into himself - he immediately turns it out. Everything, like arrived.
And the withdrawal syndrome begins.

I have already spoken about the swelling of the tissues, mentioned the swollen physiognomy. But this defect is rather aesthetic. But what is worse is that the brain is also numb. And unlike the legs or the face, the swollen brain has nowhere to go, because it is surrounded on all sides by cranial bones. The head turns out like a pressure cooker. There is a mechanical compression of the brain tissue.
In combination with direct toxic damage and disorders in the neurochemistry of the brain, we get a consequence - acute alcoholic encephalopathy (brain damage).

So we got to the most delicious, to neurochemistry.
The fact is that the synthesis and metabolism of dopamine, a rather important neurotransmitter in the brain, is perverted in an alcoholic.

dopamine is the strongest excitatory and stimulating mediator, the precursor of all catecholamines (adrenaline, for example). In abstinence, its concentration in neurons (or rather, in interneuronal gaps) increases tenfold.
According to its action, it is like whipping a horse dying from exhaustion. The effect is like a short circuit in the head.
In the pathological mechanism of the development of alcoholic delirium, this plays an important role.

This is what ordinary, banal, uncomplicated withdrawal looks like.
And now I will talk about the really unpleasant things.
After hard drinking, against the background of separation, mental disorders appear and gradually increase in a person.
He cannot sleep, he cannot eat, he cannot drink. He sucks unusually.
And usually on the 2nd-3rd day of such a life, the brains fly out.
Everything starts gradually. At first, anxiety appears, causeless fear, the person himself cannot explain his nature, he is afraid and that's it, turns on all the lights in the house, TV, radio, etc.
In general, since the general condition of a person is grave and bleak, emotional instability, fearfulness also accompany ordinary withdrawal, but this is not yet a sign of psychosis.
Then, in the evening and at night, more often when falling asleep, some elementary hallucinations appear. Shadows move in the corners, the pattern on the wallpaper moves, threads, cobwebs in the air, the simplest sounds - rustles, sobs, creaking floorboards, as if someone is walking around the room.
This is how delirium begins.
The first time during the day the whole thing recedes and disappears, this is called the lucid window. In moments of enlightenment, a person can still run to the hospital himself.
With advanced delirium, these hallucinations already haunt a person constantly. Visions are bright, beautiful, spectacular, scene-like. Indistinguishable from reality, despite the fact that at the edge of the patient's consciousness he can even understand that this cannot be, but here it is! here!!

In general, everything would be great, but they (these hallucinations) almost always have a frightening character, for reasons that should be obvious to you by now. What exactly the enraged mind will produce is individual for each, but usually fits into the worldview of a person. In the classical case, small zoomorphic moving visions. As the people say, "devils drive." Although now there are almost no good old devils left, people do not believe in them, they have disappeared from the public unconscious. And small green anthropoid freaks, on the contrary, are full. Also giant spiders or rats.

Especially, I remember, I was pleased with one peasant, to whom a rat the size of a dog with the face of a mother-in-law came to and reviled him with terrible words as a drunkard and parasite, whom it was not enough to kill.
I think it gurgled like a human. Here.
Further more. The hallucinations gain scope and quirkiness. The dead are climbing out the window. Bandits in the house, corpses on the floor. From everywhere pours, explodes.
A man in fear grabs an ax and runs out into the street. There are Chechens, riot police, soldiers, everyone is shooting, houses are falling on their sides, corpses and parts of bodies are everywhere.
A man screams, waves an ax, runs away, he is pursued. There are screams behind us, stop shooting, we’ll catch up and kill anyway.
Bloody rain pours from the sky, pools of blood, a man runs behind a trash can, and there is a full trash can of shredded bodies. The man runs on, hands climb out of the ground, grab him, want to knock him down ...

It was a fairly typical case, just for example, he cited the most recent one, which he recently took.
Since a naked man, screaming and waving an ax in the air, creates an unhealthy excitement around him among ordinary passers-by and obsessive curiosity among police officers, he will not run far, as you understand.

Or here.
One uncle, besides being an alcoholic, worked as a petty swindler, was imprisoned many times. Accordingly, he had a difficult relationship with the police. And in a delirium tremens he saw the houses of the policemen, who told him that now they would rape him, and then kill him.
The uncle grabbed anything, and a stick from a mop fell into his hands and began to fight back from these "policemen". But against hallucinations it does not help much, against hallucinations haloperidol helps well, and a stick - not a fig. The stick passed through them, and the cops laughed and told the uncle that they have such special suits, with invisibility and transparency.
Then the uncle ran outside to look for some cop without a special suit. Found of course business something.
Imagine the picture: there is a reinforced outfit (then it seems that something has rushed somewhere again, so the cops were walking around with machine guns and in bulletproof vests).
In short, they stand there, smoke, do not touch anyone, they feel completely safe and, in general, masters of the situation.
Then some guy with a stick runs out from around the corner and let's beat them! With a mop against four machine gunners.
They were so freaked out that they didn’t even resist for a few seconds, they just looked at him stupidly, during which time he managed to properly attach one. They didn't shoot. Well done. They punched him in the head and took him to the hospital.

Summarizing.
To organize a delirious stupefaction of consciousness, it is not enough just to drink.
You must first earn an alcoholic disease, i.e. so that a perversion of the metabolism of neurotransmitters occurs, so that changes occur in the synthesis of alcohol-cleaving enzymes (primarily alcohol dehydrogenase).
To do this, you need to drink for a long time, at least 5 years.
Then it is necessary that there was a long, heavy binge, culminating in the complete exhaustion of the body.
And finally, it is necessary not to drink after drinking for several days (2-4 days in 80% of cases).
And only then will your head break. Only in alcoholics. Only in drunken alcoholics. Only in sober drunken alcoholics.

_________________________________________

From myself I will add, I had many friends of alcoholics. someone chased devils, someone communicated with aliens (they called him to their planet). one acquaintance once saw an evil midget in a flower pot on his windowsill. he also remembers how he was suffocating in his apartment, as if all the air was pumped out, and a vacuum formed around him. that's it))

In most cases, delirium tremens is very easy to identify. But the patient cannot diagnose himself. He believes that his inadequate behavior is quite normal. The sick person may react aggressively if told that he is sick.

In medicine, delirium tremens is called alcoholic delirium. In the people it can be called a squirrel. Very often about a person who has developed delirium tremens, they say that he "caught a squirrel"

The disease most often manifests itself against the background of alcoholism as a result of prolonged binges. It is less common in people who once drank a large amount of alcoholic beverages. In exceptional cases - with a single dose of a small amount of alcoholic beverages.

The most common first symptom of delirium tremens is the patient's complaints of insects crawling around him and over his body. At the same time, when examining a person, no beetles and spiders are found.

If at the first stage no measures are taken, then the patient begins to hear voices that in every possible way mock him and insult him.

If relatives do not call specialists, then the situation is aggravated. The alcoholic begins to see various creatures, bandits, corpses, animals that pursue him and try to harm him.

A person can see anything, but with delirium tremens, the presence of hallucinations is a mandatory symptom.

In addition to hallucinations, a person who has gone on a drinking binge can become very talkative. His behavior changes quite drastically. To his loved ones, he can sharply recall a situation that happened many years ago. In this case, the accuracy of memories will be very high. If you recognize delirium tremens at this stage, you can avoid many negative consequences.

Another symptom may be a sharp manifestation of feelings of jealousy towards those people on whom the patient was previously indifferent. As a result, an alcoholic can commit rash and dangerous acts. In his opinion, this will speak of masculinity and heroism. In fact, it can cause the danger of harm to yourself and others.

For a person suffering from delirium tremens, sharp mood swings are characteristic: good nature, joy and peace can at one moment be replaced by aggression, anger and hatred.

If the patient is not provided with qualified medical care, then the result of delirium tremens may be a heart attack, stroke, cirrhosis of the liver, coma. A patient with alcoholic delirium can inflict fatal injuries due to hallucinations to himself and others.

Every third person who had delirium tremens suffers from pneumonia.

The most common outcome of delirium tremens is death. But the transition of the disease to a chronic form is also possible. The patient may become permanently demented. A person cannot remember elementary things. For example, the name of the doctor who treats the patient, the season, the day of the week, and even the year. The most terrifying thing about all this is that this process is irreversible.

A patient with delirium tremens has the following symptoms:

1. The skin becomes pale. That is why the disease acquired such a name.
2. A person's temperature can rise up to 40°C.
3. The patient has hand tremor.
4. The feeling of chills may be replaced by excessive sweating. At the same time, people around you can smell a specific smell.
5. The patient's heartbeat is fast. The pressure is rising.
6. Having made an ultrasound, you can see that the liver is enlarged.

Also in the patient's blood tests, the following changes will be visible:

1. Increasing the concentration of nitrogen in the blood.
2. The acid-base balance in the body of a patient with delirium tremens is shifted towards acidity.
3. Marked increase in erythrocyte sedimentation rate.
4. Typical formation of leukocytosis.

White fever has several types. Each has its own course of symptoms.

1. Classic white fever. Symptoms appear gradually, smoothly moving from one stage to another.
2. Atypical delirium tremens is a recurrence of delirium. Externally, the disease is very much like schizophrenia.
3. Lucid delirium. The disease differs from others in that its onset is very acute. Instead of auditory and visual hallucinations, the patient has increased anxiety, coordination disorder and tremor of the limbs. The patient is characterized by unreasonable fear.
4. Abortive delirium tremens manifests itself in the form of fragmentary hallucinations. The patient may suddenly have crazy ideas, the essence of which is clear to him alone.
5. Occupational delirium is initially very similar to the classical form. But when the stage of hallucinations comes, the patient is dominated by repetitive actions and movements. Often they resemble the professional duties of the sick person.
6. Muttering delirium most often develops after other forms of the disease. The patient's condition is close to lethal. He practically cannot walk. And lying on the bed, he mumbles something, rubs himself with his hands or tries to drive non-existent insects from the body. If an emergency is not called urgently, the patient is likely to die.

What are the signs of delirium tremens in men

It is men who are more prone to delirium tremens on the background of alcohol intake. This is due to several factors:

1. Alcoholism is more common in men than in women.
2. The male psyche is more susceptible to change.
3. Contribute to the emergence of acute alcoholic psychosis may be the presence of traumatic brain injury, which is also more typical for the stronger sex.

In addition to all the standard signs, men may experience a sharp loss of interest in alcohol. In some cases, even a feeling of complete disgust for alcoholic beverages is possible. Against the background of the development of delirium tremens, the patient may develop insomnia, followed by nightmares. Also, a man with delirium tremens is very prone to mood swings. There may be a sharp increase in arousal.

What are the signs of delirium tremens in women

If a woman has delirium tremens, it will be somewhat more difficult to treat her. This is due to the form of alcohol dependence in women. Unlike men, in women addiction is formed very quickly and has not only a physical but also a psychological character.

In addition to all the above symptoms, women may experience the following symptoms:

1. Headache.
2. Noise in ears.
3. Loss of appetite.
4. Dehydration of the body.
5. Cramps in the limbs at night.

If a relative and close person has this disease, then it is immediately necessary to call an ambulance team and place the patient in a medical facility. There he will be offered qualified medical assistance. At home, treatment can only worsen the situation and lead to terrible consequences.

Treatments for delirium tremens

If after a long drunkenness, against the background of the withdrawal syndrome, a person has hallucinations, then relatives should urgently call an ambulance. This will be the first step towards recovery.

The patient will have to be assigned to a psychiatric hospital. Treatment will be comprehensive. First, the patient is relieved of the symptoms of insomnia, tremors, irritability, and alcohol intoxication is reduced.

Doctors will act in two directions at once: somatic treatment and restoration of the patient's psyche. Doctors need to normalize the water-salt balance in the patient's body.

Delirium tremens can affect the patient's liver, kidneys, heart and respiratory organs. Therefore, doctors prescribe drugs to restore these organs. To prevent myocardial infarction, doctors prescribe Korglikon and Niketamide. To prevent the formation of cerebral edema, as a rule, the diuretic Lasix is ​​prescribed.

The patient is injected with vitamin C and B in large doses. Sedatives, including benzodiazepines, are also used. If the patient has a history of convulsions, then the patient must additionally use antiepileptic drugs. In some cases, in order to better eliminate psychosis in a patient, Carbamazepine is used. But if alcoholic delirium is present in the patient in severe form, then this drug is contraindicated.

What to do if a loved one has delirium tremens?

Initially, you need to call an ambulance and call the brigade. But when emergency care is on the way, you should try to calm the patient as much as possible. It would be ideal if he could be put to bed.

If a person shows aggression, attacks others or tries to injure himself, then he must be tied up. It is imperative to remove away all objects with which a person can harm himself or others.

As a rule, during delirium tremens, the patient is diagnosed with dehydration. Therefore, it is important not to forget to give the patient clean water to drink. It must be kept cool. To do this, you can put a damp towel on his forehead.

The patient needs to calm down. You can also do this with herbs. For example, with the help of infusion of mint, lemon balm or chamomile decoction. It is important that the patient does not have an allergy to these drugs.

Delirium tremens refers to the most common type of alcoholic psychosis, which manifests itself in the complete inadequacy of the patient. The symptoms of psychosis can vary and vary from person to person. Most often, delirium tremens appears in alcoholics and during heavy drinking. At the first signs, it is necessary to turn to specialists, since the consequences of delirium tremens can be deplorable both for the alcoholic himself and for the people around him.

What is white fever?

Delirium tremens usually appears already in the second and third stages of alcoholism. Psychosis can appear directly during the use of alcohol - with a binge, as well as a few days after the end. Most often, delirium tremens occurs in people who regularly drink alcohol for at least 5 years, but in women this period may be longer. The fact is that the female body gets used to alcohol much faster, a strong dependence develops.

Deviation symptoms

A person with delirium tremens almost completely loses touch with reality, there are visual and auditory hallucinations.

An alcoholic completely connects them with reality, the level of anxiety rises, panic begins. All hallucinations are usually associated with the real fears of a person, with what he is most afraid of - robbers, the dead, snakes, insects.

At the same time, actions can be absolutely real, that is, for example, fleeing from robbers, a person can jump out of a window, take a weapon and attack a threatening object. That is why a person, regardless of whether it is a man or a woman, cannot be left alone with himself, this can be dangerous. Being with an alcoholic is also dangerous, so it is best to contact specialists. If this is not possible, it is necessary to try to completely isolate the person at home, for example, tie him up, lock him in a room, after making sure that there are no dangerous objects and open windows.

Do not forget that no one is safe from alcoholic fever - neither women nor men. The age of patients is predominantly over 40, but this does not mean that the disease will not appear at a younger age. It all depends on the stage of alcoholism and the amount of alcohol consumed.

Signs of delirium tremens

Delirium tremens never starts suddenly, there are certain signs by which you can see the future state of a person. Typically, these signs include:

• sleep disturbance;
• increased level of anxiety;
• constant feeling of fear, fear of some unpleasant event;
• hyperhidrosis during sleep;
• pain, convulsions, speech disorders, vomiting.

Over time, all these signs and symptoms increase, the level of anxiety increases, while a person often cannot even explain what he is really afraid of. Delirium tremens usually lasts 10-15 days, but especially acute symptoms in both men and women are observed on days 3-5. The first thing to do with such signs is to turn to specialists, because with complex forms, medication and professional help are needed. Very often there are cases when a person in delirium tremens ended his life by suicide or rushed at other people. It is to prevent such risks that you need to turn to narcologists.

Causes of alcoholic delirium

The cause of delirium tremens is commonplace - excessive and regular use of alcohol. If a person has been drinking strong alcohol in a volume of at least 0.5 liters for several years, then delirium tremens is practically guaranteed. Even if you do not drink constantly, but drunkenly, delirium can still appear, so if a problem exists, you should not ignore it and let it take its course, you must try to help the person.

Forms of delirium tremens

Narcologists distinguish several types of alcoholic diliria, which differ in complexity and some symptoms:

• hypnagogic - the mildest form, with which the patient sees hallucinations in a dream or with his eyes closed;
• systematized - appears regularly with each use of alcohol or binge, is characterized by increased anxiety and fears, persecution mania may develop;
• atypical delirium tremens is a more complex case, an alcoholic can lose touch with reality, sometimes completely, he is constantly haunted by visual and vocal hallucinations, a person can be dangerous to others;
• severe form - a rarer, but complex form of deviation, develops most often against the background of other diseases, a person loses contact with the outside world, connection with reality, orientation in space. This form requires mandatory qualified assistance.

If there is delirium tremens in an alcoholic, you need to know what to do and how to act correctly in this situation. Only the right actions will help prevent all possible dangers and risks.

What to do?

If you know about a long-term drinking of your relative or loved one and he develops symptoms of delirium, do not delay, contact the specialists. At home, you need to take the following steps:

• make sure the person is in a horizontal position. If signs of aggression are observed, it can be tied to the bed (use a soft cloth);
• apply cold to the head, give plenty of drink;
• if there is increased anxiety and signs of aggression, sleeping pills or sedatives can be given;
• a cold shower is an excellent tool, but not everyone can take it, monitor the patient's condition, this is an optional measure.

Delirium tremens lasts for several days, if a person shows aggression, the help of specialists is required. Do not risk and do not be alone with an alcoholic. If the condition is of moderate severity, treatment can be carried out at home, this will not require strong medications, enough sleeping pills, sedatives, it is also necessary to provide plenty of drink - mineral or lemon water, teas.

Treatment in the hospital

Medical treatment in the clinic is divided into several stages:

• elimination of arousal and aggression, the use of drugs sibazon and sodium oxybutyrate;
• restoration of metabolism and the work of the gastrointestinal tract;
• elimination of hypodynamic disorders;
• restoration of the functioning of the liver and kidneys.

If you do not consult a doctor in a timely manner and do not help the patient, serious consequences are possible, so do not hesitate and let the situation take its course!

Treatment in the hospital for delirium tremens gives almost 100% positive results. Most importantly, after undergoing a course of treatment, protect a person from alcohol, if necessary, undergo a course of getting rid of addiction.

Complications and consequences

People who have delirium tremens should never drink. With each binge, the situation will worsen and, ultimately, this will lead to serious consequences. It is worth remembering that the longer the period of alcoholism, the more the doses of daily alcohol consumption increase and the more serious the consequences will be.

Excess alcohol always and in any case causes severe intoxication, which adversely affects the patient's kidneys and liver, and the brain. It is not a fact that even after proper medical intervention a person will fully recover, mental defects remain in 15-20%. In especially difficult and neglected cases, a fatal outcome is quite real. The most common causes of death are acute heart failure, cerebral edema, liver and kidney disease.

You should not treat delirium tremens as a temporary phenomenon, if there is a problem, then it will remain forever, provided that the person does not stop drinking. With proper treatment and complete rejection of alcohol, the prognosis is quite favorable.

Prevention

Prevention of this disease is quite simple - do not abuse alcohol. If there is alcoholism, the problem becomes relevant, then you need to contact a good drug treatment clinic. Now there are a huge number of methods for the treatment of alcoholism, many of them give almost 100% results and no relapses. The main thing here is the desire of the patient and the presence of great willpower. Delirium tremens is a serious deviation, therefore, at the first signs, it is necessary to start treatment and consult a specialist.

Every drinking person should be aware of all the symptoms and consequences of delirium tremens. Typically, such psychosis occurs a few days after the end of a long drinking bout.

External symptoms of delirium tremens

If you carefully look at the behavior of a person, it is easy to recognize the symptoms of delirium tremens in him. Sick starts complaining about the insects around him that seem to crawl all over the body. Over time, there are complaints about extraneous voices that call names and tease the drinker.

If medical assistance is not provided to the patient in time, he begins to see corpses everywhere, to think that he is being pursued by bandits or monsters. In all cases, the type of hallucinations is different, but they are always present. Be sure to listen to the sudden complaints of the patient.

If you notice any of these signs of a fever in your loved ones, take the person to the doctor immediately.

You can also recognize the signs of delirium tremens by changing the behavior of a drinking person. If he suddenly became too talkative, began to recall events of many years ago with incredible accuracy, you should take a closer look at him. Also, delirium tremens can manifest itself as strong jealousy towards people who until recently were practically indifferent. Alcoholics begin to commit rash and dangerous acts who, in their opinion, shows everyone their courage and heroism. In this state, sharp mood swings are characteristic, when excitement is replaced by appeasement, anger - by strong joy, aggression - by good nature.

Male symptoms of fever

Most often, delirium tremens occurs in men. The fact is that their psyche is more subject to monumental changes. It is possible to recognize the signs of this psychosis in the stronger sex even in the early stages. This is usually indicated by:

• bouts of excessive sweating and trembling in the limbs;
• a sharp loss of interest in alcoholic beverages, there may even be an aversion to it;
• insomnia, which is replaced by terrible dreams, from which it is difficult for the patient to wake up;
• frequent mood swings, bouts of increased arousal.

If you do not start medical therapy for delirium tremens in time, complications may occur. If the problem is ignored, delirium tremens can cause sudden death. Delirium tremens is a form of serious psychosis, in which a drinking person becomes dangerous to everyone around. To avoid negative consequences, immediately consult a treating specialist with a sharp change in the behavior of the drinker. He will also be able to approximately say how many people live after this.

Female symptoms of delirium tremens

Women's alcoholism is much more difficult to treat with medication. The fact is that addiction in the weaker sex is formed more slowly, but more seriously. In women, there is not only a physical craving for alcohol, but also a psychological one. With the appearance of delirium tremens, it is no longer possible to cope with this problem on your own, emergency medical care is needed.

You can recognize an attack of this disease by the following signs:

• bouts of aggression;
• increased anxiety;
• frequent mood swings;
• neurological disorders: headache, tinnitus, speech disorders;
• loss of appetite;
• loss of spatial orientation;
• sleep disorders;
• tremor of the limbs;
• increased sweating;
• dehydration of the body;
• high body temperature for a long period;
• increased heart rate and high blood pressure;
• delusional disorder;
• hallucinations of any kind;
• convulsions at night.

The presence of several of the above symptoms in a heavy drinker indicates delirium tremens. We strongly recommend that you do not waste time, but immediately contact your doctor. Only in this way will it be possible to avoid the serious consequences of such a condition, as well as to normalize the functioning of the body.

Hallucinations are a serious psychological disorder that requires immediate medical attention.

Believe me, you will not be able to cope with this without qualified medical assistance. Only a doctor will determine the degree of damage and the most effective therapy.

Hallucinations in delirium tremens

Hallucinations with delirium tremens do not occur immediately, they are formed with a long absence of drug therapy. It is also preceded by a cardinal change in signs: insomnia is replaced by serious nightmares, apathy - by serious aggression. However, in most cases, to recognize this disorder after the onset of hallucinations:

If you do not start therapy, hallucinations begin to be replaced by illusions. A person can no longer distinguish the real world from the fictional one, which is why he endangers not only his life, but also all those around him. He also has crazy ideas to save the whole world and humanity, he thinks out a whole plot and begins to behave inappropriately towards others and do dangerous things.

Social consequences of delirium tremens

Delirium tremens - a serious psychological deviation, which can be recognized in the initial stages. It should be noted that this problem does not always go unnoticed. After it, albeit light, but still the consequences remain. Due to inadequate behavior, a drinking person can harm not only himself, but also those around him. Many people end up committing suicide or attempting to kill other people because of prolonged hallucinations. If the problem is noticed in time, the consequences will be easy. Usually, after delirium tremens, the patient is faced with:

• retrograde or anterograde amnesia;
• psychoorganic syndrome;
• development of chronic psychosis;
• excessive susceptibility to mental disorders.

People who have experienced delirium tremens often face serious diseases of the liver, kidneys, heart function is disrupted, and the risk of developing cerebral edema increases. It should be noted that such consequences are formed not from the fever itself, but from prolonged use of alcoholic beverages. To reduce the negative consequences of this problem, it is best to seek help from a specialized medical center, and not be limited to home therapy.

Consequences of severe delirium tremens

No doctor can say exactly how many people live with delirium tremens. It all depends on the duration of the use of alcoholic beverages. and the degree of brain damage.

The consequences of delirium tremens can be very different: some people do not have any serious consequences at all, and they recover completely, while others get serious defects and soon face a fatal outcome.

According to statistics, about 10% of drinkers die from delirium tremens every year.

The sooner a person with delirium tremens receives medical help, the higher the likelihood of avoiding serious consequences.

According to crime reports, the vast majority of murders at home are due to delirium tremens. A person who is faced with an attack of uncontrolled aggression can no longer control himself. Because of this, his behavior becomes inadequate, he begins to rush even at his close people. However, when he wakes up, he won't remember any of his actions from yesterday. With the development of prolonged delirium tremens, an alcoholic loses his chances of survival - he develops a serious swelling of the brain, heart diseases form, and the liver decomposes.