home Audience 5 Symptoms and treatment of delirium tremens at home. Hallucinations during delirium tremens. Changes in physical condition during delirium tremens

Symptoms and treatment of delirium tremens at home. Hallucinations during delirium tremens. Changes in physical condition during delirium tremens

Delirium tremens(aka delirium delirium) is one of the most common psychoses from which alcoholics suffer. In most cases, delirium tremens begins to develop in those people who constantly drink alcohol and are over 40 years of age. In chronic alcoholism, delirium tremens occurs more often. If a person is in a state alcohol intoxication several days or weeks, then psychosis is simply guaranteed for him.

Interestingly, delirium tremens affects not only chronic alcoholics, but also those people who drink low-quality alcohol, people with traumatic brain injury, as well as people who suffer from diseases of the central nervous system. nervous system. If a person has ever been in a state of delirium tremens, then it is likely that in the future it may recur even after taking a small dose of alcohol.

Why does delirium tremens occur?

Among the main causes of the condition are:

Prolonged and heavy drinking;
Consumption of substitute alcohol;
Somatic pathology;
Serious brain damage.

The pathogenesis of delirium tremens has not been fully studied to date. It is assumed that the strongest influence is exerted by disturbances in the exchange of neurotransmitters in the central nervous system.

Symptoms of delirium tremens

An alcoholic begins to lose orientation in time and space. The main symptom of psychosis is the appearance of hallucinations, vivid and abundant illusions.

Visual hallucinations usually predominate. Very often, patients begin to see small animals: rodents, snakes, spiders, large insects. Devils also often appear that tease the alcoholic and bite their tongue. In addition, large animals (dogs, bears, elephants) may appear. The alcoholic, in most cases, fights the hallucinations, scolds them, fights or runs away from a possible attack.

With auditory hallucinations, the alcoholic begins to hear various remarks and voices from almost everywhere. They are addressed specifically to him, condemn him and scold him, and sometimes threaten him. The patient talks to them, argues, begins to make excuses or threaten. Often, auditory hallucinations can be in the form of orders that are meekly carried out by the alcoholic.

Tactile hallucinations can manifest themselves as a very realistic sensation of the presence of some object in the mouth (hair or thread), the feeling of insects crawling over the body, bites, etc.

The hallucinations listed above can be combined. At the same time, the images that appear often have a certain plot on given topic, in which the alcoholic acts as the central figure. Often, hallucinations can occur in the format of the profession that the patient had (builder, loader, driver, etc.).

In addition to hallucinations, illusions may occur (this is not the same thing). Alcoholics begin to perceive their surroundings incorrectly: they can see abstract images against the background of simple objects (for example, very often the illusion is caused by pictures on wallpaper).

During delirium tremens, in most cases, the alcoholic begins to have delusional ideas that reflect hallucinatory experiences. The patient is in a bad and anxious mood. When hallucinating, alcoholics may experience fear and show aggression towards others, which makes them potentially dangerous. On the other hand, the patient may develop depression, which, under the influence of fear from hallucinations, can lead to suicide. Systematically, with delirium tremens, a state of euphoria is observed in the alcoholic, which is accompanied by flat humor on the part of the patient.

In most cases, delirium tremens causes active motor arousal, which reflects the scenes of hallucinations experienced by the patient. An alcoholic will attack non-existent opponents or run away from them. At the same time, they may well jump out of a window or run across the road.

Somatic symptoms:

Pronounced trembling;
Large pupils, but reaction to light remains;
Tendon reflexes strengthened;
Body temperature rises slightly;
The pulse quickens, high blood pressure is observed;
Redness of the skin is observed on the face;
The presence of inflammatory phenomena from the gastrointestinal tract, coated tongue;
The liver is enlarged and painful on palpation;
An increase in the amount of bilirubin and leukocytes in the blood.

According to severity of manifestation Delirium tremens is usually divided into:

With a predominance of auditory hallucinations;
Traditional form of delirium tremens;
Fantastic delirium tremens;
Severe form.

The duration of delirium tremens is usually several days. The intensity indicated above clinical symptoms fluctuates in different time days. Patients sleep little and have disturbed sleep.

The disease can end as unexpectedly as it began. Symptoms immediately subside after this. Patients fall asleep and wake up practically healthy. In the following days, the effects of psychosis may be observed.

Consequences of delirium tremens

Three main development options can be distinguished: delirium tremens either ends or develops into chronic form, or leads to coma and death. The cause of death, as a rule, is suicide, which occurs when the alcoholic's mind is affected by hallucinations.

In 10% of cases even correct treatment Delirium tremens can result in serious heart disease, seizures, pneumonia, cerebral edema, and liver disease.

In addition, the consequences of psychosis include memory loss, dementia, cardiovascular diseases, liver damage. As a rule, very often repeated delirium tremens can lead to death. We probably don’t need to talk about the fact that against the backdrop of delirium tremens, a huge number of crimes occur.

If delirium tremens occurs repeatedly or for the umpteenth time in a row, then it is necessary to think specifically about treating the person. Because the next attack of such psychosis may be the last. In this case, loved ones must take drastic measures to treat the alcoholic, as well as to get him out of binge drinking.

Treatment of delirium tremens

Traditional medicine is not used to treat delirium tremens. Exacerbations may begin 4-5 days after drinking alcohol. Delirium tremens is easily identified by speech disturbances, headaches, convulsions, vomiting and other characteristic signals that will indicate neurological disorders.

At home, you can help the patient by tying him to the bed. In this case, at least he won’t be able to harm himself. It is recommended to give an alcoholic water to drink to prevent dehydration and to high temperature fulfill symptomatic treatment using cold baths and water rubdowns.

In general, for any manifestations of psychosis it is necessary to call ambulance and orderlies. If you do not have the opportunity to use medical help, then you need to find a place where the patient will sleep. For this purpose, various sleeping pills. When using a sleeping pill, it should never be mixed with alcoholic drinks, therefore, drinking alcohol should be excluded.

Once delirium tremens passes, the patient should think about what to do with his alcohol addiction. Even after the first delirium tremens, a person will have serious mental disorders.

Long holidays, such as New Year, Maslenitsa, St. Easter and other types folk festivals, for ordinary people represent bright events that they are waiting for for a long time. The same cannot be said about narcologists. For them, such periods are just harsh everyday life. Why? Yes, because the majority of conscious citizens in this “happy” time carefreely go on a binge, without thinking about the consequences.
There is even a certain kind of statistics on planned visits to clinics:

the first wave picks up the “acutely poisoned”. This is when teetotalers, inveterate due to everyday responsibilities, “get their hands on the delicacy” and begin to pour into themselves everything that “burns”;
warmed up brawlers immediately catch up with them;
they are followed by those who misinterpreted the meaning of a hangover, plunging into a short-term alcoholic stupor,
and finally, the lucky ones close this chain, balancing in the prostration of intoxicated euphoria for about ten days. Suddenly their responsibility mode kicks in and they urgently get ready to go to work. In the process, they abruptly come out of their binge drinking, using “proven” recipes.

Well, since everyone’s body is different, “software” failures often occur. As a result, in 80 percent of cases, individuals are visited by an unexpected guest - a “squirrel”, or simply delirium tremens. This happens traditionally, 3-4 days after the feast.

Delirium tremens - what is it

Unfortunately, many people know first-hand what delirium tremens is. This is not funny, since this diagnosis belongs to the field of psychiatric disorders. However, alcoholism and delirium tremens are two complementary diagnoses that rarely do without each other.

In scientific terminology, delirium tremens has a sonorous name - delirium delirium. In Latin it is written as delirium tremens, and is translated as “shaking darkness.” The disease can manifest itself in both men and women. But, nevertheless, most often it becomes a legal privilege of the strong half of humanity who abuse alcohol for 7-10 years in a row.

Why exactly men...

Many people wonder why delirium tremens occurs more often in men than in women. But there is nothing surprising here:

Firstly, this disease concerns the area of an unstable mental state. And, as is known, it can arise as a result of all kinds of psychological stress, including head injuries (they can be obtained not only in boxing matches, but also during drunken fights). Also, viral diseases suffered by an alcoholic can provoke symptoms of delirium tremens.
Secondly, it is men who allow themselves (sometimes on a dare) to “go too far,” then get hungover, forget themselves, go too far again, and finally tell themselves the heroic “stop.”

Why does delirium begin only in the process of “awakening” and leaving the binge? Because it is during this period that something like “withdrawal” begins in the body. This is an abstinence whose mechanism of action is based on oxygen starvation brain, fueled by a poisonous toxic cocktail that enters the body through drunk alcohol. By the way, the manifestation of delirium tremens after a binge most often affects an already “shaken” psyche, which has repeatedly encountered the consequences of alcohol exposure.

What do men experience during delirium tremens?

How does delirium tremens manifest in men? It all depends on the case. But in its classic form, the scenario is built on:

Delirium tremens from a medical point of view

WITH medical point The clinical picture of delirium tremens looks like this:

Patients express complaints about headaches and ear pain, insomnia and a depressing feeling of fear.
At the moment of falling asleep, “natural” hallucinations may occur.
No appetite.
There is no craving for alcohol. More often than not, there is even disgust.
The mood is unstable. A moment of joy may appear, which is immediately replaced by gloomy melancholy, and vice versa.
A person may suddenly wake up and begin to scour the room in search of something scary, muttering something under his breath.

All this is accompanied by chills and sweating, and convulsions may appear. Noted cardiopalmus, dehydration, increased pressure and temperature up to 40 degrees, or even higher.
Total duration Symptoms range from several days to three weeks. All this time the patient is in extremely serious condition.

Almost on the verge of life and death. Healing comes only after deep and long sleep. However, it is impossible to fight the disease on your own. Here you cannot do without the help of resuscitators and psychiatric intervention. If doctors don’t get down to business in time, the patient will simply die.

Unconditional hospitalization

In general, with delirium tremens, the symptoms and consequences have quite serious grounds for immediately and unconditionally hospitalizing the patient in a specialized clinic. This is confirmed by legislative framework in the form of Art. 29 of the Law “On psychiatric care and guarantees of the rights of citizens during its provision.”

It talks about forced hospitalization of a person under the following circumstances:

the patient creates a danger to himself and others;
he is helpless and cannot satisfy the basic needs of life;
there is a risk of application serious harm to their health due to a deterioration in their mental state.

As you can see, the diagnosis of “delirium tremens” unprecedentedly includes two points “a” and “c” at once, although “b” is not far behind.

What is the main danger of delirium tremens

Of course, in any sense of perception of this problem, delirium is a serious stress for the human body. Everything that appears and haunts an alcoholic seems absolutely real and really exists. Hence the grimaces, distorted by incredible horror, and the wild desire to escape, during which the patient may even jump out of the window. And then, who knows... he will attack anyone similar, mistaking him for an enemy, or he will fall to his death if he was too high...

Due to delirium tremens, men often experience another type of psychosis - unbridled jealousy. Especially in adulthood. An inflamed brain paints who knows what pictures, and the matter may end uncontrolled aggression up to and including unintentional murder. And this is not a funny story at all...

Alcohol addiction affects many drinking time from people's time. Unfortunately, the disease is rarely detected on early stages. Often an alcoholic spends many years either hiding his addiction from loved ones or denying its existence, refusing to consult a specialist. In both cases, the patient does not receive timely medical care. As a result, it is formed chronic alcoholism. One of the characteristic complications of chronic alcohol addiction are attacks of delirium tremens.

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Delirium tremens, which official language medically called delirium delirium, is an acute alcoholic psychosis that occurs in alcoholics after emerging from a drunken state. Typically, this condition is typical for a patient in the second and subsequent stages of alcohol dependence. This disorder is preceded by long-term alcohol abuse, which leads to somatic pathologies, headaches, sleep disorders, general ailments, etc.

The clinical picture of delirium tremens is quite bright. From the outside, this condition looks very unpleasant, since the patient is tormented by distinct realistic hallucinations, he loses temporary and spatial orientation, is unable to control himself and is aggressive towards others. In other words, the person behaves like crazy. Let us dwell on the specific manifestations of this disorder.

So, recognizing the pathology is not difficult. An attack of fever is accompanied by the release from the subconscious of all the fears an alcoholic has, which are under control when sober. After heavy drinking, the patient experiences hallucinations in the form of all kinds of devils, witches, sorcerers, and various mythical creatures, enemies, pursuers, killers, any animals, insects, etc. The patient sees all this in reality.

Narcologists consider the first symptoms of delirium tremens to be:

Patient restlessness;
Excessive concern;
Anxiety;
Sleep disorders associated with persistent insomnia;
Moderate hyperthermic manifestations;
Excessive sweating;
Frequent jumps in blood pressure towards hypertension;
Tachycardic symptoms;
Pale skin, up to a bluish tint;
Pathologically low muscle tone;
Ataxic signs;
Reflex hyperactivity;
Dehydration;
Metabolic acidosis, which is characterized by decreased acid-base balance blood;
Excessive content of metabolic products in the body such as urea, creatinine, etc.;
Violations chemical composition blood, etc.

The first manifestations are complemented by the inappropriate behavior of an alcoholic who screams, swears, rushes into empty space and fights with an imaginary opponent. Or vice versa: the patient may run somewhere, as if fleeing from someone. Therefore, during an attack, it often happens that patients jump out of windows, without even thinking about what floor they are on, which often leads to their death.

Persons susceptible to the disease

Of course, people who do not have a tendency to abuse alcohol cannot have delirium tremens. And in people who occasionally drink alcohol, such a disorder is hardly possible. Signs of delirium tremens are usually observed in alcoholics who have a significant history of addiction (more than 5 years) and are approximately at the 2-3 stage of alcoholism.

Typically, fever occurs after a long binge. This condition is provoked by withdrawal syndrome and manifests itself approximately on the second or third day after stopping alcohol, most often at night or in the evening.

However, there are cases when fever occurs in people who once overdid it with alcohol.

How long does delirium tremens last?

Experts distinguish several stages of fever, differing in symptoms and duration:

Threatening delirium (first stage)

Usually occurs in the first 2 days after stopping binge drinking. Clinical manifestations such as hyperthermia, incoherent muttering, hallucinogenic images, tremors and fear, excessive anxiety and fussiness appear in the evenings, although it happens that such signs occur even during the day. This condition lasts about a couple of days, and then goes away on its own. If you drink alcohol at this stage, you can eliminate the symptoms of threatening delirium;

Complete delirium (second stage)

It is dangerous to treat on your own, so the patient requires mandatory hospitalization. Clinical manifestations are clearly expressed, and traditional visions are complemented by tactile and auditory hallucinations. The patient constantly imagines that they want to kill him, that they are persecuting him, that they are weaving intrigues and conspiracies against him. The second stage may last one or two days. In the presence of pathologies accompanying alcoholism (such as severe injuries, a history of delirium, deep alcoholic depression) completed delirium quickly moves to the next third stage;

Life-threatening delirium (third stage).

At this stage, the patient's speech becomes incoherent, there is no reaction to others, his blood pressure drops, his pupils dilate, and convulsive muscle contractions appear. In fact, this is the active phase acute psychosis. This condition lasts up to 5 days. This stage is dangerous because the risks of developing comatose state or cerebral edema. In addition, it is at the third stage of delirium that an irreversible disruption of the functionality of most intraorganic structures occurs.

In general, the timing of each stage may shift somewhat and depend on the individual characteristics of the patient and his health, alcohol history and duration of binge drinking.

Treatment

If the patient experiences the first signs of delirium tremens, it is necessary to hospitalize him in a narcological clinic, where he will be provided with the necessary medical care. If delirium is ignored, then there is a high probability that one of these attacks will end in death for the patient. Especially danger signs, indicating an urgent need for medical intervention, are convulsive muscle contractions, hyperthermia up to 40 ° C, excessive aggressiveness, dehydration, high blood pressure and cerebral edema.

After hospitalization, the patient is usually prescribed detoxification therapy, after which the following is indicated:

psychotropic drugs like Haloperidol, Relanium, Droperidol;
drugs to normalize respiratory and cardiac activity (Cordiamin, Korglikon);
means restoring water-salt balance and metabolic exchange.

Detoxification is carried out by infusion therapy, hemosorption, Lasix (1% solution) is administered to prevent swelling of brain tissue. To relieve psycho-emotional overexcitation, drugs like Seduxen, Diphenhydramine, Sodium oxyburate, etc. are recommended.

For alcoholic delirium, therapy is carried out in specialized wards. The duration of fever with qualified therapy usually does not exceed an 8-day period. IN daytime the patient feels well, but at night he begins to suffer from hallucinations. Sometimes all it takes to recover is a long, deep sleep.

Consequences

Delirium causes damage to the entire body, leading to unpredictable consequences. The patient may recover completely or die. The severity of the consequences and outcome of the attack are determined by the strength of health and the degree of ethanol poisoning of the body. In practice, narcologists most often encounter the following consequences of alcoholic tremens:

Severe vitamin deficiency;
Chronic psychoses;
Renal pathologies, cirrhosis, encephalopathy;
Pulmonary inflammation;
Problems with cardiac functions;
Circulatory disorders;
Liver pathologies, failure;
Amnesia;
Dangerous dehydration leading to swelling of brain tissue.

More often, patients who have overcome an attack of delirium fear for their health and try to get rid of addiction forever in order to avoid a relapse of the disease. According to statistics, such patients, even with a small amount of alcohol, may experience acute attack delirium, and it will be much stronger than the first. In such a situation, it can be very difficult to save the patient, especially with fever against the background of long-term drinking.

Help at home

Treating the symptoms of delirium tremens at home is not recommended, as delirium is considered dangerous condition, capable of causing the death of the patient. Therefore, in such situations, you should immediately contact a narcologist-psychiatrist.

Before the doctor arrives, you should try to put the patient to bed. You need to give him more water. If the patient is violent, then even tying him to the bed is acceptable. It is better to apply cold on your head. It is necessary to calm the patient by all means; you can give him valerian, motherwort or some kind of sleeping pill. The main thing is not to leave him alone, so that the patient does not injure himself or others.

If difficulties arise with hospitalization, and for some reason it is impossible, then it is necessary for the patient to fall asleep. For this, it is recommended to use sleeping pills, but it is strictly forbidden to mix them with alcohol. At home treatment fever can last from 2 to 20 days. However, in order to avoid possible complications, it is still strongly recommended to hospitalize the patient in a specialized medical institution to provide qualified care.

In most cases, delirium tremens is very easy to identify. But the patient will not be able to diagnose himself. He believes that he inappropriate behavior quite normal. A sick person may react aggressively if he is told that he is sick.

In medicine, delirium tremens is called delirium tremens. People may call it a squirrel. Very often they say about a person who has delirium tremens that he “caught a squirrel”

The disease most often manifests itself against the background of alcoholism as a result of long binges. Less common in people who have had a single drink a large number of alcoholic drinks. 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 about insects crawling next to him and on his body. At the same time, when examining a person, no beetles or spiders are found.

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

If loved ones do not call specialists, the situation gets worse. The alcoholic begins to see various creatures, bandits, corpses, animals that are chasing him and trying 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 may become very talkative. His behavior changes quite dramatically. To his loved ones, he can vividly 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 about whom the patient was previously indifferent. As a result, an alcoholic may commit rash and dangerous actions. In his opinion, this will speak of masculinity and heroism. But in fact, it can cause danger of harm to both oneself and others.

For a person suffering from delirium tremens, sharp changes mood: 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, the result of delirium tremens can be a heart attack, stroke, cirrhosis of the liver, or coma. A patient with delirium delirium can cause fatal injuries to himself and others due to hallucinations.

Every third person who has had delirium tremens suffers from pneumonia.

The most common outcome of delirium tremens is death. But it is also possible for the disease to become chronic. The patient may become permanently demented. A person cannot remember basic things. For example, the name of the doctor who treats the patient, the time of year, 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 experiences the following symptoms:

The skin becomes pale color. That is why the disease acquired such a name.
A person's temperature can rise to 40°C.
The patient has hand tremors.
Feelings of chills may alternate excessive sweating. At the same time, others can smell a specific smell.
The patient's heart rate is rapid. The pressure rises.
Having done an ultrasound, you can see that the liver is enlarged.

The following changes will also be visible in the patient’s blood tests:

Increased nitrogen concentration in the blood.
The acid-base balance in the body of a patient with delirium tremens shifts towards acidity.
A noticeable increase in the erythrocyte sedimentation rate.
Typically the formation of leukocytosis.

Delirium tremens has several types. Each has its own course of symptoms.

Classic delirium tremens. Symptoms appear gradually, smoothly moving from one stage to another.
Atypical delirium tremens is a recurrence of delirium. Externally, the disease is very similar to schizophrenia.
Lucid delirium. The disease differs from others in that its onset is very acute. Instead of auditory and visual hallucinations, the patient experiences increased anxiety, movement coordination disorder and limb tremors. The patient is characterized by unreasonable fear.
Abortive delirium tremens manifests itself in the form of fragmentary hallucinations. The patient may suddenly develop delusional ideas, the essence of which is clear to him alone.
Occupational delirium is initially very similar to the classic form. But when the stage of hallucinations occurs, the patient is dominated by repetitive actions and movements. They often remind professional responsibilities sick.
Mumbling delirium most often develops after other forms of the disease. The patient's condition is close to fatal. He practically cannot walk. And lying on the bed, he mutters something, rubs himself with his hands, or tries to drive non-existent insects from his body. If emergency care is not called immediately, the patient will most likely die.

What are the signs of delirium tremens typical for men?

It is men who are more susceptible to delirium tremens when drinking alcohol. This is due to several factors:

Alcoholism is more common in men than in women.
The male psyche is more susceptible to change.
The presence of traumatic brain injuries can contribute to the appearance of acute alcoholic psychosis, which is also more typical for the stronger sex.

In addition to all the standard symptoms, men may experience sudden loss interest in alcohol. In some cases, it is even possible to feel a complete disgust for alcoholic beverages. As delirium tremens develops, the patient may develop insomnia, followed by nightmares. Also, a man with delirium tremens is very susceptible to mood swings. May occur sharp increase excitement.

What are the signs of delirium tremens typical for women?

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

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

Headache.
Noise in ears.
Loss of appetite.
Dehydration of the body.
Cramps in the limbs at night.

If a relative and loved one If this disease occurs, it is immediately necessary to call an ambulance and place the patient in medical institution. There he will be offered qualified medical care. At home, treatment can only worsen the situation and lead to dire consequences.

Treatments for delirium tremens

If, after a long period of drinking, against the background of withdrawal symptoms, a person experiences hallucinations, then loved ones should urgently call an ambulance team. 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's symptoms of insomnia, tremor, increased excitability and reduce alcohol intoxication.

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 Corglicon and Niketamide. To prevent the formation of cerebral edema, the diuretic Lasix is usually prescribed.

The patient is injected with vitamin C and B in large dosages. Also applicable sedatives, including benzodiazepines. 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 the patient, Carbamazepine is used. But if the patient has severe delirium tremens, then this drug is contraindicated.

What to do if a loved one has delirium tremens?

Initially, you need to call an ambulance and call a team. But when urgent Care will be on the road, you must try to reassure 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 cause harm to himself or others.

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

The patient needs to calm down. This can also be done with the help of herbs. For example, using an infusion of mint, lemon balm or chamomile decoction. It is important that the patient is not allergic to these drugs.

Delirium tremens is an unhealthy condition that begins with late stages chronic addiction from drinking alcohol-containing liquids. In medicine, this disease is usually called delirium, caused by excessive libation of intoxicating drinks. Delirium tremens is expressed by hallucinations, delirium, chills and fever. Hallucinations are often threatening in nature. Often, an alcoholic suffering from the disease in question seems to see various dangerous insects or devils. Main danger The described disorder is the likelihood of self-harm and suicide.

Delirium tremens requires immediate medical intervention. A typical feature of the disease in question is the rarity of its development against the background of drunkenness; it usually occurs after the cessation of the usual “volumes” of alcohol consumption on the second to fifth day.

Symptoms of delirium tremens

The disorder in question is considered a symptom of alcoholism. Its specificity lies in its onset when one is sober and feels an aversion to alcohol-containing liquids. This condition is considered a kind of harbinger caused by alcohol.

Delirium tremens after binge drinking poses a threat to the alcoholic. A man, after a long-term binge and hangover syndrome, is in an excited state, accompanied by mood swings and. The subject, being in this unhealthy state, is capable of unconsciously causing harm to his own person.

Most often it occurs after five to seven years of abuse of strong drinks in individuals with alcoholism of the second or third stage, after a long binge or as a result of stopping drinking after drinking every day for weeks or several months. Much less often, people who do not abuse alcohol-containing liquids on a regular basis, after prolonged consumption of large amounts of alcohol, or due to the use of alcohol substitutes, are susceptible to this disease. The most vulnerable group of people are individuals who have previously suffered serious illnesses Central nervous system or brain injury. In patients who have suffered a severe form of psychosis of alcoholic etiology in the past, it may recur even after injecting small doses of alcohol-containing drinks into themselves. In almost a third of cases, symptoms of delirium tremens develop when a person is forced by some physical illness to stop drinking intoxicating liquids.

Delirium tremens after heavy drinking occurs, as a rule, in the first few days, in some situations – on the fourth or sixth day. Before the onset of delirium, during the hangover period, the following symptoms of delirium tremens may be detected: vomiting, speech disorders, headaches and a number of other disorders of neurological origin. In twelve percent of cases, the onset of the described illness is preceded by convulsions.

The first signs of delirium tremens are anxiety that cannot be explained, a premonition of impending trouble, and disturbance of dreams. Among the somatic symptoms, the following are distinguished: tremor of the limbs, facial flushing, excessive sweating, increased heart rate, increased temperature and blood pressure, redness of the eyes. Sleep deteriorates, and dreams become heavy and filled with nightmares, often occurring before falling asleep. visual illusions. While awake, visual and auditory delusions are possible: patients hear doors slamming, bells, footsteps.

Around the fourth night, insomnia appears, accompanied by strong and picturesque visual illusions. They often contain insects and small mammals, less often - non-existent creatures such as devils, gnomes, elves. The nature of hallucinations is quite individual. In addition, the described disorder is also characterized by tactile deceptions. It seems to the patient that insects are crawling on the skin, which he often tries to catch, chase and crush. Often an alcoholic hears voices, sometimes calling to do something, mocking, teasing, and sometimes not addressed to him personally.

IN similar condition patients become inadequate. They are completely in the grip of hallucinations. Patients communicate with voices, try to fight off apparent animals or fairy-tale creatures, and try to escape from bandits. Some people have various delusional ideas, for example, an alcoholic has or may feel that his wife is cheating with every man he meets. Others, on the contrary, are overly excited, they are drawn to heroic deeds, they compose feats that they allegedly performed earlier, and narrate about them.

The mental state of individuals in a state of delirium tremens is unstable, periods of calm are replaced by excitement, and unbridled joy and complacency.

During the day, delirium tremens often recedes slightly - the patient becomes more adequate, he orients himself in the situation, an understanding of the presence of the disease comes, he can tell about what is happening at night, but with the onset of evening, psychosis takes its toll again. The duration of delirium tremens on average ranges from three to five days.

The signs of delirium tremens are usually well expressed, so they are difficult to confuse with another disease.

Alcoholic delirium is also characterized by erroneous orientation in time and environment. Patients often do not know where they are, do not recognize their own home or the house of their relatives, do not know what time it is, and cannot keep track of the time. But they always clearly state their own last name, first name, as well as other information about themselves. In other words, the preservation of personal orientation is observed.

Often, individuals who are in a state of delirium tremens exhibit actions that imitate their professional activity. The alcoholic is absolutely confident that he is at work and performing daily work duties. In addition to this, he makes movements with his hands or makes sounds appropriate to the work process or place. A complex form of the development of psychosis caused by the abuse of alcoholic beverages is “muttering” delirium, manifested by constant muttering and manual manipulation such as palpating, rubbing, and smoothing. Such symptoms often indicate a possible fatal outcome.

The condition of a patient experiencing delirium tremens worsens as psychosis increases:

— the temperature is high, may exceed 40°C;

- pressure increases;

- heartbeat is irregular and rapid;

- there is dehydration of the body;

- the concentration of nitrogen in the blood increases;

- acidosis occurs;

- it is difficult for the patient to move, so he “lives” in bed all the time;

- leukocytosis is typical and increase in ESR;

- tremor, trembling of muscles and limbs is observed;

- chills are replaced by sweating, characterized by a specific “aroma” reminiscent of the smell of unwashed feet;

- the liver is enlarged, yellowness and sclera appear;

- pallor of the dermis is observed (therefore, delirium caused by excessive alcoholic libations is called delirium tremens), facial hyperemia is often possible.

The following stages of delirium are distinguished. The first is characterized by a depressive mood, dream disturbance, frequent changes moods. Human behavior is practically unchanged, but a significant decrease in memory can be noticed, and temporary gaps also occur. The patient may not remember the events last days from life (a couple of days).

At the second stage, the disease also does not completely reveal itself. The alcoholic does not yet see illusory insects or fictional characters. However, here he already has excessive suspicion. He believes that he is being deceived or suspects those around him of a conspiracy against himself. Patients may begin to chase someone and behave aggressively. This stage often leads to the desire to commit suicide.

The third stage is considered the most severe stage of delirium. It usually appears a few days after stopping the intake of alcohol-containing liquids. Characterized by severe headaches, convulsions, incoherence of speech, and lack of content.

Delirium tremens symptoms and consequences, regardless of the gender of the individual, do not go away without a trace. The most serious consequences of the experience are observed from the outside brain activity. A person sometimes completely loses the ability to remember, and also loses previously acquired knowledge. Memory disorders prevent a person from remembering even the names of loved ones. In addition to brain activity, there are disturbances in the functioning of the kidneys, intestines, myocardium, liver and capillaries.

Rhythm disruptions and defects in the fibers of the capillary walls cause many other ailments. Upon recovery from delirium tremens, patients often require hemodialysis, since the cleansing function of the kidneys is disrupted. In severe cases, kidney function is not fully restored and the individual requires constant hemodialysis procedures. To restore health, a person must completely renounce the consumption of alcohol and other intoxicating liquids, as well as receive a course of treatment aimed at eliminating harmful symptoms.

Consequences of delirium tremens

When an unhealthy condition such as delirium occurs due to excessive consumption intoxicating drinks, or delirium tremens, the symptoms and consequences of this condition often affect the subsequent life of the individual. Alcoholic delirium is the most common type of acute psychosis that develops against the background of prolonged abuse of alcoholic substances. The pathology in question is most often observed in individuals long time abusing intoxicating drinks and related to age group"forty plus"

In addition, if a person has previously suffered from delirium tremens, then there is a 100% chance of expecting a recurrence of an attack of psychosis. Almost always, if the subject has experienced the first case of delirium and continues to “eat” alcohol-containing liquids, then even a short binge will subsequently give rise to a new attack of delirium tremens.

The consequences of delirium tremens are often unpredictable. There are cases complete healing from illness, but more often remain Negative consequences. It also often happens death. According to information from statistical authorities, approximately ten percent of alcoholics without appropriate therapeutic measures die of delirium tremens.

In addition, the described violation often leads to domestic murders. An alcoholic, being in a state of aggressiveness, hallucinates, loses memories, is unable to recognize the faces of loved ones, and does not know what is happening to his person. In almost 50 percent of cases, patients cured of severe delirium die later due to liver destruction, myocardial dysfunction, cerebral edema, and central nervous system pathologies.

There are several variations in the outcome of delirium tremens, namely coma, transformation into chronic course, deep clouding of consciousness, death. Suicide under the influence of hallucinations or an inadequate behavioral response that accompanies delirium tremens can lead to death. Because one of the manifestations of delirium is loss of spatial orientation. Because of this, people in such an inadequate state can get hit by a car or fall out of a window.

In 5–10% of cases, individuals who have suffered delirium tremens experience convulsions, suffer from pneumonia, cirrhosis of the liver, serious heart ailments, and cerebral edema. The condition of the described disorder is quite difficult for alcoholics to tolerate and often serves as a kind of trigger mechanism to begin treatment measures against alcoholism. Since each attack of delirium tremens significantly depletes the body and weakens a person. A patient who survives two or three episodes of delirium tremens risks ending his days with dropsy of the brain.

The disease in question has a rather poor prognosis and is also characterized by a high percentage deaths. Often the result of episodes of delirium tremens is an alcoholic. In this state, the alcoholic cannot remember the attending physician, remember the day of the week, or his own place of residence. The worst thing is that this process is irreversible.

Statistical studies show that for some individuals who abuse alcohol, a few months of “heavy” drinking are enough to bring themselves to psychosis, while for others it may take years. The time of onset of delirium depends on the quality of alcohol-containing liquids consumed and physical condition drinkers. Besides, significant has heredity. If, for example, a grandmother or grandfather abused strong drinks, then most likely their grandchildren or children will surpass them in this “field.” If at first clinical manifestations Delirium does not take urgent measures and does not resolve the issue of how to treat delirium tremens, then the alcoholic will cause harm not only to his own person, but also to those around him, and may even kill.

Treatment of delirium tremens

If the above symptoms of delirium tremens appear, the alcoholic must be immediately sent to the hospital. Since the disease in question is emergency requiring emergency therapeutic measures.

It is better not to treat delirium tremens at home. Therapeutic intervention must be targeted, specialized and implemented within a psychiatric hospital.

The main strategic objectives of the treatment of delirium tremens are considered to be: relief of agitation, elimination of insomnia, elimination of convulsions, removal of intoxication, and the fight against concomitant pathologies and consequences.

How to treat delirium tremens? Below are some basic principles to help you understand this. In the first turn, the treatment of the described illness involves acting in the following directions: somatic treatment and impact on the functioning of the patient’s psyche. That's why psychotropic drugs are used medications, hydration and detoxification therapy, high dosages of vitamins C and B (in particular thiamine), substances aimed at restoring normal water-salt metabolism and normalizing the functioning of organs, since the disease in question affects the liver, myocardium, kidneys, and respiratory organs. Prescription of sedatives is also justified pharmacopoeial drugs and hypnotic effects of drugs.

In order to treat delirium caused by excessive libation of intoxicating drinks, benzodiazepines (Lorazepam) are used, which relieve, eliminate autonomic symptoms and insomnia, preventing the development of convulsions and antipsychotics (Haloperidol) to relieve agitation.

Phenothiazines (Chlorpromazine) are also used in the treatment of the described pathology. In addition to benzodiazepines, which reduce the likelihood of developing convulsions, some patients are prescribed additional antiepileptic drugs: Hydantoin or barbiturates.

In the abortive version of delirium, carbamazepine is effective for stopping seizures and relieving agitation. Compared to benzodiazepines, it is better at eliminating psychosis. However, with severe development of the condition in question, Carbamazepine is contraindicated. Myocardial performance is supported by Korglykon and Niketamide. In order to prevent cerebral edema, the use of Lasix is recommended.

As written above, treatment of delirium tremens at home is not recommended, but relatives should understand what to do when delirium tremens occurs.

Firstly, you should try to calm the person down and put him to sleep. If the victim behaves hostilely and inappropriately, it is recommended to tie his limbs tightly and remove foreign objects from his vicinity that could cause harm. own body or those around you.

Secondly, the victim should be provided with cool air (for example, a damp bandage on the forehead) and plenty of fluids.

Thirdly, you can give a person sedatives so that he falls asleep. For this you can use decoctions of mint and chamomile.

Fourthly, it is necessary to call a psychiatric team. Treatment of delirium tremens at home is unsafe for the drinker, those around him and his relatives. Without adequate therapeutic measures, a person will not overcome this condition. Self-medication can cause much more damage than good.

It is necessary to realize that an individual who is in alcoholic psychosis, needs adequate and complete therapeutic influence in clinical settings and under the supervision of psychiatrists. In addition, it is permissible to prescribe the correct course of treatment only after full complex diagnostic measures.