Unanswered Solutions for Delirium Tremens

Being aware of actions and thoughts is a day-to-day thing. Everyone does it

without conscious of the decisions the person makes. Such as when to go to a party or
when to stay home. Having sense of where the person is and what he or she is doing at
hat exact moment. Feeling, seeing, tasting hearing, and smelling is something no one can
take away from that person. Except his own self. Alcohol withdrawal causes humans to
act in a non perceptual way which follows by seizures, hallucinations; not only in the
visual sense but also in smell, tactile, taste, and auditory sense, disorientation, illusions,
and cloudiness of consciousness, which this dementia is called Delirium Tremens. This
dementia is everywhere in the world and even famous writers such as Edgar Allan Poe.
Although Alcohol withdrawal is not the only cause for this illness it is very important
people learn about what immediate removal of alcohol can cause within the persons mind
and body. The person who is suffering from this disease will see, hear, and/or feel things
that others cannot, such as feeling as though his or her skin is crawling. In short, the
extremes of delirium range from simple confusion to the anxious, agitated, and
hyperactive type, with some patients experiencing both during a single episode. It is
super important that an instant evaluation if delirium is suspected, because it can lead to
more serious brain damages or even death.
Causes of delirium fall into four basic categories, which are the
medical, chemical, surgical, or neurological.
All in compliance with the mental and physical health of the patient
depending on the severity of the individual case. Anticonvulsants,

used to treat epilepsy, antihypertensives which are mainly used to

treat high blood pressure. And insulin, used to treat diabetes. Are
common medications given by pharmaceuticals to treat other illnesses.
But with the introduction of new and strong medications can also cause
delirium (although this type of dementia is not due to alcohol
withdrawal)
All these medications are used for other diseases while causing a new
one instead of preventing a new disease.
Following the cause of delirium without alcohol withdrawal, it is
also important to speak of these other cases because many symptoms
are the same, but may vary on how the plan of action in the treatment
is considered because treating someone who has delirium from alcohol
withdrawal can and may have different solutions to someone who has
this illness from medications being introduced or withdrawn. Whilst
speaking of medications causing delirium tremens it is most commonly
seen in the elderly amongst their nights and days at rehabilitation
facilities or nursing homes simply by the fact that the elderly have
many body complications and have to take several doses of strong
medications. Therefore qualifying for delirium in overmedication.
Additionally, poisoning by chemicals or compounds such as carbon
monoxide, lead, mercury, or other industrial chemicals can be the
source of causing this very severe illness, which affects every sense of
the body and mental well being of the human. These other forms that

were mentioned can be found in foods or in drinks, which are not

approved and can be consumed by a customer or any person that does
not know the effect that simple things like these can affect your body.
All these new medications introduced to the body can affect it
quite notoriously, not making it difficult for observers to acknowledge
the symptoms of delirium within that person. For an example there is
this anecdote, An elderly gentleman was placed in a private room that
had a wonderful large mural on one wall. The mural was that of a forest
sceneno animals or people, only trees and sunlight. His chief
complaint at various points during the day was that evil people were
watching him from behind the trees in the forest scene. Here we can
observe that not only did the person was seeing things that were not
there, but this man was convinced that he was being watched by the
mural.
Having already two indications that may lead to delirium there is
also infections that can lead to delirium, which is most dangerous
because people may think it is a normal thing from infections and not
get treated immediately or seek for help at that moment. Commonly
diagnosed diseases such as urinary tract infections, pneumonia, or
fever from a viral infection can cause delirium. Also diseases in the
liver, kidney, lungs, and cardiovascular system can cause this illness.
Finally, an infection, specific to the brain, can cause the illness.

Although all these infections in the body have different ways and
manners of getting transmitted into your brain the kidneys can cause
major problems if not treated as soon as possible. Although these
kidney problems can be followed by the intensive consume of alcohol
or chemicals, the intake of alcohol is a very decisive point in knowing
how to deal with the kidney problem. Because as explained already,
the absolute alcohol withdrawal from the body will cause delirium.
The kidneys can also cause very severe delirium and irreversible if not
treated or tested. The symptoms can start with a medical history. A
family history of kidney failure can cause suspicions, also history of
high blood pressure or diabetes, which are very common amongst
American citizens. And for the same reason it is very important for
people to be medically examined.
As to the kidneys they are very important for life sufficiency,
such as help maintain the balance of minerals and electrolytes in your
body, play an essential role in the production of red blood cells, excrete
water-soluble wastes from your body. It is emphasized to be healthy
and to eat and drink healthy because kidneys play a major role in the
body and if not in fit conditions the person can notice
fatigue,shortnessofbreath,nausea,vomiting,especiallyinthemorningandaftereating,
aurinelikeodortoyourbreath,bonepain,abnormallydarkorlightskin,anashencastto
yourskin,whichiscalleduremicfrost,drowsiness,mentalcloudiness,numbnessinyour
handsandfeet.If not treated with anticipation and will of the person it will

convert into something chronic and irreversible, which then delirium

can no longer be treated., therefore the treatment given focuses on
improving the underlying disease which provoked delirium tremens in
the first place.
Now, in return to the main leading cause of delirium, which
would be alcohol withdrawal, the ingestion of certain drugs may cause
delirium in some patients, but also the withdrawal of the drug can also
lead to delirium. Alcohol is the most widely used drug and most well
known. Alcohol withdrawal syndrome is a potentially life-threatening
condition that can occur in people who have been drinking heavily for
weeks, months, or years and then either stop or significantly reduce
their alcohol consumption. Alcohol withdrawal symptoms can begin as
early as two hours after the last drink, persist for weeks, and range
from mild anxiety and shakiness to severe complications, such as
seizures and delirium tremens.
When heavy drinkers suddenly stop or significantly reduce their
alcohol consumption, the neurotransmitters previously suppressed by
alcohol are no longer suppressed. They rebound, or bounce back,
resulting in a phenomenon known as brain hyper excitability. So, the
effects associated with alcohol withdrawal, anxiety, irritability,
agitation, tremors, seizures, are the opposite of those with alcohol
consumption. The most common treatment that doctors or
psychiatrists try to prescribe to people who do have delirium due to

alcohol withdrawal are, Valium, Librium, Ativan, and Serax. These

prescribed drugs can help control the shakiness, anxiety, and
confusion associated with alcohol withdrawal and reduce the risk of
withdrawal seizures.
Interventions can be effective for alcohol abuse, but more intensive
therapy may be required for alcohol dependence. If the person has
alcohol dependence, the doctor may prescribe other medications to
help you stop drinking. The medic may also strongly recommend
joining a 12-step group, such as Alcoholics Anonymous and Narcotics
Anonymous.
Although delirium tremens falls in different ways of obtaining this
strong and hurtful disease, only psychiatrists can be the ones who
prescribe the drugs and can say whether or not the person is sane
enough to stop the medication or the treatment. As for psychologists,
psychologists can only interfere within interactions, such as intensive
therapy or group sessions to evaluate every person different rhythm of
recuperating into their sane state. Delirium is something everyone
needs to be aware of and how the different ways of this brain illness
can get to a person without noticing. It is always better to be safe than
sorry, and playing with the well being of the senses, immune system,
and the brain itself is nothing to be taken lightly. Delirium Tremens is
not only a disease, but it can alter the way the person lives in the
future and can even cause death.

Batra,A.,Mller,C.A.,Mann,K.,&Heinz,A.(2016).AlcoholDependenceand
HarmfulUseofAlcohol:DiagnosisandTreatmentOptions.RetrievedOctober18,2016,
fromhttps://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC4873678/

Beg,M.,Fisher,S.,Siu,D.,Rajan,S.,Troxell,L.,&Liu,V.X.(2016).Treatmentof
AlcoholWithdrawalSyndromewithandwithoutDexmedetomidine.RetrievedOctober
18,2016,fromhttps://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC4867825/

BycontinuingtobrowsethissiteyouagreetoususingcookiesasdescribedinAbout
Cookies.(n.d.).Alcoholwithdrawalsyndrome:Mechanisms,manifestations,and
management.RetrievedOctober18,2016,from
http://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/10.1111/ane.12671/full

=,B.(n.d.).TheRoleofBarbituratesforAlcoholWithdrawalSyndrome.Retrieved
October18,2016,from
http://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S0033318216000414?np=y

G,G.,J,B.,&U,S.(n.d.).KlinikfrAnsthesiologieundIntensivmedizin,Klinikum
Neumarkt,Neumarkti.d.OPf.,NrnbergerStrae12,92318,Neumarkt,Deutschland.
goetz.gerresheim@klinikum.neumarkt.de.RetrievedOctober18,2016,from
http://europepmc.org/abstract/med/27287404

IdentificationandManagementofAlcoholWithdrawalSyndrome.(n.d.).Retrieved
October18,2016,fromhttp://link.springer.com/article/10.1007/s4026501503581

TheAmericanJournalofDrugandAlcoholAbuse.(n.d.).RetrievedOctober18,2016,
fromhttp://www.tandfonline.com/doi/abs/10.3109/00952990.2015.1130711

http://www.webmd.com/mental-health/addiction/alcohol-withdrawalsymptoms-treatments?page=3#1