How to reduce alcohol withdrawal symptoms?
Patient's Query
Hi doctor,
I got discharged from the hospital on Monday after detoxification of alcohol. I felt good when I was discharged, but gradually it got worse. I am feeling weak and nauseous with headaches and dizziness.
Kindly help.
Hello,
Welcome to icliniq.com.
I have read your concern and will help you out. The symptoms you are experiencing are due to alcohol withdrawal. Since you have been consuming alcohol for long, your body has developed a dependence on it. Your brain has developed a habit of working under alcohol influence. So if suddenly a habit is changed, it will definitely lead to some problems. Consider it like this, you sleep daily for eight hours at night and go to work fresh in the morning. Suddenly you stop sleeping at night and stay awake; your mind will not be that fresh and will stay cloudy because it has a habit of eight hours of sleep. So in order to adapt to a no alcohol environment, your brain needs to be trained. I am sure you would have been prescribed drugs for decreasing alcohol craving, so I am not going to say about them. I am going to suggest you some tips which you can follow to stay away from alcohol.
- Sleep daily at the same time. Do not change your sleep cycle.
- Change the environment. Do not sit in the same room where you used to have alcohol. It will remind you of alcohol now and then.
- Regularly exercise and work hard. Stay busy at work and do not think of alcohol.
- Avoid friends with whom you used to take alcohol.
I know it is tough, but I am sure you can do it. You will have to face some withdrawal symptoms like you are experiencing now, but I suggest you control them. It will gradually go away. Stay strong and fight back. Kindly revert in case of further queries. Regards.
Patient's Query
Hello doctor,
Thank you for the reply.
The problem is I feel exhausted with pounding headache, dizziness, weakness in muscles, and general discomfort. I was hospitalized for six nights to detox and get some other things fixed. Why do I feel worse now, than when I left the hospital Monday?
Hello,
Welcome back to icliniq.com.
This is completely normal. In fact, 95% of the patients feel the same as you. This is because, in a hospital, you have psychological support that you are in a hospital under a doctor's care and receiving injections. Now since you are discharged, you are on your own with only tablets to consume. The thing is, you have to trust me; it will get better with time. If you feel very weak, then I suggest you get some tests done, but I am sure that your physician would have already got the tests done and given you treatment for any abnormality. At home, again, you are surrounded by the environment, which will trigger you to have alcohol. But you have to fight that instinct. Once you win over the instinct, you will feel much better. As I said, you will feel better with time. Just give it some time and get yourself busy with some work to distract your mind. Even now, if you are not satisfied, I can suggest tests and medicines. However, for this, I will need the previous reports and prescriptions in order to prevent repeating the tests and repeating the medications. Kindly attach the reports. I hope you find the reply useful.
Kindly revert in case of further queries. Thank you.
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