Symptoms and causes of alcohol epilepsy - treatment of the disease and the best anticonvulsants in an attack

Alcoholic epilepsy - is a kind of alcoholic psychosis , which appear due to consumption of alcohol. The constant abuse of alcohol at some point, which depends on the clinical picture, may be supplemented by symptoms of epilepsy in the form of seizures.

Such attacks initially arise only under the influence of alcohol, but later seizures occur without his participation.

This phenomenon is explained by the fact that in the brain of a patient under the influence of a drug, disorders develop that are aggravated without alcohol exposure.

General information about the disease

The disease has its own characteristics, considering that you can make iton me to recognize and begin to treat him.

The periods of seizures are characterized by alcoholic hallucinations.

After the attacks symptoms of syndrome grow:

• vision deception;
• sleep disturbance;
• increased manifestation of white fever - nonsense, chills, fever.

The patient becomes angry , resentful, intolerant, care is lost, other manifestations of personality decay appear.

Every surge in the manifestation of a violation is extremely dangerous. The patient may fall and get injured, choke with vomiting when unconscious. In such situations, postponing a visit to a doctor has unpredictable consequences.

In addition to injuries, the disease has a negative effect on the psyche of the alcohol dependent. The manifestations are the same as in severe alcoholism:

• reasoning is superficial;
• is a narrow circle of interests;
• weakening of work skills;
• violation of labor discipline;
• intends to commit suicide;
• sense of insolvency.

6-10 years of alcohol poisoning in 25-45 years can cause epileptic seizures in a person.

There are cases when they appeared in an alcohol dependent in just a few years. The speed of the onset of the disease depends on the body itself.

Therefore, to assume that when epilepsy becomes chronic, no doctor will dare. The main cause is brain damage due to alcohol poisoning.

Causes of the disease

Alcoholic epilepsy has such causes:

• permanent alcohol poisoning of the body, especially substandard;atherosclerosis;
• acute and chronic infections;
• skull damage.

Signs and symptoms

Features of the first seizure

Alcoholic epilepsy for the first time manifests itself thus: the head of the patient can lean back.

At the end of the seizure, the symptoms of of alcoholic insomnia appear on the alcohol dependent - hallucinations and emotionally intense dreams, early awakening.

The harbingers of a serious seizure may appear a few days before the onset.

These include:

• increased excitability;
• problems with sleep and appetite;
• headache;
• feeling unwell.

On the onset of a direct attack the patient is told such manifestations:

• convulsions;
• spasm of sternum;
• wheezing;
• loud scream;
• pale skin;
• cyanosis of the lips.

After the attack the patient may feel weak, drowsy, but there is no memory of the seizure itself.

Initial signs

In order to help the patient in a timely manner, it should be borne in mind that alcoholic epilepsy has its symptoms that appear in the initial stages.

The first violation signals can be:

• muscle pains of a different nature;
• absences - fainting or moments of turbidity with speech problems and in motion;
• distortion of the perception of reality in conjunction with automatic movements.

The disease manifests following symptoms:

• vision impairment;
• auditory hallucinations;
• sharp change of mood;
• increased appetite;
• strong thirst;
• fainting;
• severe pain;
• convulsions;
• feeling of compression of the muscles of the extremities.

In some cases, the person the next day feels a burning sensation in the limbs, tightening muscles.

First aid

The onset of the disease is preceded by hearing, vision, etc.the patient, but often find out about him at the last minute.

At the beginning of the seizure, it is necessary to perform such actions:

1. Do not let the patient fall, becausewhen falling, it can be injured.
2. Do not interfere with the convulsive movements of the patient, his hands and feet - this will also lead to unnecessary injuries.
3. Gently block patient's movement so that it does not suffer injury, do not move it if there are no such objects around which can cause injury.
4. Place any soft objects under the head, limbs of the alcoholic, do not remove it. Unfasten the buttons and strap.
5. The head of an alcoholic during a fit should be turned to one side so that he does not choke on his saliva.
6. In case of vomiting, flip the body so that the patient does not choke with vomiting.
7. Do not open your hands with clenched teeth: it is better to use a hard object wrapped with something soft.
8. After an attack do not slow the patient, he needs to sleep.
9. If the attack lasts more than 30 minutes or they go series one by one - urgently to call a team of doctors.

Treatment procedures

Most often, seizures of this type are amenable to control through medication and a special diet, although in particularly severe cases, surgery is performed.

The main goal of treatment of alcohol epilepsy is to stop or reduce the number of convulsive seizures, which neutralizes other manifestations of the disorder.

A set of methods used to treat alcohol dependent people in the continuation of the article.

Medical treatment

The main anticonvulsants for alcohol epilepsy:

1. Carbamazepine - is used most often becausehas a minimum of side effects.
2. Phenobarbital - is contraindicated in this violation, but with control of admission in the intensive care unit gives good results.
3. Benzodiazepines - are not used because of a very narrow medical spectrum. Midazolam and triazolam - an exception - are used more often.

Physiotherapy

Treatment of alcoholism by means of apparatus physiotherapy makes it possible to neutralize the attraction to the drug, coding or filing puts a psychological and physiological barrier to drinking.

Psychological assistance

It is used from the first day of the beginning of treatment under the supervision of a doctor and accompanies it to the end. It is of great importance for the patient's adaptation after the termination of the course, the removal of manifestations of the instability of mental manifestations.

Traditional medicine

There are many ways to treat and prevent convulsive seizures of various origins.

Among other things, the herbs of traditional medicine to give the patient will not take every experienced toxicologist.

They probably help as a preventive measure.

And yet, at this stage, the use of medications is more effective and safe.

It can be concluded that the doctor must decide on how to treat alcoholic epilepsy.

Modern diagnostics and correctly selected treatment can leave even such a serious disease as alcoholic polyneuropathy.

Assistant to the vestibular apparatus preparation Vestibo: instructions for use and other necessary information.

Consequences and complications of

For the patient, the consequences of alcohol epilepsy are extremely dangerous.

Chronic alcoholism and the epilepsy resulting from it cause:

• fatal outcome;
• personality degradation;
• speech impairment;
• changes in the liver;
• of stomach disease;
• hepatitis;
• cirrhosis;
• high pressure;
• heart failure;
• damage to brain cells;
• enterocolitis, which degenerates into cancer;
• pancreatitis;
• memory loss;
• vision impairment;
• depression;
• dementia;
• violation of sexual function.

Forecast

Treatment of epilepsy in alcohol addicts reduces to eliminating the cause - refusal of alcoholic beverages .Initially, such treatment will not go smoothly, seizures will repeat, but eventually disappear completely.

Treatment is complex, because for this type of epilepsy, methods are not invented, they are treated according to the general rules of ordinary epilepsy. The patient should provide medical, psychological, sociological assistance. This is done by doctors - narrow specialists.

The majority of patients in the period between seizures do not show pronounced disorders, although with the use of powerful doses of anticonvulsants, inhibition occurs.

Muddling problems with the psyche is most often related to neurological disease, which is the causative agent of seizures;Only in some cases, seizures themselves have a negative effect on the mental state.

The prognosis is more positive if there are no signs of organic brain damage. About 70% of patients with epilepsy who are not in the hospital are mentally healthy, 20% have a slight decrease in intelligence, 10% have mild or obvious deviations in the psyche.

Preventive measures

Very important for the recovery and return of the patient to society, preventing the progression of the disease itself and its complications is the prevention of the disease.

It consists of:

• control over the level of sugar in the blood;
• measuring pressure and taking necessary medications;
• fighting alcoholism;
• refusal of alcohol;
• normal power supply;
• of healthy sleep;
• intake of vitamins;
• moderate exercise.

All patients vary considerably, therefore the treatment technique is selected taking into account the individual characteristics of each organism.

Categorically can not be dismissed from the first seizure of seizures and rely on miraculous healing. The sooner the treatment begins, the greater the chance of a full recovery. And the treatment needs a long and continuous. Otherwise, the condition will deteriorate.

It should be especially emphasized that no drugs will not cure the pain, severe seizures of epilepsy, if not to defeat the main enemy of man - alcoholism.

Video: Alcoholic epilepsy

Regular intake of alcoholic beverages and other drugs provokes seizures of epilepsy. Over time, the risk and strength of attacks increases.