delirium tremen

caroljean · Gold Member Joined: 24 Aug 2005 Posts: 356

Hi, my father has been an alcoholic for a really long time. My mother has left him after some time and he has been living alone ever since. When I went to see him two days ago, I found him in a terrible state. He was shaking with fever. He didn't recognize me and was very confused. I didn't know what was going on so I took him to the doctor. Along the way he kept scratching and screaming that the ants are crawling all over him. The doctor diagnosed him with delirium tremen caused by alcohol withdrawal. I had no idea that he would have to go through so much trouble if he decided to quit drinking. Why is alcohol withdrawal causing condition as serious as delirium tremen?

norrie · Veteran Joined: 16 Sep 2005 Posts: 510

Hello, first of all the term is delirium tremens. Delirium tremens is caused when a person decides to quit drug or alcohol abuse after being a long time abuser. This is a serious condition that if goes untreated can cause death. Your father was very lucky that you found him in time. Who knows what might have happened if you weren't around. Delirium tremens is caused by the changes in the brain chemistry that long term alcohol abuse produces. Alcohol interacts with the same brain receptors as the inhibitory neurotransmitters. After the long term abuse the brain receptors become insensitive to the inhibitory neurotransmitters. When a person decides to quit drinking, the brain is left only with excitatory neurotransmitters that create the effects of delirium tremens that may include panic attacks, paranoia, cardiac arrhythmia, hart attack, stroke and many other conditions. The therapy usually considers the treatment of symptoms with sedatives.

delirium tremen

LIFEFORM SOCIAL COMMUNITY NETWORK