How Thiamine Can Mitigate Alcohol Withdrawal Symptoms
From nicotine to alcohol, there are many substances that your body can become dependent on. When you’re dependent on a substance like alcohol, you may experience side effects after you stop drinking for a lengthy amount of time. Because you’re dependent on the substance, your body needs it to continue functioning correctly.
The side effects that you go through after you stop drinking are part of the withdrawal process. If you seek treatment for your withdrawal symptoms, there are many different treatments and medications you might receive. One such treatment involves thiamine, which is a vitamin that delivers numerous health benefits.
Understanding Alcohol Use Disorders
Alcohol use disorder (AUD) is a common medical condition that involves being unable to control how much or often you drink alcohol. Even if you experience health, social, and occupational consequences as a result of your alcohol use, having AUD means that you’ll likely continue drinking.
Not everyone goes through the same symptoms and side effects when they develop AUD. It’s possible for this condition to range from mild to severe. Keep in mind that the changes that occur in your brain from AUD can be long-lasting, which is why the risk of relapse is high if you attempt to stop drinking without entering a treatment program. People who suffer from AUD can obtain treatment in the form of support groups, behavioral therapies, and medications.
There are numerous risk factors that increase your chances of developing AUD. For example, you’re more likely to get this condition if you start drinking at a young age. The same is true if you have a lengthy family history of AUD or other alcohol issues. A combination of a person’s environment and their genetics might play a role in causing them to drink too much alcohol.
If you have a mental health condition or history of trauma, you might be predisposed to consume more alcohol than you should. Mental health conditions like ADHD, post-traumatic stress disorder, and depression increase your risk of AUD. Keep in mind that many AUD treatment programs offer dual-diagnosis treatment for people who have mental health conditions.
Symptoms of AUD
When doctors attempt to diagnose AUD, they use the fifth edition of the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders to determine if you have this condition and how severe it is. If you display numerous symptoms, you may have a severe case of AUD. When just two to three symptoms are present, you might have a milder version of this condition.
There are many symptoms that indicate someone has AUD. For example, if you spend an ample amount of your time drinking or experiencing the after effects of doing so, you might have AUD. This condition might also be present in people who can’t stop thinking about drinking. If there have been numerous times when you drink more alcohol than you planned to, your body might be dependent on this substance.
Many people with AUD eventually start neglecting their work or family responsibilities. If you’re drinking so much alcohol that it’s causing problems at school or work, you might have AUD. The same is true if you drink even when your friends or family members don’t want you to.
If you have a more severe case of AUD, you might stop taking part in many of the activities that you once found interesting or important. It’s also common for people with AUD to experience withdrawal symptoms when the effects wear off. These symptoms can include everything from dysphoria to seizures.
What Is Alcohol Withdrawal?
Alcohol withdrawal is a regular occurrence among anyone who develops AUD. It indicates that your body is dependent on alcohol. The symptoms associated with this condition can be mild, moderate, or serious. Going through withdrawal one time makes you more likely to experience it again in the future.
The reason why withdrawal occurs is because of how alcohol affects your brain. When you drink alcohol, it creates a depressive effect throughout your body. You’ll have slower brain functions while you’re experiencing the effects of alcohol. Drinking alcohol on a regular basis makes it more likely that your central nervous system will become used to the alcohol being in your body. When alcohol isn’t in your system, your brain will notice this missing piece and create the withdrawal symptoms.
Side Effects of Alcohol Withdrawal
The symptoms associated with alcohol withdrawal can begin just four to eight hours after you drink alcohol. They are often at their most severe within one to three days following your last drink. However, these symptoms can last for weeks depending on how severe your AUD is. The most common symptoms of alcohol withdrawal include:
- Depression
- Fatigue
- Mood swings
- Nervousness or anxiety
- Irritability
- Shakiness or jumpiness
- Being unable to think clearly
- Having nightmares
There are also some less common symptoms that you should be on the lookout for, which extend to:
- Sweating
- Headaches
- Dilated pupils
- Nausea
- Loss of appetite
- Vomiting
- Insomnia
- Rapid heart rate
- Tremor in your hands
It’s possible that you’ll develop delirium tremens as well, which is a particularly severe type of withdrawal. This condition might result in a fever, seizures, severe confusion, and agitation.
How Does Thiamine Work?
Thiamine is vitamin B1, which is found in many foods. This vitamin has been used to treat everything from nerve diseases to Wernicke-Korsakoff syndrome (WWS). Thiamine is an essential vitamin because of its ability to regulate how your body uses carbohydrates. You can find this vitamin in everything from meat and beans to nuts and cereal grains.
When someone has low thiamine levels, they can develop conditions like neuritis, which is an inflammation of your nerves. Vitamin B1 supplements are used to combat low thiamine levels and fight many other conditions, which include alcohol withdrawal and the complications that arise from it. This vitamin can also help with everything from diabetes to depression.
Using Thiamine for Alcohol Withdrawal Symptoms
When you have enough thiamine in your body, it will effectively convert the foods you eat into energy. While there aren’t many things that can reduce the thiamine levels in your body, consistent alcohol consumption is one of them. When you drink too much alcohol, your body will receive less thiamine and have difficulty using the vitamin to convert food into energy.
If you have a deficiency in thiamine because of how much alcohol you drink, you might develop acute Wernicke encephalopathy. Despite the severity of this condition, it’s possible to reverse it with an infusion of thiamine.
In the event that you don’t have enough thiamine in your body when you go through withdrawal, you may suffer from some additional side effects that might not be common during this process. You should be able to reduce the severity of these symptoms and better manage your withdrawal by taking thiamine injections to restore the proper levels of this vitamin in your body. Keep in mind that the Wernicke-Korsakoff syndrome is serious and can permanently damage your brain, which is why thiamine levels should be monitored.
Additional Treatment Options for Withdrawal
The primary treatment that’s used for alcohol withdrawal is medical detoxification, during which you may receive thiamine supplements. Detox often serves as the first step in a treatment program. When people try to stop drinking on their own, the withdrawal symptoms they experience often make them relapse.
Medical detox is designed to help clients manage their withdrawal symptoms. In fact, small doses of benzodiazepines and other medications are regularly provided to ensure symptoms remain mild. The symptoms that occur during withdrawal can last for around seven to 10 days.
A standard detox program often begins with an intake exam, which involves blood work and discussing your drinking history. You might also receive tests that assess your mental and physical health. Along with receiving medications, you may have your heart rate, breathing, blood pressure, and temperature checked regularly to make sure you aren’t experiencing any severe symptoms.
Obtaining Treatment After Withdrawal
Once you complete a detox program, you can enter rehab, which can involve anything from inpatient rehab to outpatient treatment. During inpatient rehab, you’ll stay at a detox clinic, residential facility, or hospital 24/7, which allows you to receive continuous care. When you enter an outpatient program, you can attend treatment sessions while living at home.
Clients who have mental health conditions or severe cases of AUD often enter inpatient programs. Both types of programs offer a wide range of services, which include everything from group counseling to medical care. While residential rehab programs can last for however long the clients need them to, they often run for around one to three months.
One treatment option available to you is partial hospitalization, which involves you living at home but attending treatment at least five to six days every week. This is a more intensive treatment program that takes place at a clinic or hospital. While you can use partial hospitalization as an alternative to residential or inpatient treatment, it’s also possible for it to be the next step after these treatments.
Intensive outpatient treatment programs are more comprehensive than standard outpatient programs and often occur after detox, residential rehab, or hospitalization. Consider speaking with your doctor about the type of treatment that’s right for you.
If you go through withdrawal symptoms whenever you try to stop drinking alcohol, consider asking your doctor about thiamine. Since thiamine is a vitamin as opposed to a medication, it doesn’t have as many side effects. When you’re suffering from AUD, you can find free resources in your area by contacting the Alcohol Awareness hotline at (855) 955-0771. We are available to assist you on a 24/7 basis and can answer your questions about withdrawal. We can also help you find treatment programs you can enter.