Does Tylenol Help With Alcohol Withdrawal?
While Tylenol is useful in treating the pain associated with withdrawal from many substances, such as opioids, benzodiazepines, and inhalants, it is contraindicated when it comes to alcohol and its associated withdrawal. That is because Tylenol affects the liver. When you take Tylenol, most of it is processed by the body without being involved with the liver.
Between 5% and 10% of the Tylenol, however, is broken down in such a way that N-acetyl-p-benzoquinone imine, or NAPQI, is produced. This is a toxic compound that harms the liver. Your liver counteracts the NAPQI by producing an enzyme called glutathione. If you add alcohol to the situation, the damage to the liver is intensified. Additionally, if you have reached a point where you’re seeking rehab or other similar treatments regarding your use of alcohol, it is entirely possible that your liver has been damaged in the process, making the use of Tylenol risky. So, the short answer is, “No, Tylenol does not help with alcohol withdrawal.”
Alternate Medications for Controlling Pain During Alcohol Detoxification
There are limited choices for treating pain during alcohol detoxification and/or withdrawal. While some studies focus on chronic pain sufferers, the principles are the same. When it comes to treating the pain associated with detoxification and withdrawal from alcohol, it is important to pick the medication least likely to cause additional issues.
Nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drugs, or NSAIDs, such as ibuprofen or naproxen, can cause gastrointestinal bleeding, and such bleeding might be exacerbated by either alcohol or the residual effects of its use. Opioids have their own issues, not the least of which is that you can develop addictive behaviors regarding both them and the alcohol from which you are trying to detox safely. The use of cannabinoids, too, can lead to relapse.
The team of medical professionals treating you while you detox from alcohol will have to decide which kind of pain relief is appropriate. Having a team of professionals on your side is far better than self-medicating, which can lead right back to the problem of misusing alcohol.
Alternatives to Medication for the Treatment of Pain
You and your doctor have choices in dealing with pain. Transcutaneous electrical nerve stimulation or TENS is a process where you attach electrode patches to your skin over areas where you experience pain. Then, you deliver a mild electric current in varying patterns through the battery-operated device. TENS is effective while you’re undergoing the treatment, but the effects are short-lived. Generally, TENS is used in conjunction with medications. Although the effects are minimal, they are a safe option for control of mild pain.
Different forms of physical therapy can also help. In particular, aquatherapy is quite effective at treating certain kinds of mild pain. Hypnosis is also effective, to a degree, but it may not be for everyone.
Comfort therapy, such as massages, hot and cold compresses, and different forms of counseling require much more in the way of clinical study to be considered effective at treating pain. While early Comfort using Analgesia, minimal Sedatives, and maximal Humane care, or eCASH, has proven effective in the treatment of pain for chronic wounds, it remains unclear if those results will translate to other forms of pain, acute or chronic, associated with detoxification from alcohol.
Alcohol Use Disorder
In the United States, nearly 30 million people 12 years of age or older experienced alcohol use disorder. The Harvard Business Review stated in 2020 that we normally meet 11 to 16 people every day who are not our friends or family members. That means that at least one person we meet during any given day will be experiencing AUD. Remember, AUD is a lifelong condition. With the help of treatments and your support system, you will be able to overcome the disease.
AUD isn’t just a physical condition that arises from misuse of alcohol and its accompanying tolerance. There is also a mental health component to the condition consisting of the inability to stop the self-destructive behavior of misusing alcohol even if you know that it’s destructive. There are degrees of severity. The worst cases are life-threatening. If the person survives, that person’s health can be changed forever. In these cases, the brain itself has undergone detrimental changes. These changes reinforce the destructive behavior, and the brain resists all attempts to stop the behavior.
Risk factors for developing AUD include starting to misuse alcohol at an early age, a family history of AUD, and mental illnesses associated with trauma. The role of genetics also includes parents who drink heavily and become a model of such behavior for their children. When it comes to beginning to drink at an early age, those who do are twice as likely to develop AUD than people who don’t start until after they’re 21 years of age. In this group, people who are assigned female at birth experience AUD at a higher rate than those who are assigned male at birth.
The symptoms of AUD include things like choosing to drink rather than taking part in other, healthier activities, wanting to cut down on the amount of alcohol but not being able to do so, and experiencing alcohol-related blackouts. Other signs include not being able to think about anything other than your next drink, letting your drinking affect your relationships with family, friends, and coworkers, and discovering increasing tolerance. If you experience any of these symptoms, then it’s a very good idea to seek help from qualified professionals.
The Importance of Safe Detox
All people who have drunk too much at least once in their lives have experienced a hangover. A hangover is a mild form of alcohol withdrawal. The symptoms are generally uncomfortable, but they are very seldom serious or life-threatening. However, if you’re experiencing AUD, when you stop drinking, the effects of the withdrawal will be much stronger, much more uncomfortable, and even serious and/or life-threatening. Therefore, if you’re a long-time drinker, then you need medically assisted detox. During that time, you need a team of trained medical professionals who are familiar with all the ins and outs of alcohol detox.
Detoxing from severe AUD, without complications, can take anywhere from one to two weeks. There are physiological changes that occur, and these include elevated blood pressure, heartbeat, and even fever. In these cases, the attending medical professionals will work both to control these symptoms and to prevent more severe symptoms from developing.
The most severe thing that can occur when you’re detoxing from alcohol is called delirium tremens, or “the DTs.” The DTs can cause intense confusion, both auditory and visual hallucinations, convulsions, and even total cardiovascular collapse. The mortality rate of unattended delirium tremens is up to 15%. Symptoms of alcohol withdrawal can last a few weeks, and during that time, you may need to be hospitalized in certain situations.
All of these reasons reveal that “home detox” is not safe at all unless your doctor has told you specifically that it is in your case.
The Importance of Therapy
Beating the physiological aspects of AUD is tough enough, but you also have to handle the mental aspects of the condition, particularly if trauma is involved. Not only do you have to take care of the AUD, but you also have to take care of the underlying condition, and the mental health treatment strategies might not be the same. As many as 8 out of every 10 people who experience AUD relapse within 12 months if they’re not in therapy. Post-rehab support is vital.
Cognitive Behavior Therapy
CBT is a strategy where you learn to think about thinking. You learn how to recognize destructive thoughts and desires and develop coping strategies that help you put these harmful thoughts to rest. A lot of the time, CBT is only for the short term because the aim is for you to develop the strategies with your therapist and then learn how to implement them yourself. In the case of people with AUD, it is often best to have this type of support for the long term because of the nature of AUD and how it affects the brain.
Motivational Therapy
Motivational therapy is also designed to be a short-term solution. The idea is to reinforce positive thoughts and behavior constantly and to practice accountability when it comes to negative thoughts and harmful behavior. You learn how to set goals and achieve them, developing a healthy sense of self and accomplishment. The motivation, therefore, isn’t just the therapist encouraging you. It’s also you encouraging yourself.
The 12-Step Method
Twelve-step programs are a form of group therapy. The idea behind AA’s philosophy is that you need to admit that you’ve lost control and that alcohol is controlling your life. After that, it’s all about accountability, making amends, and relying on oneself for the most part. Once you are affected by AUD, the support of family, friends, and fellow people who also have AUD is an important tool in your struggle with the condition.
The goal of Alcohol Awareness as an organization is to provide resources and help to people who have AUD. We can help guide you through your life with AUD, rehab efforts, and other treatments. Only 10% of people experiencing AUD will get treatment every year, and considering that more than one in 10 people has the condition, that is a sobering thought. By trusting us with your mental, physical, and emotional health, you can regain control of your life and thrive in your recovery. You can visit our website or give us a call at (855) 955-0771.