Alcoholic epilepsyrefers to the complications of alcoholism. Epileptic seizure begins with loss of consciousness and sudden convulsive seizures. The patient's face is pale, then the nasolabial triangle turns blue. Often there is foam from the mouth, the patient can bite the tongue, and when falling hit something. It is especially dangerous when the patient is in water, at altitude or driving a vehicle.
With the cessation of the convulsive fit the patient comes to, but can fall asleep for half an hour or more. If the attack once happened, then it will repeat. And as it will often, difficult to say. Alcohol adversely affects the brain, especially alcoholic toxins. A drunk person is unlikely to have a fit, but during a hangover, or alcohol abstinence - there is always a risk.
The cause of alcoholic epilepsy in the long-term poisoning of the body by the products of alcohol breakdown in the blood. Also drunken fights with blows on the head can cause convulsive seizures.
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Symptoms of alcoholic epilepsy:
- Loss of consciousness and fall.
- Convulsive phenomena.
- Pain of burning character.
- A feeling of squeezing, "information" or "pulling together" the muscles of the limbs.
After a drunken state, when a terrible hangover comes, seizures can begin.
Features of alcohol epilepsy:
- Epileptiform seizures appear in the first day after drinking.
- During the attack there are hallucinations like alcoholic psychoses.
- Before the onset of an episode, nightmares appear, and patients can gradually predict the appearance of an attack.
- After the attack, withdrawal symptoms with hallucinations of a fantastic nature, sleep disturbances, further delirium delirium may develop.
- The patient is embittered, picky, very touchy. There is an alcoholic degradation of personality.
- There are no characteristic epileptic signs on the electroencephalogram.
- In the treatment of alcoholic epilepsy, in addition to anticonvulsants, physiotherapeutic, psychotherapeutic treatment is used. And also vitamin therapy and so on.
Any epi attack is always dangerous for health and life. A person can either get serious injuries, drown, but can even suffocate during an attack.
At alcoholic epileptics the mentality for the worse side very much changes. In production they do not observe discipline, scandal, at home and in everyday life they are despotic, irritable, frivolous, with bad memory. They have a very pronounced sense of inferiority and lack moral principles.
Alcoholic epilepsy affects people, mostly aged from 25 to 45 years with alcoholic experience of 5 to 10 years. There are exceptions. The frequency of seizures is anticipated when monitoring a patient for a year. Attacks can be 1 - 2 times a year.
The presence of alcoholic epilepsy shows serious organic lesions in the brain.
First aid for an epileptic seizure
If we are a witness of a seizure, first aid should be given to the patient.
- It is necessary to protect the patient's head from bruises. Put something soft under it. Carefully turn your head to one side so that the patient does not choke on saliva and his tongue does not fall into the throat. If there is vomiting, you need to turn sideways to the whole patient. Between the jaws you need to spoon or something else wrapped in a cloth.
- The spasms will pass in a couple of minutes, for some time the consciousness of the patient will be confused and it will be weakened. In half an hour the patient can stand up. If the attack lasts more than 30 minutes, or the attacks follow in a row, you need specialized medical help. In general, when cramps appear, one should already call for emergency help, because we knowingly do not know how the patient will behave.
A person who has suffered an epileptic seizure should contact a neurologist or psychiatrist for an appropriate examination and treatment.
Assistance with absences (small seizures)
It is necessary to know that small epileptic seizures are absences, alcoholics are infrequent. They are manifested by a brief dullness of consciousness with a fading of speech and movements. Often the absence is invisible and no special help is needed for the patient. Of course, if our patient is not in the water, not at the height and not behind the wheel of the car.
Psychomotor attack
Psychomotor attacks are automatic movements of a patient with incomplete awareness of their actions. This type of alcohol epilepsy is very common. The perception of reality is distorted, fear, anxious experiences and vague feelings appear. Sometimes develops amnesia after an attack.
Treatment of alcoholic epilepsy
With alcoholic epilepsy, treatment usually brings good results. If the patient has stopped drinking, seizures pass and relapses are not observed. In cases when the patient breaks down, begins to drink, neglects medical advice, alcoholic epilepsy returns, seizures can take place in batches. Violated the activity of the brain. No favorable outcome can be expected even if alcohol abuse is stopped.
The patient with alcoholism should understand that by itself nothing will "resolve" - the first epileptic fit will ever happen again. Alcoholic epilepsy is a formidable complication of alcoholism. The earlier treatment is begun, the more opportunities to be cured.
Who, even once witnessed an attack of alcohol epilepsy, can not get rid of terrible experiences. Some want to find a video on the Internet with an attack and show a loved one who suffers alcoholism. But this sight is terrible for those who have healthy thinking. And the alcoholic never recognizes himself as sick. That's the problem!
For the treatment of alcoholic epilepsy and alcoholism, a set of measures is applied, including: social therapy and psychotherapy, drug therapy and physiotherapy, rehabilitation and coding.
The consequences of alcohol epilepsy are unpredictable, terrible, tragic and destructive. With alcoholism, the work of organs and their systems is disrupted, diseases appear that often do not respond to treatment and lead to a fatal outcome. The liver is especially badly damaged, causing her dystrophy and cirrhosis.
Total poisoning of the body with strong toxins leads to coronary heart disease, arterial hypertension, atrophy of the gastric mucosa, the appearance of ulcers, erosions and pancreatitis.
The psyche and the human brain are damaged by alcohol. Nerve cells are dying - neurons. Chronic alcoholics with poor memory, and a hangover with alcoholic depression. If you do not choose a sober lifestyle, alcohol leads to dementia, suicide, death.
It is not always possible to completely eliminate the effects of alcohol epilepsy. But after complete abstinence from alcohol and treatment, it is possible to improve the functions of the brain, memory, thinking processes and perception. The degree of recovery of body functions is individual and depends on many factors.
