How Long Can Delirium Tremens Last?
Delirium Tremens, or DTS symptoms, typically are short-lived, withstanding no longer than a few hours up to a day. However, how long can delirium tremens last in the most severe cases? This can be anywhere between 3-7 days depending on a person’s physical and mental level of alcohol dependency. Thankfully, First City Recovery has the solution to all your questions and uncertainties outlined in the following information and treatment procedures.
What is Delirium Tremens?
Delirium Tremens is the most severe form of alcohol withdrawal that consists of peak physiological and physical harm. People who experience these agonizing withdrawal symptoms are prone to distorted auditory and visual circumstances that can cloud their better judgment. In turn, this alcohol-induced jaded discretion can potentially lead to self-harm or other rash anxiety-fueled actions. Please note that DTS cannot and should not be confronted without guidance from a trained professional.
What are the Symptoms of Delirium Tremens?
DTS manifests itself in the form of numerous unmistakable severe withdrawal symptoms that differ from normal signs of withdrawal. If you experience any of the indicators to be mentioned, don’t hesitate to seek professional therapeutic assistance.
Visual Hallucinations
When the mind is deprived of an addiction, it can play cruel tricks on you, including visual hallucinations. These can be extremely frightening or emotional, depending on the conceived hallucinatory circumstance. Some can be so drastic that it can induce cardiac or other organ strains including anxiety or heart attack. It’s important to immediately address these visual mirages with the proper support of family, friends, and treatment specialists.
Seizures
When you have acquired an extensive alcohol dependency and attempt to stop cold turkey alone, Delirium Tremens-induced seizures can occur. Such a drastic bodily response is a result of your body’s inability to return to normal neuronic balances without medication-assisted treatment. Put simply, your body requires some form of chemical substitute that mimics alcohol to return gradually to normal neuronic levels. Failure to do so can throw your neuronic balance so out of wack that seizures occur. Consult our compassionate specialists to see if medication-assisted treatment is right for you.
Excessive Sleeping Patterns
Heavy drinking and DTS take such a toll on your body that they can induce abnormally long sleep for 24 hours or longer. This is your body telling you its limits. That is to say, as unhealthy as such extended sleep is, Delirium Tremens forces your body into full shutdown and recovery mode. These unhealthily long sessions are documented to induce further mental health conditions such as depression.
Easy Irritability
With disrupted mental frequencies comes disrupted behavior normalities. In the case of DTs, one is likely to become quick to anger and remain irritable until DT symptoms have subsided. Unfounded anger also increases the likelihood of making rash decisions or using choice words in the heat of the moment. This can lead to irreparable damage to friendships and bonds with those closest to you. Medically assisted treatment can prevent DT irritability from taking hold of you.
Complications of Delirium Tremens
If left untreated, DTs have a wide array of short-term and long-term health consequences. Thus, medical diagnosis and assessment are vital to detecting DTs and related health issues. Bearing that in mind, here are some DTS-related complications.
Cardiac Arrhythmia
When your neurons are thrown off balance, so are your vital organ functions. Your heart is no exception. That’s why arrhythmia is among the most common complications of Delirium Tremens. Persistent abnormal heart rhythms, in turn, can lead to permanent cardiac defects such as heart disease and other cardiovascular deficiencies. Speak to your doctor in coordination with our treatment specialists about any heart conditions you may have before taking addiction medication
Circulation Problems
DTs slow blood flow to the brain, thus hindering circulation. Over time this can lead to blood clots and other serious health problems. Circulation is key to helping your vital organs function to their maximum efficiency. Any restricted blood flow to the brain deprives the brain and other organs of receiving the necessary O2 levels to perform normally. Medically resolving your DT struggles can inadvertently spare your body from further damage.
Neuronic Stabilization Deficiency
How long can Delirium Tremens last on affecting balanced neuronic functions? Truth be told, without the proper medications, DTs prevent normal neuronic frequencies from being achieved as long as the sufferer refuses treatment. We can help you restore natural neuronic levels through individualized treatment protocols and heavily monitored and administered prescriptions.
Cognitive Impairment and Delirium
DTs do exactly what the name suggests, causing utter confusion. This confusion consists of a lack of mental and cognitive clarity which can lead to poor decision-making. Therefore, it can be difficult to make the correct decision to receive the help you need. This reason alone is why it’s vital to consult family members’ and friends’ support for the right steps moving forward.
Risk Factors for Acquiring Delirium Tremens
Some underlying factors contribute to a higher likelihood of developing this severe withdrawal condition. If any of the following risk factors describe you, seek a medical diagnosis specialist to learn the state and magnitude of your alcohol dependency.
Preexisting Mental Health Conditions
Any underlying anxiety, depression, or other personality disorders increase the potential to get Delirium Tremens following alcohol consumption. Even worse, acquired DTs can exacerbate any coexisting mental health problems. If you or a loved one is suffering from DTs and mental health, our dual-diagnosis programs have every support tool you need.
Underlying Physical Health Issues
Anybody with underlying heart, lung, or liver diseases has an increased risk of Delirium Tremens. This elevated risk is due to how alcohol interacts with vital organs that already have underlying health problems. If you drink in conjunction with a pre-existing health problem, you are putting yourself at risk for DTs and other severe permanent health conditions.
Heavy Alcohol Consumption
The most obvious risk factor is alcohol consumption. The more alcohol you drink, the greater your risk of acquiring DTs. This is true when it comes to a single session and drinking habits in general. If you have a difficult time controlling your alcohol consumption, we’re here to help. First City Recovery’s treatment approach is the most personalized and efficient method to getting a grasp on the drink that has taken hold of you.
Concussions or Head Injury History
Individuals who have a history of head injuries or concussions, especially more recent head injuries are also highly at risk. These head injuries can alter your brain’s genetic structure, especially in the case of cranial wounds that have yet to fully heal. If you have a history of head trauma or have had a recent injury, speak to our medical assessment team for a proper diagnosis.
Treatment Options for Delirium Tremens
The answer to “How long can Delirium Tremens last” is often dependent upon how long it takes for you to seek treatment. Thankfully, we do all of the work for you to accurately assess and place you in one or more of the following programs.
Alcohol Detox
Alcohol detox programs are always the first and greatest step for anybody experiencing Delirium Tremens. These well-rounded programs help remove the cravings and withdrawal symptoms associated with addiction en route to balancing neuronic frequencies. Once detox is completed, you’ll feel more refreshed, energized, and more adept to rise above any of the obstacles you face in recovery.
Family Therapy
As mentioned previously, family and friends play a key guidance role in people suffering from Delirium Tremens’s mental distortion. Family therapy treatment brings all of those support structures and counseling elements together in one personalized treatment program. In our family therapy program, you’ll strengthen your family bonds and support structure. Most importantly, you’ll recover together, getting to know and understand one another on a deeper level with the professional guidance of a specialist.
Trauma Recovery Programs
In many cases, DTs are an alcohol-induced byproduct of other underlying head or mental traumas. These traumas also represent the reason many people take up drinking in the first place. Treating these traumas at the source helps you improve decision-making processes and eliminate drinking habits and DTs from your lifestyle. For many, post-traumatic growth is the best addiction rehab method, helping you fight off multiple strongholds simultaneously.
Individual Therapy
For people desiring more privacy in their sessions, one-on-one treatment is arguably the most personalized, yet discreet of all treatment programs. In these sessions, your treatment specialist dives deep into the root and background of your struggle. Furthermore, therapists utilize their session assessments to map out the best recovery approach for your specific needs. All this is done with strict confidentiality to ensure everything you share with your therapists is kept private.
When Should You Seek Help for Alcohol Withdrawal Symptoms?
The cold hard truth is asking yourself this question is an answer in itself. You should always seek professional help at the first sign of withdrawal symptoms. The main reason is to prevent relapse. The next, equally important reason is to maximize recovery efficacy. First City Recovery can help you accomplish all this while fending off the most uncomfortable withdrawal effects. You deserve to enjoy your journey to recovery. We’re here to make that journey the most enjoyable and enlightening experience of a lifetime. Reach out to us now to begin the first day of the rest of your sober life.
MD, Psychiatrist
Dr. Vahid Osman, MD is a psychiatry specialist in Indianapolis, IN.
Dr. Osman completed a residency at Austin State Hospital. He has over 32 years of experience in Psychiatry & Behavioral Health. He is board certified by the American Board of Psychiatry and Neurology.
