Delirium tremens (DTs) is withdrawal from alcohol after extensive drinking over a prolonged period. Weekend drinking can give you a hangover, but months and years of daily alcohol consumption has serious and potentially fatal repercussions. Here’s a look at the symptoms of delirium tremens.
Appearance of Symptoms
According to the National Institute of Health (NIH), delirium tremens can result after several months of drinking the equivalent of a pint of hard liquor each day or about 10 years of alcoholism without gradual decline or declining too quickly. DTs can appear in as few as 48 hours or as many as 96, but have been known to happen after more than a week. Not eating, head injuries, or having an illness or infection while overdrinking can also bring on delirium tremens.
There are four classifications of alcohol withdrawal: minor withdrawal, major withdrawal, withdrawal seizures, and delirium tremens; DTs may include symptoms from the lesser 3 classifications. Alcohol can damage nearly every system in your body in some form, and thus there are many, many symptoms that characterize delirium tremens. In some cases, DTs can even cause grand mal seizures, which involve a complete loss of consciousness and full body shaking. Delirium tremens can result in death and are considered a medical emergency.
Mental Symptoms
While withdrawing from an addictive substance can be mentally taxing, delirium tremens can actually cause psychological symptoms as well. You may notice rapid mood swings or have extreme emotions. This might mean you are extremely excitable, irritable, agitated, frightened, nervous, or restless. As neurotransmitters in the brain are influenced by alcohol withdrawal, anxiety or depression may be present. You may feel like you have excessive amounts of energy or be extremely fatigued. Furthermore, delirium tremens interfere with the body’s natural rhythm and may influence sleep. While some people experience insomnia (difficulty sleeping), others may sleep more than normal, even falling into a deep sleep that lasts more than a day.
Cognitive Symptoms
Beyond the change in your mood and sleep pattern, you may notice you have difficulty with cognition. It may be difficult for you to focus or pay attention. You may notice a sensation of disorientation or confusion. Your senses may be invoked, becoming extremely sensitive to light, sound, and even being touched. Some people even experience hallucinations, in which your mind experiences stimuli that are not actually present. Although visual hallucinations are the most common, it is possible to experience tactile, olfactory, and auditory hallucinations (touch, smell, and hear, respectively).
Physical Symptoms
Unconscious processes may also experience abnormalities. You may feel very sweaty or notice that your skin is pale. The cardiovascular system is significantly affected by excessive drinking; chest pain is not uncommon. Palpitations, when the heart beats rapidly and erratically, may develop. Although seizures are on the more extreme end of the scale, you make feel shaky or experience tremors. A fever or headache can develop, and the gastrointestinal system often experiences difficulties as well. Nausea, vomiting, or diarrhea may occur. If you or someone you love is experiencing delirium tremens, seek emergency medical care immediately.
