Nutrition Health Chat: Tuesday, Dec. 8th, 5-6 PM Eastern. Learn how vitamins, minerals, and phytonutrients affect your health. Free live Q&A. Join us!
Member Comments are provided by individuals and reflect their personal opinions only. Under NO circumstances should you act on any advice or opinion posted in this forum. ALWAYS check with your personal physician before taking any action regarding your health! MedHelp International and our partners, sponsors and affiliates have no obligation to monitor any comments posted on this site, or the content and/or accuracy of such exchanges. MedHelp International does not endorse the views of any user.
Addiction (Expert Forum)
DT's in the Elderly
Questions in the Addiction forum are answered by a medical expert.
DT's in the Elderly
by Lori-Lewis, Jul 14, 1999 12:00AM
Posted by Lori Lewis on July 14, 1999 at 05:32:34
My father is 70+ years of age. He's been drinking heavily for 20 or more of them. He was at 1 litre a day. Now he's trying to quit after a serious binge. 3 days sober, the doctor prescribed CHLORDIAZEPOXIDE 25 mgs 4Xdaily. He's got serious shakes, confused, he walks, barely, very weak. In your opinion, is this going to get better? He still tries to move around I am worried he may hurt himself. Are there resources?
Posted by SA, M.D., - HVMA on July 16, 1999 at 12:59:48
Dear Lori,
Detoxifying a 70 year-old with underlying medical and/or psychiatric problems is often very tricky and is most safely conducted in an inpatient facility where there is expertise in the treatment of alcoholism. Confusion can be a very dangerous thing in anyone, especially an elderly person in withdrawal. Your father should be taken to an emergency room for a complete medical evaluation before things go from bad to worse.
DrSteve: http://www.drsteve.org
Keywords: alcoholism, detox, detoxification, withdrawal confusion, delirium
