Alcohol and Seizures

[geoff79]

Sorry if this has been posted before, but I'm worried about my brother.  

My brother is 25 and has literally been drinking around a 12 pack of beer every single night for the past 8 months, never even taking 2-3 days off.  Literally every night.  I've been reading about people that suddenly just try and quit who have  a seizure as a result of their mind not being able to be normalized without the depressant effect of alcohol so that it goes into a hyper mode and a seizure result.  If my brother finally decides to quit I know he will refuse go to a treatment center for help.  How likely is it that he is in bad danger of having a seizure when something comes up and he can't get drunk 1 night?  Will warning signs preceed the seizure?  For instance will he be jittering and shaking, sweating all the stuff you read about before this comes on, or can he just instantly have a seizure?  I thought the seizure and DT thing was more for people who have been drinking daily all throughout their 20's and 30's  decide to stop in their 40's without help.  Is there less risk for somebody his age with around 6-7 years of drinking experience or are his 8 months straight enough to do it to the brain?  Thanks for the responses  

[boogieman]

hello. there are a lot of different factors that can affect the threshold at which a person will have a withdrawal seizure. generally, there are the initial symptoms as you mentioned as well as elevated pulse and bp that will be prevalent first. his individual tolerances, metabolism, liver process efficiency, preexisting conditions, and other meds can have an influence on the withdrawal process. he should at least see a doctor if he is unwilling to go into treatment, and he could be prescribed things like ativan and haldol for the more serious complications. the problem is that there are several parameters used to determine the correct amount of meds to administer. most facilities use the clinical institute withdrawal assessment or 'ciwa' scale to determine the severity of a patients condition. these symptoms can have sudden onset and change rapidly which is why a facility with medical support is highly recommended. remember most of all that alcohol withdrawal is a potentially life-threatening condition, and the person should not be left alone as they may begin to experience delirium tremens or have seizures with little, if any warning. best wishes,    gm