Alcohol Detox Side Effects
Your alcohol detox side effects may be overwhelming but you can overcome them!
The side effects of alcohol detox range from person to person and may begin to occur only a few hours after the last drink or they may occur days or even a week after the last drink. The side effects of alcohol detox range from mild to moderate or can even be severe and life threatening. In about 95% of people who detox from alcohol, the alcohol detox side effects that are present are mild and do not require extreme intervention or constant medical care but for the other 5% of people, the side effects of alcohol detox may be so severe that without medical intervention the outcome could be fatal.
Minor Side Effects of Alcohol Detox
Mild side effects of alcohol detox are not usually life threatening and they really have little effect on the overall health of an individual. For the most part, mild side effects of alcohol detox are merely uncomfortable and more of an annoyance than a threat. The most common side effects of alcohol detox that are not a severe health threat include:
- headaches
- nausea
- vomiting
- mildly increased heart rate
- anxiety
- insomnia
- loss of appetite
Moderate to Severe Side Effects of Alcohol Detox
Unfortunately, not everyone gets through the alcohol detox process without experiencing severe side effects of alcohol detox. While the mild side effects are mostly easy to manage and do not require around the clock supervision or care, some of the more severe side effects of alcohol detox can be fatal when left untreated and because of this risk it is recommended that nobody every try to detox from alcohol alone.
Severe side effects of alcohol detox that can result in death include:
- Convulsions
- Seizures
- Delirium Tremens (DTs)
- Hypertension
- Fever
- Tachycardia
- Heart Attack
Most often, the severe side effects of alcohol detox do not begin to set in until about 72 hours after the last drink. It’s important that anyone who is trying to stop drinking is monitored by a medical professional to assure their own safety during the entire alcohol detox process as severe side effects can often set in rapidly and with little warning to the individual which may leave little or no time to plan for medical intervention or get to a hospital on your own. Alcohol detox centers staff skilled professionals and medical staff that can recognize the early warning signs of severe alcohol detox side effects and greatly minimize the risk of complications or even death during alcohol detoxification.