substance misuse Flashcards
alcohol intake men and women
14 units a week spread evenly over 3+ days
how is units calculated
milimeters x ABV/ 1000
what is a binge
8 units in one sitting for men and 6 for women
what is hazardous drinking
8-14 units a week / not impacting life
what is harmful drinking
15+ units / harmful to help
mechanism of alcohol withdrawal
alcohol enhances GABA (inhibitory pathway) and inhibits NMDA (excitatory pathway) // so withdrawal is opposite (decreased GABA and increased NMDA)
when do withdrawal alcohol symptoms occur
6-12 hours after last drink
symptoms alcohol withdrawal
tremor, sweating, tachycardia, anxiety
peak incidence seizures alcohol withdrawal
36 hours
when does delirium tremens occur
48-72 hours
symptoms delirium tremens
coarse tremor, confused, delusions, hallucinations, fever, tachy
1st line mx alcohol withdrawal
decreasing dose of long acting benzos eg chlordiazepoxide or diazepam
mx alcohol withdrawal if hepatic failure
lorazepam
what AED can be used in alcohol withdrawal
carbamazepine
questionnaires to assess drinking
CAGE (cut down? annoyed? guilty? ever drink for neves?) // audit (20+)