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Alcohol withdrawl? tremors at the base of my skull, shakey hands...how do i fix this?

Option2

Bluelighter
Joined
May 24, 2002
Messages
346
Location
Hollywood
I'm not an alcoholic. Not in my opinion. I don't like alcohol, but use it at night with benedryl to sleep. (insomnia)
Yesterday and today I woke up with this shakey, jittering feeling in my hands (hands were visibaly shaking). And there's the same shaking feeling....almost like tremors, at the base of my skull. I'm feeling like Ozzy Osbourne for fucks sake. When I do a shot, the feeling goes away.
Could it be bad vodka?
How do I fix this feeling?
 
Could it be a hangover?
I got this feeling only one day before. After drinking only 3 MGD's. But it was gone the next day.
 
'The shakes' is most certainly a symptom of alcohol withdrawal. One of the reasons is the dip in blood sugar levels when the effects of alcohol wear off. Dehydration is another possible cause. I wouldn't say you've got an alcohol problem, but is there anything less harsh on your body you can use to get to sleep? Dependence begins with regular 'medicinal' use of many drugs, including alcohol.
 
I can't see a doctor. I've got a Ball/Gaila tomarrow (big celebrity thing), and I don't have health insurance. Which means I'd have to go to a free clinic/hospital and waiting until 4am to be seen. (not an exageration).
This is a shitty time for this shit to happen. > :( I can't be smelling like vodka while getting ready for the gaila tomarrow.
I'll drink some sugar water throughout the night and see if it helps.
 
Well, I ate about 12 teaspons of sugar and the tremors are better, but I still have that "disconnected" feeling. Like I'm looking at the world from the back of my skull. Everything seems "distant".
 
The "shakes" is usually the first sign of severe alcohol withdrawl. As it progresses it often leads to seizures and death. You really should get some medical help.
 
If it was withdrawal, wouldn't I have cravings?
I don't have any cravings for alcohol. Never have. That's what's got me puzzled.
 
You dont have to have cravings to be going thru physical withdrawl. True, they often go together but it;s not uncommon to be physically withdrawling from a drug without having any real cravings.'
Test yourself. Take a nice swig of vodka or whatever and watch how fast those shakes go away.
almost like tremors, at the base of my skull.
That is EXACTLY what alcohol "shakes" feel like. Kinda like a flat tire spinning around in your head. It's the beginning symptom of something that could get very dangerous.
[ 03 December 2002: Message edited by: Bonecutter ]
 
feeling distant and/or disconnected is a sign of insomnia though isn't it? i think you should treat this as a insomnia case and cure that first.. because i think once you cure that you will be ok.
 
sounds to me like you need a benzo to calm yourself. see if you can get some valium, xanax, klonopin, ativan etc.
maybe a good dose of anything you can eat, even if it's bread. stay chill with something herbal too, like ( i dunno i have instant access to all of these because my dad's a network holistic chiropracter, but should be at a healthfood store) formula 303, bush flower, magnesium etc.
once you get chilled out and relaxed see how the cravings for vodka are.
ummm my codiene is just kicking in during this post so it might not make sense. ahhhhh
hehe
 
Some desturbing shit I found on a newsgroup search.....
"The mental symptoms of chronic alcoholism are in part
attributable to the fact that alcohol can be genuinely addicting,
and as a result, withdrawal from the drug can be
serious. Withdrawal symptoms occur when the heavy drinker
suddenly stops imbibing alcohol or when he can no longer
take in as much as his body has come to need. The earliest
and most common withdrawal state is acute tremulousness
(commonly known as the "shakes"). This condition may
come so suddenly that it presents itself before drinking has
been discontinued. The symptoms are severe shaking of the
hands, anxiety, physical restlessness, and a feeling of weakness.
I'VE HAD THIS
About one-fourth of such sufferers have short hallucinations,
visual or auditory.
I HAD THIS A COUPLE WEEKS AGO
Delirium tremens occur later, usually two to five days after
the curtailment of drinking. Extreme fear, agitation, and
great distractibility characterize the D.T.'s, although disorientation
and hallucinations are the most vivid symptoms. In
general, the alcoholic's mental condition at this time is one
of chaos. The magnitude of the symptoms is so great that
the patient usually requires hospitalization. Not uncommonly,
when delirium tremens is ending, an amnestic syndrome may
develop. This is a selective memory loss: recent events are
quickly forgotten, and the patient remembers only distant
happenings. In such cases, he may unconsciously invent circumstances
to fill in the gaps.
"
My drinking hasn't been going on long. Only a couple months. I'd drink at night to sleep. Enough to put me out ~8oz or so. But within the past few weeks, I started going through two 1.75 bottles per week.
"About one-fourth of such sufferers have short hallucinations,
visual or auditory."
I had this a couple weeks ago when I was out of Vodka and only had 3 MGD beer's. I had the shakey feeling (to a lesser extent) and had the hallucinations, both visual and audio. I thought it was just a hangover, because I've never experienced a hangover.
This shit sucks.
 
Off topic, but isn't there a beer called Delirium tremens? I'm pretty sure it has an elephant on the label.
 
Originally posted by forgotten:
It's hard to determine the severity of your situation, without your dosage information. Hom much have you been taking, and for how long? Like michael said, alcohol withdrawal usually comes from heavy use over a long period of time. Do you have any other symptoms of alcohol withdrawal, such as restlesness, agitation, lack of appetite, or delirium? Benzos are usually indicated in alcohol withdrawal to reduce the risk of DT, as well as to help with the shakes. Valium would be ideal due to it's longer half-life, but any benzo should be fine.
Edit: You will know if you have delirium tremens. It is probably one of the most frightening experiences one can go through. DT usually starts about 2 to 3 days after your last drink.
[ 03 December 2002: Message edited by: forgotten ]

It's only been a few months, maybe 4, of "heavy" use. The last couple months being two 1.75bottles a week.
"...restlesness, agitation, lack of appetite, or delirium?"
No. I've only had the the audio/visual halucionaltions (delerium) once, a couple weeks ago. But none this time.
I went to the gaila yesterday to set up around 3 and drank a Citrona before I left (no, I didn't drive). Then after I got my suit on for the dinner around 5, I noticed my hands shaking. But after about an hour, the shaking went away.
I just recieved a few tabs of Remeron in the mail from a friend who is super-simithetic to my situation. I tried a 1/2 tab last night with 1 tab Benedryl (yes, with a shot of vodka) and holy shit! The entire night was REM sleep with vivid, controllable dreams. It was like The Matrix.
Tonight I'll try just a 1/4 tab with 1/2 shot of vodka, and see what happens.
As far as benzo's, I'm still waiting on a shipment of Xanax. As soon as that gets here, I'll taper off the alcohol (I'm already tapering) over 3 days.
 
if alcohol w/d is anything like GHB w/d (and I believe for what I read it is) thank your lucky stars you're only getting the shakes. Stop drinking now, feel disconnected and fucked up for a week and recover. you do not want to go deeper into physical addiction, trust me.
 
Originally posted by Fujicrow:
if alcohol w/d is anything like GHB w/d (and I believe for what I read it is) thank your lucky stars you're only getting the shakes. Stop drinking now, feel disconnected and fucked up for a week and recover. you do not want to go deeper into physical addiction, trust me.
I used GBL daily for quite a while too, then I ran out and didn't have a source. I was expecting some withdrawl, but I didn't have any. That's why I wasn't expecting any withdrawl from the alcohol.
 
I used GBL probably everyday this summer until my source dried up as well. I got no signs of withdrawl at all, not the slightest twitch .. nothing.
 
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