Alcohol Withdrawal
                        ==================
þ Treatment of alchohol withdrawal
 - 20 mg Valium IV right away, then 10 mg IV Q10-15' afterwards 
   (even if looks OK)
 

þ Bananna Bag:
 - D5NS
   40 mEq KCl
   5 g MgSO4
   3 mg folate
   2 Amps MVI
   Thiamine 100 mg

þ Propofol may work for DTs unresponsive to benzodiazepines
  [Refractory delirium tremens treated with propofol: a case series.
  McCowan C - Crit Care Med - 01-Jun-2000; 28(6): 1781-4.]
  Excerpt: <Withdr-A.TXT -McCowan>

þ Stages of Alcohol Withdrawal
 - Stage 3 alcohol withdrawal ("rum fits")
  + occurs within 7-48 hours.
  + in about 10% of untreated withdrawing patients,
  + the great majority of those who will have multiple seizures will do
    so within six hours of the first seizure.  The occurrence of "rum fits"
    is a concerning event as 1/3 of patients with rum fits will develop
    delirium tremens.
 - DTs:
  + Delirium tremens
  + usually begins 3-5 days after reduction of alcohol intake,
  + can begin as late as 14 days after such reduction.
    Reference: Rosen 3rd ed. p 2522

þ Hallucinosis
 - Stage 1: In the first day or two after alcohol withdrawal, up to 1/4 of
   patients will develop hallucinations which can be visual, auditory,
   olfactory or mixed.  These patients have mild autonomic hyperexcitability.
 - Stage 2: In contrast, stage 2 alcoholic hallucinosis occurs 3-4 days after
   withdrawal from alcohol, is characterized by a clear sensorium, lack of
   autonomic hyperexcitability, and almost exclusively auditory
   hallucinations.
   Reference: Rosen 3rd ed. p 2522