INTRODUCTION:
Alcohol is a part of New Zealand culture and is considered as an inevitable factor for celebrations and for relieving stress (“Alcohol misuse”, 2016). Long-term high rate of alcohol consumption can lead to alcohol misuse and make people dependent on alcohol. It has now become a very common thing to see an alcoholic patient presenting to the hospital frequently to treat the withdrawal symptoms.
Most of the patients admitted with Alcohol Withdrawal Syndrome (AWS) have multiple management problems such as withdrawal symptoms, anxiety, liver disorders, electrolyte imbalances, seizures, poly substance abuse and depression (McKeon, Frye & Delanty, 2008). I have taken care of alcoholic patients who present with AWS because they had to stop drinking due to lack of money to buy alcohol. These patients are discharged from the hospital after treatment, but it is unfortunate to see that most of them are readmitted with the same complaints. It is high time to tackle alcohol misuse problem as it has a detrimental effect on our society.
This assignment will discuss the use of Diazepam to treat Alcohol Withdrawal Syndrome (AWS). The patient will be referred as Mrs G in the following discussion. A summary of the case study is provided comprising of patient’s history, medication list, laboratory investigations and plan of …show more content…
The main signs and symptoms of AWS as listed by CCDHB guidelines are hyper-reflexia, tremors, anxiety, restlessness, depression, insomnia, nausea, confusion, sweating, tachycardia and hypertension (Robinson & Cameron, 2015). Mrs G was admitted to the hospital two days post stopping alcohol due to anxiety, tremors, nausea and vomiting that are classic symptoms of
Alcohol is a part of New Zealand culture and is considered as an inevitable factor for celebrations and for relieving stress (“Alcohol misuse”, 2016). Long-term high rate of alcohol consumption can lead to alcohol misuse and make people dependent on alcohol. It has now become a very common thing to see an alcoholic patient presenting to the hospital frequently to treat the withdrawal symptoms.
Most of the patients admitted with Alcohol Withdrawal Syndrome (AWS) have multiple management problems such as withdrawal symptoms, anxiety, liver disorders, electrolyte imbalances, seizures, poly substance abuse and depression (McKeon, Frye & Delanty, 2008). I have taken care of alcoholic patients who present with AWS because they had to stop drinking due to lack of money to buy alcohol. These patients are discharged from the hospital after treatment, but it is unfortunate to see that most of them are readmitted with the same complaints. It is high time to tackle alcohol misuse problem as it has a detrimental effect on our society.
This assignment will discuss the use of Diazepam to treat Alcohol Withdrawal Syndrome (AWS). The patient will be referred as Mrs G in the following discussion. A summary of the case study is provided comprising of patient’s history, medication list, laboratory investigations and plan of …show more content…
The main signs and symptoms of AWS as listed by CCDHB guidelines are hyper-reflexia, tremors, anxiety, restlessness, depression, insomnia, nausea, confusion, sweating, tachycardia and hypertension (Robinson & Cameron, 2015). Mrs G was admitted to the hospital two days post stopping alcohol due to anxiety, tremors, nausea and vomiting that are classic symptoms of