What to do and what to take in case of alcohol poisoning

Alcohol poisoning is a complex of symptoms of poisoning when the main toxic substance is alcohol and its metabolites. In addition to ethyl alcohol, methyl, butyl, isopropyl and other alcohols, the toxic effect of which, as a rule, is even more pronounced, can enter a person.

First of all, in terms of danger, acute alcohol poisoning should be highlighted, which usually occurs due to an overdose of strong alcoholic beverages or the use of alcohol substitutes. True, when taking alcoholic surrogates, poisoning ceases to be purely alcoholic, since the surrogate used as an alcohol substitute contains, in addition to ethyl alcohol, other poisons - usually methyl alcohol, acetone and others. One of the first places in the statistics of household poisonings is occupied by poisoning with surrogates or low-quality alcohol.

Symptoms of alcohol poisoning

Signs of the toxic effects of alcoholic beverages appear gradually. The severity of symptoms of alcohol poisoning changes in accordance with the increase in the concentration of ethyl alcohol in the blood plasma. Poisoning with alcohol surrogates occupies a leading position in the statistics of all intoxications. Moreover, 98% of patients die before hospitalization. A brief description of the alcohol surrogate will help to understand the reason for such a high mortality rate. What are alcohol surrogates? What are the signs of poisoning with such counterfeit alcohol? How to help the victim? What could be the consequences of such intoxication? We will look at the answers to these questions in this article.

What applies to alcohol surrogates?

Poisoning with alcohol substitutes in the international classification of diseases ICD-10 corresponds to codes T51.1 - T52.9. They are divided into two groups: those alcohol substitutes that may contain ethyl alcohol and those that may not contain it. The first group includes: 1. Butyl alcohol. Death occurs after taking just 30 milliliters. 2. Hydrolysis and sulfite alcohols, which are obtained from wood. They are more toxic than ethanol due to the presence of a small amount of methyl alcohol. 3. Denatured alcohol or technical alcohol. Contains some wood alcohol and aldehyde. 4. Colognes and lotions. They may contain up to 60% ethanol. 5. The polish contains several types of toxic alcohols. 6. The stain, together with ethanol, contains dyes, which cause the patient’s skin and mucous membranes to turn blue.

The second group, or they are also called “false surrogates,” is represented by: • methyl alcohol; • ethylene glycol.

Symptoms of poisoning with surrogates containing ethyl alcohol

Clinically, signs of alcohol intoxication are first observed:

• emotional and motor arousal;
• facial redness;
• state of euphoria;
• sweating;
• increased salivation;
• a feeling of mental and physical relaxation.

Then intoxication gives way to symptoms of alcohol intoxication. The skin becomes pale. There is a frequent urge to urinate. The pupils dilate and the mouth feels dry. Increased mental and physical activity is accompanied by a lack of coordination, movements become sweeping. Concentration becomes reduced, speech is slurred. Criticism of one's words and actions is sharply reduced or completely absent.

Symptoms of methanol (wood alcohol) poisoning

Methyl alcohol is quickly absorbed in the digestive system. About 75% of the absorbed poison is excreted in the breath, the rest in the urine. The lethal dose ranges from 50 to 150 milliliters. The main impact of poisoning falls on the nervous system and kidneys. A psychotropic effect occurs (pathological changes in the psyche) and a neurotoxic effect, accompanied, among other things, by damage to the optic nerves and retina. So, when poisoning with alcohol surrogates containing methanol, the following symptoms occur:

• nausea, vomiting;
• intoxication and euphoria are weakly expressed;
• visual impairment: flickering black dots before the eyes, blurred vision, diplopia (double vision) and even blindness;
• outwardly, in such patients the pupils are dilated and react sluggishly to light;
• 1-2 days after poisoning, pain in the abdomen, lower back, aches in the muscles and joints appear;
• the temperature rises to 38⁰;
• dry skin and mucous membranes;
• low blood pressure;
• interruptions in heart function;
• confusion;
• attacks of excitement accompanied by convulsions;
• As the symptoms increase, the victim falls into a coma and paralysis of the limbs develops.

Postintoxicosis

Alcohol intoxication stages 1 and 2 is almost always accompanied by a hangover with characteristic symptoms:

• Bad mood;
• hand trembling;
• strong thirst;
• loose stools or constipation;
• nausea;
• insomnia;
• swelling;
• dizziness;
• increased body temperature;
• muscle weakness;
• cardiopalmus;
• surges in blood pressure.

Particularly dangerous are binge drinking, which causes the development of chronic diseases, disability and premature death. There is no need to wait for irreversible changes. Contact a drug treatment center and we will return sobriety to your body and restore its normal functioning.

Symptoms of ethylene glycol poisoning

Ethylene glycol is also quickly absorbed in the digestive tract. About 60% of the poison is broken down in the liver, about 20–30% is excreted by the kidneys. Therefore, it is these organs that will suffer the most, up to the development of their acute failure. In severe poisoning, signs of damage to the nervous system appear. When intoxicated with this alcohol substitute, symptoms develop over periods.

1. Early period. It lasts about 12 hours and is characterized by signs of alcohol intoxication while feeling well.
2. Toxic damage to the nervous system. There are: nausea, vomiting, headache, thirst, diarrhea, skin and mucous membranes become cyanotic. The pupils are dilated, body temperature rises, difficulty breathing, tachycardia, and psychomotor agitation appear. Loss of consciousness with the development of convulsions is possible.
3. The nephro and hepatotoxic period develops 2–5 days from the onset of the disease. A clinical picture of liver and kidney failure is noted. Yellowness of the skin appears, which appears first on the sclera and last of all, the palms turn yellow. Skin itching is characteristic, and darkening of the urine may occur. Renal failure is manifested by a decrease in diuresis up to its absence.

Content:

1. What is alcohol intoxication: causes and mechanisms of development.
2. Clinical picture of alcohol intoxication: 2.1. Mild degree (0.5–1.5‰). 2.2. Medium degree (1.5–2.5‰). 2.3. Severe degree (up to 5‰ and above). 2.4. Rarely occurring forms of alcohol intoxication.
3. Removing alcohol intoxication.

Alcohol affects the functions of almost all internal organs, and primarily the central nervous system. The degree of such influence depends on many different factors: the constitution of a person, the speed of metabolic processes, his psychological state, the quality and quantity of snacks. In most cases, alcohol intoxication can be dealt with independently, at home, but sometimes qualified assistance is required at home or in a specialized clinic.

General primary external signs

First of all, motor emotional and arousal arises. As a rule, this is accompanied by liveliness (a characteristic sparkle in the eyes). The initial euphoria is perceived as a pleasant elevation above life's problems. The attitude towards yourself and others changes. This is how a person begins to talk more, and his statements become categorical. When drinking strong drinks, hyperemia (redness) of the skin is observed. This change is usually more pronounced in the upper part of the body, especially on the face; dilation of the pupils is clearly noticeable.

Common secondary signs of poisoning

Subsequently, an increase in the concentration of alcohol when it is absorbed from the stomach into the blood has an increasingly stronger effect on the central nervous system and disrupts the control and regulatory function of the brain. Here symptoms of complete disinhibition are already appearing. A drunk person begins to exhibit instinctive behavior: stupidity appears in judgments, overt sexuality and (or) aggressiveness in behavior. At this same stage of intoxication, awkwardness of movements is observed. Violation of the coordination of motor regulation is caused by the effect of alcohol on the cerebellum. Increased motor activity as ethanol is absorbed quite soon gives way to awkwardness, a “drunk gait” and other characteristic symptoms.

Medicines

As soon as the alcohol has been removed from the stomach, the person is given one of the following drugs:

• Anti-E;
• Colma;
• Zorex;
• Metadoxyl;
• Hepatofalk;
• AlkoStop;
• Yantavit;
• Glycine;
• Sofinor;
• Alka-Seltzer.

The use of these medications is appropriate for poisoning and treatment of alcohol intoxication. They should be taken in the dose indicated in the instruction leaflet. Many of them are freely available and allow you to instantly eliminate alcohol poisoning at home.

Severe symptoms of poisoning

The vast majority of symptoms of alcohol poisoning are caused by the neurotoxic effects of ethyl alcohol. General toxicity is much less pronounced in the first hours after consumption. That is why the dangerous symptoms of severe poisoning are of a neuroparalytic nature.

Ethanol molecules, due to their minimal sizes relative to other organic compounds, have a unique penetrating ability. So they easily pass the blood-brain barrier. In this case, damage occurs to both the structure of the neocortex and the impact on the centers of the peripheral autonomic nervous system.

Therefore, severe alcohol poisoning is always accompanied by disruption of the vascular and respiratory centers of the central nervous system. With a serious concentration of neurotoxic poison in the body, depressive symptoms from alcohol clearly appear. Outwardly, this easily manifests itself in speech and motor activity. Speech and movements when reaching a severe stage of intoxication become meaningless and incoherent. Therefore, a drunk person, or in fact seriously poisoned by alcohol, is “not able to cope” and can only move by crawling. As alcohol intoxication increases, alcohol stunner quickly develops. A person loses the ability to perceive reality and respond to irritation. Here, in addition to these obvious dangerous symptoms, an alcoholic coma can develop, with all the ensuing consequences.

Recovery

After detoxification, time is given for rehabilitation. It is carried out using folk remedies. They drink grapefruit juice, a decoction of St. John's wort, tansy, lemon balm tea, Borjomi. A strict diet is prescribed:

• The food is not fried, but steamed or stewed, baked in the oven.
• Non-fatty meats.
• The predominance of vegetables and fruits in the daily diet.
• Refusal of fried and spicy foods, marinades and pickles.
• Exclusion from the diet of smoked meats and seasonings.
• To prepare first courses, use lean broths.
• Refusal of fast food.

With the help of traditional medicine, the recovery course is easy and makes it possible to heal in the shortest possible time. The recovery process takes a week, and improvement in well-being occurs on the second or third day.

Alcohol intoxication cannot be ignored. Without intervention it will get worse, and self-healing will take a long period of time. Therefore, immediately contact the clinic to receive full treatment from professionals.

Author of the article: Yakovlev Evgeniy Anatolyevich

Narcologist, Candidate of Medical Sciences.

What types of alcohol surrogates are there?

Alcohol surrogates include various liquids in which, in addition to ethyl alcohol itself, there are other non-food components (BF glue, denatured alcohol, lotions, colognes, hygiene products, etc.), as well as other highly toxic alcohols (wood alcohol, ethanol, antifreeze, ethylene glycol, brake fluid and other technical fluids). Chronic poisoning of the body with alcoholic beverages is usually observed when alcohol dependence is not only already formed, but also progresses. Here you can read about the consequences of constant alcohol abuse, because this is a topic for a separate article.

Pure alcohol from distillation columns is also used for pharmaceutical and medical purposes and is included in many liquids. Therefore, poisoning is possible not only with liquids for technical purposes, but, for example, with sanitary and hygienic products and perfumes. As an illustration of the latter, inexpensive colognes can be mentioned. Although such products cannot be strictly classified as alcohol surrogates, intoxication from them is very similar in symptoms and consequences.

What kind of alcohol are they poisoning with?

In addition to alcohol, which is clearly not intended for ingestion, poisoning with so-called “scorched vodka” often occurs. It can be quite difficult to distinguish licensed and counterfeit vodka by appearance. Moreover, there are numerous cases where similar products were sold in regular stores and even supermarkets of large retail chains.

To protect against this, as well as in an attempt to save money, people are increasingly resorting to moonshine. But even here, not everything is smooth and simple. Moonshine can contain a large amount of harmful impurities in the form of fusel oils. The consequences of consuming such a “homemade” product can also be very, very serious.

In addition to “palenka” and moonshine, the leading positions in the number of cases of poisoning include medical tinctures with alcohol. Alcohol tinctures of pepper and hawthorn are especially popular. Their use as an alternative to food alcohol in any long term leads to rapid social and mental degradation.

Poisoning after food alcohol may not appear immediately and may not be in an acute form; such poisoning can be treated in the usual ways, but if the signs described below are observed, special measures must be taken.

Intravenous injections

There are many methods for eliminating the unpleasant feeling caused by drinking alcoholic beverages. In the clinic, blood purification is carried out by placing droppers:

1. 5% and 10% glucose solution;
2. 5% ascorbic acid solution;
3. Reomacrodex, Rondex, Reopoliglyukin, Disol, Hemodez - one bottle each;
4. vitamin B6 and B1 in the form of 5% solutions of 3-5 ml;
5. 10% calcium chloride solution.

Saline solution is a universal drug that restores water-salt balance. It will help thin the blood and reduce the concentration of toxic substances. It is not always possible to cope with tablets, so the medication is more beneficial when administered intravenously. Plus, saline solution is harmless for people who suffer from diabetes and cannot respond adequately to a glucose drip.

It is better to do the digging in the clinic rather than at home. There is no doctor who can prescribe the correct dosage and no nurse who can properly install an IV. Eliminating the symptoms of the disease under control is safer, produces results faster, and the body’s systems are fully restored. Complete detoxification is carried out in two to three days.

Emergency care for poisoning with alcohol substitutes

If poisoning with alcohol substitutes is suspected, emergency care will depend on the initial condition of the patient. If the patient is unconscious, then he must be laid on a flat, hard surface, turn his head to the side to avoid aspiration of vomit and call an ambulance. If respiratory and cardiac activity is impaired, first call an ambulance, and then perform indirect cardiac massage and artificial respiration.

When the victim is conscious, first aid consists of the following:

• take sorbent;
• saline laxative;
• drink an enveloping decoction, for example, jelly;
• emergency hospitalization in a hospital.

Treatment of poisoning with alcohol surrogates in a hospital:

1. Gastric lavage through a tube. In case of methanol intoxication, it is repeated for 3 days. They give sorbents.
2. Antidote treatment in both cases is the same: five percent ethanol is administered intravenously. For mild poisoning, 30% ethyl alcohol can be taken orally.
3. In case of ethylene glycol poisoning, calcium gluconate is administered to neutralize the breakdown products of the toxic substance.
4. Forced diuresis is carried out, which is based on the drip administration of large amounts of solutions and diuretics in the absence of renal dysfunction.
5. Removal of toxins from the blood is also carried out by hemodialysis.
6. Glucose with novocaine, prednisolone, and vitamins B and C are administered.
7. In case of methanol poisoning, spinal punctures are performed.
8. In severe cases of ethylene glycol toxicity, a kidney transplant may be necessary.

How to get rid of severe toxicosis

Before figuring out how to relieve symptoms, you need to determine the severity of the condition. First aid for severe poisoning includes the following:

1. Make sure the person is sitting. Lying down is dangerous - you may start vomiting, which makes it easy to choke. If the patient wants to lie down, place him on his side, but do not move too far away.
2. Provide the patient with plenty of fluids. The more he drinks, the better - it will help flush out toxins.
3. Give any sorbents to drink (activated carbon, Enterosgel, etc.).
4. Call the drug treatment team and wait for the specialists. They may be able to provide further instructions over the phone.

While waiting for a team of doctors, there is no need to give the intoxicated person medication on your own, because he may be allergic to some active substances, and your intervention will only make things worse.

Types of coma after alcohol

In case of alcohol poisoning, three stages of coma are distinguished in accordance with the degree of severity.

1. Superficial coma, symptoms: constricted pupils, there is a reaction to light. When trying to bring the patient to ammonia, he reacts with defensive movements of his hands and a corresponding grimace, but does not come to his senses. To quickly bring the patient to consciousness, it is recommended to perform gastric lavage using a gastric tube; usually the prognosis is favorable.
2. Moderate severity, coma. Unlike the superficial one, there is a pronounced sign - relaxation of muscle tone. The patient reacts poorly to inhalation of ammonia vapor. There is no restoration of consciousness after gastric lavage. These symptoms require hospitalization to the toxicology department.
3. Deep coma. Tendon reflexes are completely absent. The pupils do not react to light, may be narrowed or wide with impaired breathing, and convulsions occur. There is no reaction to ammonia or pain sensitivity. Emergency immediate hospitalization to the toxicology department is indicated.

A comatose state from acute alcohol poisoning manifests itself externally in the following: the face becomes bluish and hypertrophied, the skin is sticky and cold, the pulse is weakened, thread-like, and breathing is intermittent and shallow. Such a critical condition of the patient requires the help of a resuscitator.

The likelihood of developing an alcoholic coma is especially high when an average-weight person, who usually rarely drinks, consumes the following dose of alcohol at one time or in a short period of time: 150-180 pure undiluted alcohol, or in terms of vodka 420-450 g, while creating alcohol concentration 0.3% or more.

Of course, if the indicated signs of alcohol poisoning are observed without first aid, alcohol poisoning can lead to death. What to do in case of alcohol poisoning, of course, provide first aid as quickly as possible. The lethal dose of alcohol is not constant and averages 5-13 grams of 96% alcohol per kilogram of weight. In alcoholics at the second stage, due to acquired tolerance to alcohol, the lethal dose is significantly increased compared to light drinkers and non-drinkers. Alcohol poisoning can result in the death of the victim, which occurs as a result of disruption of the cardiovascular system, respiratory arrest, hypothermia and other reasons.

Stages of intoxication and risk factors

It's good if you know your dose - moderate drinking is unlikely to lead to dangerous consequences. In this case, you need to provide yourself with a sufficient amount of fatty foods, meat, fish, and bread in advance. Then you will be able to enjoy the feast longer.

There are three stages of intoxication:

1. The first one is easy. There is up to 1.5% alcohol in the blood. A person with such indicators does not feel a sharp deterioration in his condition. His mood improves, his body feels light, sometimes he feels a little drowsy, and his heart rate increases.
2. The second is of medium severity. The concentration of alcohol in the blood is from 1.6% to 2.7%. The first symptoms and signs of intoxication appear: speech becomes incoherent, the person may lose coordination. At this moment it is important to stop.

1. The third is alcohol toxicosis. Blood ethanol levels exceed 2.7%. New symptoms are added to the above symptoms: the skin turns pale or even blue, confusion and vomiting appear. Over time, most begin to experience seizures.

If you have not encountered this condition before, it is very easy to make mistakes in assessing its severity, which often leads to serious complications. Therefore, at the first suspicion, do not allow you to continue drinking, and if your health worsens, call a drug treatment team.

You can suffer from just one glass of alcohol consumed throughout the evening - it all depends on individual characteristics:

• gender;
• weight and build;
• age;
• the presence of chronic diseases, liver conditions;
• metabolic rate.

Pay attention to the conditions under which strong drinks are consumed. Drinking alcohol on an empty stomach is an almost one hundred percent guarantee of the rapid onset of, if not the third, then the second stage of intoxication. In addition, the worse the quality of the drink, the higher the likelihood that you will get poisoned. But intoxication can also occur from a bottle of the most expensive cognac, if precautions are not taken.

First aid for alcohol poisoning

First of all, if you suspect, let alone observe, signs of alcohol poisoning, even subtle symptoms with a fair amount of alcohol consumed, you should call an ambulance. To call an ambulance, you need to dial 03 from a landline phone or 112 from a mobile phone and be prepared to provide the address where the patient is located.

What else can be done when alcohol poisoning is obvious. If the patient is conscious, but there is lethargy, severe weakness, drowsiness on the face, ammonia vapor is allowed to inhale. To do this, a gauze or cotton swab soaked in ammonia is brought to the nasal opening; an accessible method of providing assistance in case of poisoning is to prepare a non-concentrated solution of soda (1 teaspoon per liter) in cold water and give it to drink, then gently press with a spoon on the root of the tongue , thereby causing vomiting.

If the poisoned person is able to swallow, the poisoned person should be given up to twenty tablets of activated carbon at a time. You can give an anti-hangover drink, for example, “Cheerfulness”, up to three sachets per mug, or drink hot, strong tea. But these measures are possible if the poisoned person can control his actions.

If a person who has consumed a lot of alcohol has lost consciousness, it is important, before the ambulance doctors arrive, to carefully monitor that his tongue is not stuck, that nothing restricts his breathing, except that the poisoned person cannot choke on his own vomit. If you lose consciousness from poisoning, it is contraindicated to rinse your stomach; the person may choke. Ethyl alcohol causes vasodilation, which means that the body affected by poisoning loses heat quickly. As a result, hypothermia may occur.

It is important to take warming measures: move the patient to a warm place or at least wrap him well. Place the poisoned person on his side, partially on his stomach so that his head is lowered, then possible vomit will not enter the respiratory tract. If cardiac activity stops and breathing stops, resuscitation measures are immediately started to maintain vital processes until doctors arrive.

When is it better to go to the hospital or call a doctor at home?

• There are head injuries.

• Convulsions or severe tremors .

• Repeated vomiting.

• You cannot wake the person.

• Pale face, weak pulse, changes in blood pressure .

• A person talks to non-existent objects, has visual or auditory hallucinations, signs of delirium tremens .

•The above-described symptoms increase or the person has diabetes .

Consequences of poisoning with alcohol surrogates

Despite the fact that the course of poisoning with alcohol substitutes containing ethyl alcohol is more favorable, the consequences can be very serious. The prognosis is determined by the amount of counterfeit alcohol consumed, and, to a greater extent, by the timeliness of the medical care provided. If the patient suffered from chronic alcoholism, the poisoning is more severe and there are more deaths than in those who did not have alcohol dependence.

When intoxicated with methanol, complete loss of vision is possible, which is not restored after the poison is removed from the body. Ethylene glycol-based surrogates lead to kidney failure. Such patients mostly die.

The problem of poisoning with alcohol surrogates, unfortunately, remains relevant today. Many people are faced with this disease, so knowing the signs of such intoxication will help not only provide timely emergency assistance to the victim, but also save his life!

Literature:

1. Kissin A. G. et al. The latest encyclopedia of emergency medical care: reference book. practicing doctor / Moscow: RIPOL classic, 2006. - 495 p.
2. IN AND. Borodulin. Handbook of emergency medical care / M.: ONICS 21st century. : Peace and Education, 2003. – 557
3. Mental disorders: diagnosis and therapy in general medical practice / Ch. ed. Yu. A. Alexandrovsky. - Moscow: GEOTAR-Media, 2007. - 269 p.,
4. Eryshev, Oleg Fedorovich. Treatment of alcohol addiction / St. Petersburg. : Neva, 2004. - 123 p.
5. Churkin, Alexander Alexandrovich. A manual on narcology for doctors and paramedics of primary medical care / Moscow; Khanty-Mansiysk: Health and Society, 2006 (Cheboksary: ​​IPK Chuvashia). — 173 p.

The text was checked by expert doctors: Head of the socio-psychological service of the Alkoklinik MC, psychologist Yu.P. Baranova, L.A. Serova, a psychiatrist-narcologist.

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