Alcohol withdrawal

My patient on chronic oral baclofen began having mental status changes and hallucinations soon after hospitalization while still receiving baclofen. Could a lower than home-dose of baclofen have caused his withdrawal symptoms?

FA Manian MD, MPH, , , , , , , , , , , , , , , Leave a comment

Absolutely! Although we usually think of withdrawal symptoms in the setting of complete discontinuation of certain CNS depressants, even a reduced dose of baclofen1,2 in a patient who has been on a higher dose chronically can precipitate full-blown withdrawal symptoms, such as delirium, fevers, hallucinations, hyperspasticity, autonomic instability and even respiratory failure, multiorgan failure, cardiac arrest and death.1-5

Recall that baclofen is a GABA-B agonist and a potent inhibitor of neuronal synapses with resultant decreased excitation of muscle spindles and muscle spasticity.6 Similar to other benzodiazepines, baclofen is also a CNS depressant and bears many similarities with alcohol in its physiologic effects.  For example, baclofen and alcohol both produce unsteady gait, dizziness, mood alterations and impairment in attention and memory and reduce anxiety, among others.  Not surprisingly, abrupt withdrawal from baclofen may produce similar symptoms as those associated with alcohol withdrawal, such as confusion, hallucination and delirium (observed in our patient) as well as seizures.3 Withdrawal symptoms typically occur 24-48 hours after discontinuation or reduction in the dose of baclofen.1,2

Of course, many of our hospitalized patients are already at risk of mental status changes or sedation from their underlying conditions or from medications needed to treat them.  In this setting, consideration in reducing the home dose of certain CNS depressants, such as baclofen, is understandable and reasonable. However, we should also keep in mind that even a reduction in the chronic dose of baclofen carries a risk of withdrawal!  Unfortunately, healthcare facilities often lack established management protocols for anticipated interruption of oral baclofen.7

In our patient, the home dose of baclofen had been reduced by one-half following his admission. Worsening delirium and new onset visual and auditory hallucinations were noted within a few days of hospitalization. Thankfully, no further bouts of confusion or hallucination was observed after resuming his home dose.

Bonus Pearl:

Did you know that baclofen is often used (off label) to treat intractable hiccups of central origin? 8,9

Contributed by Fahad Tahir, MD, Mercy Hospital-St. Louis, St. Louis, Missouri

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References:

  1. Terrence CF, Fromm GH. Complications of Baclofen Withdrawal. Arch Neurol. 1981;38(9):588–589. doi:10.1001/archneur.1981.00510090082011. https://jamanetwork.com/journals/jamaneurology/article-abstract/580084
  1. O’Rourke, F., Steinberg, R., Ghosh, P., & Khan, S. (2001). Withdrawal of baclofen may cause acute confusion in elderly patients. BMJ (Clinical research ed.), 323(7317), 870.https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC1121408/ 
  1. de Beaurepaire R. A review of the potential mechanisms of action of baclofen in alcohol use disorder. Front. Psychiatry 2018; 9:506). In fact, baclofen may be a promising treatment for alcohol use disorder. https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC6232933/pdf/fpsyt-09-00506.pdf
  2. Cardoso AL, Quintaneiro C, Seabra H, Teixeira C. Cardiac arrest due to baclofen withdrawal syndrome. BMJ Case Rep. 2014;2014:bcr2014204322. Published 2014 May 14.doi:10.1136/bcr-2014-204322 https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC4025399/pdf/bcr-2014-204322.pdf
  1. Green LB, Nelson VS. Death after acute withdrawal of intrathecal baclofen: case report and literature review. Arch Phys Med Rehabil. 1999 Dec;80(12):1600-4. doi: 10.1016/s0003-9993(99)90337-4. PMID: 10597813. https://www.archives-pmr.org/article/S0003-9993(99)90337-4/pdf
  1. Allerton CA, Boden PR, Hill RG. Actions of the GABAB agonist, (-)-baclofen, on neurones in deep dorsal horn of the rat spinal cord in vitro. Br J Pharmacol. 1989;96(1):29-38. doi:10.1111/j.1476-5381.1989.tb11780.x https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC1854300/
  1. Schmitz NS, Krach LE, Coles LD, Schrogie J, Cloyd JC, Kriel RL. Characterizing Baclofen Withdrawal: A National Survey of Physician Experience. Pediatr Neurol. 2021 Sep;122:106-109. doi: 10.1016/j.pediatrneurol.2021.06.007. Epub 2021 Jul 28. PMID: 34330615. https://www.pedneur.com/article/S0887-8994(21)00129-6/fulltext
  1. Zhang, C., Zhang, R., Zhang, S. et al. Baclofen for stroke patients with persistent hiccups: a randomized, double-blind, placebo-controlled trial. Trials 15, 295 (2014). https://doi.org/10.1186/1745-6215-15-295
  1. Jeon YS, Kearney AM, Baker PG Management of hiccups in palliative care patients BMJ Supportive & Palliative Care 2018;8:1-6. https://spcare.bmj.com/content/8/1/1.long

Disclosures: The listed questions and answers are solely the responsibility of the author and do not necessarily represent the official views of Mercy Hospital-St. Louis, Massachusetts General Hospital, Harvard Catalyst, Harvard University, their affiliate academic healthcare centers, or its contributors. Although every effort has been made to provide accurate information, the author is far from being perfect. The reader is urged to verify the content of the material with other sources as deemed appropriate and exercise clinical judgment in the interpretation and application of the information provided herein. No responsibility for an adverse outcome or guarantees for a favorable clinical result is assumed by the author. Thank you!

My patient on chronic oral baclofen began having mental status changes and hallucinations soon after hospitalization while still receiving baclofen. Could a lower than home-dose of baclofen have caused his withdrawal symptoms?

Why is my hospitalized patient with alcohol withdrawal syndrome so thrombocytopenic?

FA Manian MD, MPH, , , , , , , , , , , , , , Leave a comment

Although thrombocytopenia associated with chronic alcoholism may be related to complications of cirrhosis (eg, platelet sequestration in spleen due to portal hypertension, poor platelet production, and increased platelet destruction) (1), it may also occur in the absence of cirrhosis due to the direct toxic effect of alcohol on platelet production and survival (2).

 
In a prospective study of patients ingesting the equivalent of a fifth or more daily of 86 proof whiskey admitted for treatment of alcohol withdrawal—without evidence of severe liver disease, infection or sepsis— 81% had initial platelet counts below 150,000/µl, with about one-third having platelet counts below 100,000 µl (as low as 24,000/ul) (3).

 
In most patients, 2-3 days elapsed before the platelet count began to rise significantly, peaking 5-18 days after admission. Others have also reported that platelet counts rise within 5-7 days and normalize in a few weeks after alcohol withdrawal (1); bleeding complications have been uncommon in this setting.

 
Perhaps even more intriguing is the report of the association between thrombocytopenia in early alcohol withdrawal and the development of delirium tremens or seizures (sensitivity and specificity ~ 70%, positive predictive value less than 10% but with a negative predictive value of 99%) (4)! In fact, the authors suggested that, if their findings are corroborated, a normal platelet count could potentially be used to identify patients at low risk of alcohol withdrawal syndrome and therefore outpatient therapy. 

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References
1. Mitchell O, Feldman D, Diakow M, et al. The pathophysiology of thrombocytopenia in chronic liver disease. Hepatic Medicine: Evidence and Research 2016;8 39-50. https://www.dovepress.com/the-pathophysiology-of-thrombocytopenia-in-chronic-liver-disease-peer-reviewed-article-HMER

2. Cowan DH. Effect of alcoholism on hemostasis. Semin Hematol 1980;17:137-47. https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/6990498

3. Cowan DH, Hines JD. Thrombocytopenia of severe alcoholism. Ann Intern Med 1971;74:37-43. http://annals.org/aim/article-abstract/685069/thrombocytopenia-severe-alcoholism.

4. Berggren U, Falke C, Berglund KJ, et al. Thrombocytopenia in early alcohol withdrawal is associated with development of delirium tremens or seizures. Alcohol & Alcoholism 2009;44:382-86. https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/19293148

 

Disclosures: The listed questions and answers are solely the responsibility of the author and do not necessarily represent the official views of Massachusetts General Hospital, Harvard Catalyst, Harvard University, its affiliate academic healthcare centers, or its contributors. Although every effort has been made to provide accurate information, the author is far from being perfect. The reader is urged to verify the content of the material with other sources as deemed appropriate and exercise clinical judgment in the interpretation and application of the information provided herein. No responsibility for an adverse outcome or guarantees for a favorable clinical result is assumed by the author. Thank you!

Why is my hospitalized patient with alcohol withdrawal syndrome so thrombocytopenic?

My 35 year old patient with chronic alcoholism blames benign prostatic hypertrophy for his difficulty voiding. Could his bladder dysfunction be related to his alcoholism?

FA Manian MD, MPH, , , Leave a comment

Several case reports in the literature have stressed the association of bladder dysfunction (BD) with chronic alcohol abuse1,2.  Although some cases may be associated with concurrent thiamine deficiency (with its attendant neuropathy), other cases of BD do not appear to be. The mechanism of BD in this setting may be related to the toxic effect of alcohol on peripheral, autonomic and/or central nervous systems2,3.

Binge drinking may also be associated with urinary retention, with spontaneous atraumatic urinary bladder rupture having been reported on several occasions4. Lastly, alcohol withdrawal alone may precipitate urinary retention5.  

Unfortunately, many cases of abdominal pain due to urinary retention in the setting of alcohol abuse or withdrawal may be mistakenly attributed to ascites or other causes5.  High index of suspicion for BD is essential to minimize its complications.

In our patient, given the low prevalence of benign prostatic hypertrophy in men less than 40 years of age, urinary retention due to alcohol-related BD is more likely.

 

References

  1. Yuan R, Carcciolo VJ, Kulaga M. Chronic abdominal distension secondary to urinary retention in a patient with alcoholism. JAMA 2002;287;318-19.
  2. Sheremata WA, Sherwin I. Alcoholic myelopathy with spastic urinary bladder. Dis Nerv Syst 1972;33:136-139.
  3. Mellion M, Gilchrist JM, De La Monte S. Alcohol-related peripheral neuropathy: nutritional, toxic or both? Muscle Nerve 2011;43:309-16.
  4. Muneer M, Abdelrahman H, El-Menyar A, et al. Spontaneous atraumatic urinary bladder rupture secondary to alcohol intoxication: a case report and review of literature. Am J Case Rep 2015;16:778-81.
  5. Iga J-I, Taniguchi T, Ohmori T. Acute abdominal distension secondary to urinary retention in a patient after alcohol withdrawal. Alcohol Alcoholism 2005;40:86-87.
My 35 year old patient with chronic alcoholism blames benign prostatic hypertrophy for his difficulty voiding. Could his bladder dysfunction be related to his alcoholism?

My patient with chronic alcoholism is showing signs of alcohol withdrawal even though his blood alcohol level (BAL) is still elevated. Is this possible?

FA Manian MD, MPH, , , , , , Leave a comment

Absolutely! For patients with chronic alcohol dependence, any acute decline in their BAL may precipitate withdrawal (1).

For example, if a patient typically drinks enough alcohol on a daily basis to sustain a BAL of 350 mg/dl, any significant drop in BAL (e.g. down to 125 mg/dl) may be associated with early signs of withdrawal such as nervousness, tachycardia and elevated blood pressure.

Another scenario that could lead to withdrawal symptoms despite an elevated BAL involves patients who use both alcohol and benzodiazepines chronically. In such patients— because the 2 substances have cross-reactive effects on the brain— a significant reduction in the dose or frequency of benzodiazepines may also lead to withdrawal despite an elevated BAL.  Also remember that symptoms of benzodiazepine withdrawal may begin within 24 h or up to 2 weeks following its cessation (2).

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Reference

  1. Roffman JL, Stern TA.  Alcohol withdrawal in the setting of elevated blood alcohol levels. Prim Care Companion J Clin Psychiatry. 2006; 8(3):170-173 https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC1540391/
  2. Greenberg MI. Benzodiazepine withdrawal: potentially fatal, commonly missed, Emergency Medicine News 2001;23:18. https://journals.lww.com/em-news/pages/articleviewer.aspx?year=2001&issue=12000&article=00013&type=Fulltext

 

Contributed by Stephanie Meller, MD, Boston, MA

 

 

My patient with chronic alcoholism is showing signs of alcohol withdrawal even though his blood alcohol level (BAL) is still elevated. Is this possible?