Alcohol Withdrawal And High Blood Pressure

Overcome Alcohol Withdrawal and High Blood Pressure with Purpose Healing

Anxiety and Elevated Blood Pressure without Alcohol Consumption

For many people, alcohol is the solution to a chronic issue with anxiety. The first sip of alcohol leads to a calming effect on your nervous system, but what happens when that drink wears off?

Oftentimes, the anxiety comes back in full force – and this is especially true during alcohol detoxification.

Unfortunately, anxiety has a tendency to cause blood pressure to spike. Both alcohol withdrawal and anxiety lead to increases in cortisol production. This leads to narrowing of blood vessels, an increased heart rate, and ultimately, a rise in blood pressure.

This is why many treatments for alcohol use disorder include anxiolytic drugs meant to abate anxiety. For example, benzodiazepines are often used to treat high blood pressure, but they are designed to lower anxiety levels.

Sympathetic Nervous System Activation in Alcohol Use Disorder

In addition to soaring anxiety, alcohol also leads to sympathetic nervous system activation, which is responsible for your fight or flight response. Drinking alcohol means that your body is flooded with the neurotransmitters and hormones that tell you a threat is nearby.

As cortisol and adrenaline enter the bloodstream, your body responds by narrowing your blood vessels. The heart also starts to beat harder and at a much faster rate. The result is a sharp increase in blood pressure that may not abate until the stress hormones work their way out of your system.

Activation of the sympathetic nervous system can happen in both detox and when binge drinking. Calming the nervous system down is key to managing alcohol withdrawal, but it can require time and professional help to minimize clinical manifestations.

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How is Blood Pressure Affected by Alcohol Withdrawal Symptoms?

The good news is that severe symptoms, including increased blood pressure, are often only temporary during the early days of recovery. For most people, the first signs of withdrawal will surface a few hours after the very last drink. This is when blood pressure can start to soar.

However, most of the time, blood pressure reaches its peak about 48 hours into recovery. This is when you’re at the greatest risk of serious complications such as stroke or heart attack, organ issues such as changes in vision or kidney failure, and aneurysms.

If you can make it through this peak moment, most patients experience abatement by day four. At this point, blood pressure typically drops by 10 mm Hg compared to the day two measurements.

On the other hand, you may need to seek more help if blood pressure doesn’t start to drop a few days into treatment. Sustained elevated blood pressure is dangerous for a multitude of reasons, but here is what you should know about seeking help.

When Should You Seek Help for High Blood Pressure?

Going through withdrawal from alcohol consumption means that you will likely experience a rush of very uncomfortable symptoms. How do you know when it’s time to seek help for high blood pressure amidst the other issues associated with decreased alcohol intake?

If you aren’t already in a medical detox program, make sure you and your loved ones know the signs you need medical help for high blood pressure:

• A blood pressure reading of 180/120 or higher
• Severe headache that may not abate with over-the-counter medications
• Throbbing, aching, or other types of chest pain
• Shortness of breath
• Stroke symptoms (issues with movement and speech)
• Numbness or weakness of the limbs
• Nausea and vomiting
• Confusion

These are all signs that you may be having a medical emergency. Hypertension should be taken very seriously. Recognizing the signs early means that you can get effective treatment as soon as possible, minimizing the long-term effects on the brain, eyes, and internal organs.

How Does Alcohol Withdrawal Treatment Handle High Blood Pressure?

With some of these risk factors laid out, how can you prevent high blood pressure while in treatment with severe alcohol withdrawal symptoms? The good news is that your medical detox team has many tools at its disposal to manage hypertension related to alcohol intake.

Blood Pressure Medications for Immediate Help

The first thing that your medical team will often prescribe is a blood pressure medication. There is no single prescription that does the trick for everyone, though. Instead, your doctor will need to take a detailed medical history and have a comprehensive view of your symptoms.

Some people will benefit from a medication targeted directly to blood pressure, while others could be better served by a barbiturate for anxiety. Even benzodiazepines can be prescribed for the early days of alcohol abstinence. However, this is highly dependent upon your substance use history and the risk of developing a new addiction.

In the end, many people benefit from multiple medications to manage all of the uncomfortable early symptoms of alcohol withdrawal syndrome.

Assessment with the Clinical Institute Withdrawal Assessment (CIWA-Ar) for Chronic Alcoholics

Of course, Purpose Healing Center also wants to take a comprehensive look at alcohol use disorder to determine how we can best serve you in medically supervised detox. The Clinical Institute Withdrawal Assessment Scale (CIWA-Ar) provides your team with insight into the severity of your withdrawal symptoms.

It accounts for things like tremors, nausea, anxiety, and physical withdrawal symptoms. Each item is marked on a rating scale to determine whether your withdrawal is mild or severe and can be used at various points in your treatment to assess progress.

From here, your detox can be tailored to your unique needs. We monitor for delirium tremens and seizures, among other symptoms that could be dangerous in the early days of withdrawal. We’ll provide you with the medical attention necessary to keep you safe and comfortable.

How Does Purpose Help with Blood Pressure, Delirium Tremens, and Alcohol Detoxification?

Purpose Healing Center offers a safe haven when you need help with severe alcohol withdrawal symptoms. Our alcohol addiction treatment program starts with detox, where we can help lower blood pressure, minimize physical symptoms, and help you manage mental disorders making withdrawal symptoms worse.

Our medical team is available to you 24/7, so you receive the attention you need when you need it most.

We’ll monitor your vital signs, including blood pressure, at regular intervals to provide support at the optimal moment. Once your symptoms have subsided, we can assist you in transitioning to long-term inpatient treatment options.

A clinician will give you a comprehensive and personalized treatment plan at either of our Phoenix or Scottsdale locations. Every treatment program is tailored to the individual with thorough counseling, group therapy, and holistic treatments. We’ll help you move from early alcohol withdrawal to sober living.