is there a medical term for "the rats" (alcohol halluciinations)

CorkMan

My brother is a regular drinker, has about 6 pints about 3-4 nights a week, but when he is off the drink he gets hallucination, bad dreams, ie the rats.

Is there a medical term for it?

entropi

Withdrawal symptoms?

Blisterman

Delirium Tremens.

Ickle Magoo

alcoholism?

doctorwu

Withdrawl Symptoms.

Princess Consuela Bananahammock

Realty is an illusion caused by lack of alcohol. Your brother is not hallucinating, he's seeing the truth.

doctorwu

Dont think because he drinks 5-6 pints 4 or 5 times a week makes him a problem drinker. There could be something else going on. Maybe he has strange dreams when hes sober. why i dont know. Rat Paranoia?.

El Weirdo

CorkMan wrote: »

My brother is a regular drinker, has about 6 pints about 3-4 nights a week, but when he is off the drink he gets hallucination, bad dreams, ie the rats.

Is there a medical term for it?

Surely you mean your sister.

tommyboy2222

The Matrix

Mr Yellow

Blisterman wrote: »

Delirium Tremens.

Correct & true sir, well done.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Vl1NQi_Vit0

wylo

I thought it was called the fear, generally get it on a sunday night after a friday and saturday of heavy boozing.

artanevilla

The aul DTs.

Oh_Noes

wylo wrote: »

I thought it was called the fear, generally get it on a sunday night after a friday and saturday of heavy boozing.

Nothing worse than that Sunday night, I feel fantastic in the morning (most likely still a bit drunk). Get shakey as the day goes on and by the time to go to bed I can't doze off without suddenly hearing a loud bang and waking up with my heart racing. A good sleep knocks it outta me though.

Gaunty

Thought that was called the auld hag?

flanum

it is indeed called "the auld hag" or "the dt's" or "the horrors" or "the fear"... and you'll find the older ye get, the less days on the rip it take get in that state.. when i was in me teens/ early twenties i cud do 5 nights solid drinkin before id get the aforementioned... im now forty.. 2 nights equals 2 sleepless sweaty nights with half dropping off to sleep with limbless people attacking me/rats/inflted head , half waking up with palpitations... not feelin right until wednesday!!

YouTalkinToMe

flanum wrote: »

it is indeed called "the auld hag" or "the dt's" or "the horrors" or "the fear"... and you'll find the older ye get, the less days on the rip it take get in that state.. when i was in me teens/ early twenties i cud do 5 nights solid drinkin before id get the aforementioned... im now forty.. 2 nights equals 2 sleepless sweaty nights with half dropping off to sleep with limbless people attacking me/rats/inflted head , half waking up with palpitations... not feelin right until wednesday!!

Thank fcuk i thought i was the only one who does be in bits for days;)

BraziliaNZ

If I have been drinking heavy on a Saturday night, Sunday night for me is hell in bed. Sometimes I see people in my room, wake up screaming, spend the whole night sweating profusely, drift in and out of very light sleep and go to work on Monday in an absolute state. So it's 2 or 3 days of pain for me after drinking. I don't know why I bother.

Kiera

BraziliaNZ wrote: »

If I have been drinking heavy on a Saturday night, Sunday night for me is hell in bed. Sometimes I see people in my room, wake up screaming, spend the whole night sweating profusely, drift in and out of very light sleep and go to work on Monday in an absolute state. So it's 2 or 3 days of pain for me after drinking. I don't know why I bother.

Taking a sleeping pill/Valium/joint on the Sunday night sorts that right out!

Pdfile

CorkMan wrote: »

My brother is a regular drinker, has about 6 pints about 3-4 nights a week, but when he is off the drink he gets hallucination, bad dreams, ie the rats.

Is there a medical term for it?

you can get drunk off 6 pints


must be whiskey... :rolleyes:

BraziliaNZ

Kiera wrote: »

Taking a sleeping pill/Valium/joint on the Sunday night sorts that right out!

I have no valium and dope just makes me worse and more paranoid in those circumstances

Kiera

BraziliaNZ wrote: »

I have no valium and dope just makes me worse and more paranoid in those circumstances

Sex! Its the cure for everything in my book.

BraziliaNZ

Kiera wrote: »

Sex! Its the cure for everything in my book.

only provides temporary relief

Kiera

BraziliaNZ wrote: »

only provides temporary relief

Keep at it so

BraziliaNZ

Kiera wrote: »

Keep at it so

I don't always have someone to hump nearby

Kiera

BraziliaNZ wrote: »

I don't always have someone to hump nearby

For shame

xzanti

If they're just dreams then I don't think they can be classed as DTs.. I think DTs occur while the person is awake.. Sounds like your brother is just having nightmares..

Does he eat a lot of cheese?

opinion guy

CorkMan wrote: »

My brother is a regular drinker, has about 6 pints about 3-4 nights a week, but when he is off the drink he gets hallucination, bad dreams, ie the rats.

Is there a medical term for it?

Your brother is then taking in about 6*2*4 = 48 units of alcohol a week, which is a) over twice the recommended weekly limit for a bloke, b) a whole lot of calories.
48 units a week is serious drinking. He needs to cut back in a big way.

El Weirdo

opinion guy wrote: »

Your brother is then taking in about 6*2*4 = 48 units of alcohol a week, which is a) over twice the recommended weekly limit for a bloke, b) a whole lot of calories.
48 units a week is serious drinking. He needs to cut back in a big way.

I believe that the recommended weekly limit you speak of has no scientific basis and is a completely arbitrary figure, plucked out of the air by medical experts under pressure to do something in the 80's...

opinion guy

El Weirdo wrote: »

I believe that the recommended weekly limit you speak of has no scientific basis and is a completely arbitrary figure, plucked out of the air by medical experts under pressure to do something in the 80's...

Believe whatever the f**k you want. Fact is those are the guidelines advised by medical experts as the maximum safe limits. Fact also is 48 units a week are alcoholic levels of intake.

This may be After Hours, but some of the attitudes on display here to alcohol are pretty disgraceful. The OP's post has a ring of seriousness about it. Perhaps its not the OP's brother but the OP himself who has these symptoms. All this "wha wha wha is ur brother a girl" **** is way out of line. 48 units a week is alcoholism levels of intake and WILL damage your health.

Caoimhín

The scientific name is the "Heeby jeebies".

Caoimhín

xzanti wrote: »

If they're just dreams then I don't think they can be classed as DTs.)

The DT's are a fairly serious medical condition which can lead to seizures and even death if not treated properly.

El Weirdo

opinion guy wrote: »

Believe whatever the f**k you want. Fact is those are the guidelines advised by medical experts as the maximum safe limits. Fact also is 48 units a week are alcoholic levels of intake.

This may be After Hours, but some of the attitudes on display here to alcohol are pretty disgraceful. The OP's post has a ring of seriousness about it. Perhaps its not the OP's brother but the OP himself who has these symptoms. All this "wha wha wha is ur brother a girl" **** is way out of line. 48 units a week is alcoholism levels of intake and WILL damage your health.

I knew I'd read it somewhere.

Also, I think you might have some sand in your vagina.

Rick Deckard

for years i thought i was the only one!!!!
always the following night after a session, up till all hours watching road wars cause i was afraid to close my eyes in bed!!!

i christened it "the heeby jeebys"

only ended when i stopped drinking 15-20 pints a session..

Odysseus

opinion guy wrote: »

Your brother is then taking in about 6*2*4 = 48 units of alcohol a week, which is a) over twice the recommended weekly limit for a bloke, b) a whole lot of calories.
48 units a week is serious drinking. He needs to cut back in a big way.

Whilst your right, as a treatment professional I would classify that more as problematic drinking. At the end of the day if you where to use CAGE or Tweak at most bus stops on a Monday morning most people would score high, so in essence I find the above usless. Do you really stick to your 3 unit limit on a night out if so you are a rare type of person.

I find the definition of binge drinking 4 units or more usless too, yes we do have a problem with our use of alcohol in Ireland but the current limits and definitions do little to help us address it.

stovelid

The Shane McGowans

Seriously though, I have a seriously alcoholic friend that got DTs. I think you need a bit more than 5-6 pints a night...

BraziliaNZ

Yes, I don't think what I and a few other posters or the brother are experiencing DTs, think they only occur in severe alcohol withdrawal cases. So maybe I just suffer temporary mild dementia and hypnic jerks? God why do I drink. One part of my brain is saying "TO FILL THE VOID THAT IS YOUR PATHETIC LIFE". Shutup you!!!

Rick Deckard

El Weirdo wrote: »

I knew I'd read it somewhere.

Also, I think you might have some sand in your vagina.

lol:D

you'd expect the mirror or some such rag to be lying, but if the times says it..

**sparkes open a can of stella**

opinion guy

Odysseus wrote: »

Whilst your right, as a treatment professional I would classify that more as problematic drinking. At the end of the day if you where to use CAGE or Tweak at most bus stops on a Monday morning most people would score high, so in essence I find the above usless. Do you really stick to your 3 unit limit on a night out if so you are a rare type of person.

I find the definition of binge drinking 4 units or more usless too, yes we do have a problem with our use of alcohol in Ireland but the current limits and definitions do little to help us address it.

To be honest I tend to use up my weekly allowance on the one night
But not that often. I'd say I rarely go over 21 units a week these days. Few years ago I would have. The reason being I got fed up feeling like ****e all the time - but thats a different discussion.

But I think the forgotten factor in all of this is age. I mean is 48 units a week the same for a 23 year old as it is for a 33 year old. Or a 43, 53, 63 year old etc. I don't think so. The other thing is that the calorific intake of 48 units of alcohol a week alone is enough to f**k your health up. A pint of beer is about 215 calories. 6 pints in a night is therefore about 1290 calories. Thats alot of unnecessary calories to be taking in. Frankly - its farcical to argue that this is NOT bad for you.

opinion guy

El Weirdo wrote: »

I knew I'd read it somewhere.

Also, I think you might have some sand in your vagina.

Fair enouhg. You go drinking 24 pints of beer a week for the next year and report back to us the effects it has on you

BraziliaNZ

opinion guy wrote: »

Fair enouhg. You go drinking 24 pints of beer a week for the next year and report back to us the effects it has on you

I'm not too far off that at all, and from the outside i look perfectly fit and heatlhy. My liver is probably like swiss cheese though.

Odysseus

opinion guy wrote: »

To be honest I tend to use up my weekly allowance on the one night
But not that often. I'd say I rarely go over 21 units a week these days. Few years ago I would have. The reason being I got fed up feeling like ****e all the time - but thats a different discussion.

But I think the forgotten factor in all of this is age. I mean is 48 units a week the same for a 23 year old as it is for a 33 year old. Or a 43, 53, 63 year old etc. I don't think so. The other thing is that the calorific intake of 48 units of alcohol a week alone is enough to f**k your health up. A pint of beer is about 215 calories. 6 pints in a night is therefore about 1290 calories. Thats alot of unnecessary calories to be taking in. Frankly - its farcical to argue that this is NOT bad for you.

Well you do know that having them all in one night is deemed a binge and in this case your binging x5 minimum, I know lads that would drink like that and burn it off training the next day, few people do that. Everything can be bad for your health, some people think my training regime for ultra events is unhealthy, as a result of massive amounts of running up to 80k+ in one go, have resulted in one of the valves of my heart being enlarged a common condition with ultra runners.

As I said there is little to argue against you, however, those limits are useless in doing anything about the problem. You described the the op's brothers drinking as serious based upon the amounts, really in practice I'm not interested in the amounts, more the impact it has on the person.

Rick Deckard

BraziliaNZ wrote: »

I'm not too far off that at all, and from the outside i look perfectly fit and heatlhy. My liver is probably like swiss cheese though.

alcohol is a preservatve, so your liver will last for ages now that it's pickled

Odysseus

BraziliaNZ wrote: »

I'm not too far off that at all, and from the outside i look perfectly fit and heatlhy. My liver is probably like swiss cheese though.

Doubt it tbh, I seen people drink much more than that for years with little impact on their health, one year of that would not leave you on deaths door. The liver is a very resilent organ, though I'm not a medical person so will spectulate no more than that.

Its all fun and games until you get to the next bit ....its called Alcohol induced Psychoses....a friend of mine is a nurse and when she was doing agency work she spent a few day specializing a guy who had the above he was in to get the gangrene on his foot sorted but as he was psychotic from Alcohol he was a danger to himself and the other patients and to the staff and then there was the constant pissing himself....

Odysseus

mariaalice wrote: »

Its all fun and games until you get to the next bit ....its called Alcohol induced Psychoses....a friend of mine is a nurse and when she was doing agency work she spent a few day specializing a guy who had the above he was in to get the gangrene on his foot sorted but as he was psychotic from Alcohol he was a danger to himself and the other patients and to the staff and then there was the constant pissing himself....

Induced psychoses whilst the do occur they are rare and tbh difficult to diagnose, I hope the poor fcuker was offered some help whilst there. Very few people get to that stage, and when they do it difficult to know if the alcohol/or whatever induced something or provoked something that was already there just masked for some reason. You really need up to six months away from the chemical to make a definite call on it, from my understanding of the term.

T-Square

OP,

Gettings the DTs (Delirium Tremens) happens when your friend/brother has cut back on the drink. Sounds like he may have gone without for a while, thats why the DTs happened.

Sounds like he might be hitting, or about to hit, the bottom.

If you care enough, hook him up with the 12 steps, and get him to some meetings.

One in ten can die after getting the dts and not getting medical treatment, sorry mate.

TS