Alcohol Withdrawal symptoms
 

My ah has stopped drinking for the very first time - last Monday. The first couple of days were pretty good. The 3rd and 4th nights he got very anxious and basically had full-on panic attacks. I have xanax at a .25 dosage and I gave him one each night and they made him feel well enough to calm down and go to sleep.
He is not getting help, he's doing this on his own (quitting drinking). I told him he can go to a professional and they can prescribe drugs for him that will help with his withdrawal symptoms. He said he thinks he can do this on his own and he doesn't want to go to the doctor, and also he said he is embarrassed. Of course I tried to talk him into it - I can't make him do anything.
This morning at 4 am I called an advice nurse and asked her if the Ambien caused the panic attacks and she said she thinks it might be alcohol withdrawal but added he needs to see his doctor in the morning - and my ah refused to go.
His m.d. gave him a sleeping pill - Ambien. It has helped tremendously. But do you think his panic attacks are from the Ambien or the alcohol withdrawal? (his dr. knows he is trying to quit drinking and knows his history.)

When my ah stopped cold turkey he also experienced panic attacks that were unrealted to any medication as he was not taking any. In fact after he went to a doc and was given an antidepressant he only felt worse because he was unable to keep any food down. He was finally given something that did help with the trimmers and helped him to be able to sleep. I understand how hard it can be to get him to go to the doc. One thing that helped my ah was if I made the appointment and went with him.

There's a sticky in the alcoholics forum called "What to expect", you should probably read it.

Sounds like WD to me, albeit a "mild" case. Still, it's uncomfortable as hell, and if he's anything like the rest of us, the anxiety will drive him back to the bottle. Meds are fine for the short term, acute WD, but to STAY sober he's gonna need a good recovery program (like AA). In the obligitaory my opinion, of course.

I'm pushing a year now, and thanks to the 12 steps and my relationship with God, anxiety, depression and all those other physical symptoms are but a memory.