Withdrawing from alcohol and other drugs can be uncomfortable, but is it also dangerous? Can withdrawal kill you?
Tampa Bay Recovery Center provides outpatient drug and alcohol addiction treatment programs in Tampa, Florida. Visit our admissions page today to get started.
Can Withdrawal Kill You?
Let’s get right to the point here: Can withdrawal kill you? In certain circumstances, yes, it can.
The good news is that deaths due to drug withdrawal are rare. But the bad news is that they do happen.
Three drugs that can be particularly dangerous to withdraw from are alcohol, opioids, and benzodiazepines. It may surprise some readers to learn that the greatest risk involves alcohol.
Alcohol Withdrawal & Risk of Death
A small percentage of people who become addicted to alcohol will develop a particularly severe set of symptoms when they quit drinking. Referred to as withdrawal delirium – and formerly known as delirium tremens or the DTs – these symptoms can include:
- Racing heart rate
- Dangerously high body temperature
- Tics, tremors, or shakiness
- Seizure
- Anxiety
- Agitation, which can lead to aggression or combativeness
- Visual, auditory, and/or tactile hallucinations
- Paranoia
Here’s a quick statistical snapshot of the estimated prevalence and danger of alcohol withdrawal delirium:
- A May 2018 article in the Journal of Clinical and Experimental Hepatology reported that about 2% of people who become dependent on alcohol with develop the DTs.
- The World Health Organization (WHO) estimates that about 400 million people across the globe have alcohol use disorders. If 2% of this population goes through the DTs, that means about 80 million people will be affected.
- According to Interventions for Addiction: Comprehensive Addictive Behaviors and Disorders, Volume 3, the DTs once had a mortality rate as high as 30%. Thanks to decades of improvements in medical science, the current mortality rate is about 1%.
Factors that can increase a person’s risk of alcohol withdrawal delirium include:
- Age (the DTs are most common in patients ages 30 and above)
- History of long-term, heavy drinking
- Having gone through withdrawal before
- Simultaneous addiction to other substances
- Certain co-occurring medical conditions
Can Opioid Withdrawal Kill You?
Opioid use has fueled the nation’s overdose death crisis over the past quarter century. Drugs in this category include heroin, fentanyl, morphine, and the active ingredients in many prescription painkillers.
Ending your opioid use isn’t nearly as dangerous as continuing to ingest these drugs, but it’s not a risk-free endeavor. Typical opioid withdrawal symptoms include:
- Powerful drug cravings
- Excessive perspiration
- Fever and chills
- Watery eyes and runny nose
- Abdominal cramping
- Nausea, vomiting, and diarrhea
- Muscle pain
In terms of a potentially catastrophic outcome, the most severe health-related danger of opioid withdrawal is dehydration due to excessive vomiting and diarrhea.
In a professionally managed setting, this is a relatively simple concern to manage. But if a person tries to withdraw from opioids on their own, lack of awareness and ineffective self-care could put their life in jeopardy.
If someone doesn’t get enough fluids while going through opioid withdrawal, dehydration could cause a dangerous elevation in their blood sodium level. This development, which is known as hypernatremia, can lead to bleeding in the brain, seizure, coma, and death.
As described in a December 2022 article in the Korean Journal of Internal Medicine, experts estimate that the death rate from severe cases of hypernatremia may be as high as 75%.
Is Benzo Withdrawal a Life-Threatening Experience?
Benzodiazepines are a class of medications that includes alprazolam (Xanax), lorazepam (Ativan), and clonazepam (Klonopin). Drugs in this category are often prescribed to treat anxiety, panic, seizures, and muscle spasms. They are sometimes also used to alleviate physical distress due to alcohol withdrawal.
Potential benzo withdrawal symptoms include:
- Intense drug cravings
- Headache
- Anxiety and irritability
- Nausea
- Muscle pain
- Insomnia
- Psychosis
- Seizure
Deaths that can be directly attributed to benzo withdrawal symptoms are extremely rare:
- A June 2009 article in the American Journal of Forensic Medicine and Pathology reported that there had been only two documented cases of benzo withdrawal death in English medical literature.
- A March 2021 retrospective study in the Kansas Journal of Medicine found no deaths among 82 cases of benzo withdrawal at the University of Kansas Hospital between 2009-2016.
However, a December 2023 JAMA Open Network study found that benzo withdrawal can indirectly lead to several negative outcomes, including death. That study, which was conducted by a team from the University of Michigan, looked at data from more than 350,000 patients who used benzos on a prescription basis for an extended period.
The researchers found that, in the year after people stopped using benzos, there was “a small absolute increase in mortality” when compared to those who continued to take these meds. Factors that contributed to this increased risk of death included overdoses and suicide.
People who had recently stopped using benzos also had higher rates of nonfatal overdoses, suicidal ideation, and emergency department visits.
How Can You Stay Safe During Withdrawal?
The best way to stay safe during withdrawal is to complete the process in a medical detoxification (detox) program.
When you’re in detox, you will be under the supervision of professionals who are familiar with all aspects of the withdrawal process. Your treatment team will monitor your vital signs throughout the withdrawal process and take appropriate steps if any problems occur.
Being in a detox program also eliminates your risk of immediate relapse. If you’re trying to go through withdrawal at home, the intensity of your symptoms can quickly push you back into active substance use. In detox, you won’t have access to alcohol, opioids, or other addictive drugs.
Once you’ve completed detox, your team can then help you determine which follow-on services can best prepare you for successful, long-term recovery.
Learn More About Detox in Tampa Bay
Tampa Bay Recovery Center offers a variety of outpatient addiction treatment services, including detox, for adults who have become dependent on alcohol and other drugs.
In addition to detox, other options at our outpatient rehab in Tampa Bay include a partial hospitalization program (PHP), intensive outpatient program (IOP), and virtual (online) treatment.
To learn more about how we can help you or a loved one, or to schedule a free assessment, please visit our Contact page or call us today.
