In our country, no one is surprised by the abuse of alcoholic beverages. Few people think about the consequences of such an excess. Few people are aware that they suffer from alcoholism. And only serious symptoms that are already directly threatening life can lead the patient to a cure. Blood from the stomach during vomiting after alcohol is one of the reasons why the abuser begins to think about his bad habit.
Stages of chronic alcoholism
Nausea and vomiting are a natural reaction of the human body to intoxication. He is trying to tear away the poison that the patient voluntarily takes. In the late stages of the development of alcoholism, vomiting returns, and not in the same form as at the initial stage of the development of the disease. Blood clots, bile, and pieces of the esophagus mucosa are visible in the vomit. This is shocking to people: meanwhile, any narcologist will confirm: this condition is very common.
Consider the stages of alcoholism and evaluate which of them is characterized by the appearance of blood during vomiting after alcohol:
- The first stage is the initial one. On it, all patients have a healthy vomiting reflex. The body still refers to the decay products of ethanol as a poison, and always tries to cleanse itself - because the patient is sick. The causes of vomiting of blood after alcohol for a person are still quite harmless - it is either a burn of the esophagus (if drinks were drunk with a fortress above forty degrees), or gastritis. At this stage, none of the sick people consider themselves an alcoholic. But at the same time, he steadily abuses alcoholic beverages once a week or two until the appearance of a gag reflex. The treatment for alcohol dependence at this stage is most effective. The main difficulty is to convince the patient that the problem really exists.
- In the second stage, the frequency of use increases, ethanol is built into the human metabolism, and nausea disappears for a while. The patient drinks huge doses of alcohol, but there is no vomiting.
- The third stage of alcoholism is characterized by a complete restructuring of the body and the development of chronic pathologies of the liver, stomach, pancreas, and nervous system. At this stage, the gag reflex returns. But this is not that harmless nausea in the first stage. In the vomit, the patient can detect blood clots, mucus, pieces of the mucous membrane of the stomach and esophagus. This is very unpleasant and scary. The body just begins to decompose, literally alive. To prevent this, you need to think about addiction to alcohol at the initial stage of the development of the disease.
Why do people abuse alcohol and get drunk?
Alcoholism is a complex disease, the treatment of which is carried out by psychiatrists and narcologists. It is fatal and incurable: when a certain concentration of ethanol in the blood is reached, the person is "on the hook" and will strive to achieve a state of intoxication for the rest of his life. Any health problems that would shock an ordinary person cannot be stopped by an alcoholic. These are blood clots with vomiting after alcohol, yellow complexion and sclera, constant tremor of the fingertips, mental disorders (hallucinations, delirium).
It is very important for the patient to understand in time that alcohol dependence exists. If it is solved, then problems with nausea, vomiting, nervousness and other "charms" of alcoholism will disappear by themselves. The patient himself must realize the severity of health problems and their consequences in order to stop drinking.
Mallory Weiss Syndrome
This is a common cause of vomiting with blood after alcohol in men over forty. It also occurs in older women with chronic alcoholism.
What triggers the appearance of blood with vomiting after alcohol in Mallory-Weiss syndrome?
With strong and prolonged vomiting, the pressure in the stomach rises, as a result of which cracks or tears appear on the walls of the organ. They can be very tiny (several mm) or have a fairly large area (up to ten cm). In some cases, a rupture of the gastric mucosa occurs. These cracks and tears are the cause of the appearance of blood in the vomit.
Mallory-Weiss syndrome is dangerous for the development of internal bleeding. It is necessary to consult a doctor to diagnose and determine the exact size of the ruptures of the mucous membrane of the stomach and esophagus. In some cases, urgent surgical intervention may be required.
Problems with the stomach and intestines
The location of internal bleeding can be determined independently. According to the color of blood secretions during vomiting and their consistency, it can be argued about the localization of cracks and tears on the surface of internal organs. Self-diagnosis is not always true. In any case, after removing the symptoms of a hangover, you should consult a doctor.
Bright scarlet, light-colored blood when vomiting after alcohol indicates damage to the mucous membrane of the esophagus. The reason for the problems with the esophagus is that the blood vessels cannot withstand the increase in pressure and begin to burst. Usually, such bleeding is short-lived and has no serious consequences. But this is an occasion to seriously think about your relationship with alcohol and reduce its amount (or better, completely abandon drinking alcohol for at least a year).
If the blood during vomiting after alcohol has a dark scarlet color and a thick consistency, then the walls of the stomach are most likely damaged. This is already a serious problem that requires a doctor and a competent diagnosis.
Vomiting with blood after alcohol, but no pain at the same time - a common condition. The absence of pain should not reassure the patient: the upper surface of the walls of the stomach has no nerve endings. Therefore, there is no pain, and examination and treatment is still necessary.
Pancreatitis, toxic hepatitis and other diseases of the liver and pancreas
A common cause of blood during vomiting after alcohol is a disease of the internal organs. We have already examined the problems with the esophagus and stomach, now we will evaluate the effect of the liver and pancreas during intoxication with ethanol-containing drinks.
During poisoning, the liver takes the brunt. It is she who, as far as possible, protects the body from poison, thereby gradually losing the ability to function correctly. With regular poisoning with ethanol, fatty degeneration of the liver and toxic hepatitis begin. If the patient does not stop drinking, the liver condition is aggravated and cirrhosis begins to develop - an incurable fatal disease. A diseased liver often causes vomiting of bile with blood after alcohol.
Chronic pancreatitis (inflammation of the pancreas) at the initial stage is in all people with alcohol dependence. Any narcologist will confirm this fact. The pancreas is simply not able to function normally with regular ethanol poisoning. This condition provokes severe pain in the right hypochondrium in the morning after libations and can cause vomiting of blood after alcohol. Insulin production is also impaired - this leads to weakness, tremor, and inhibition of cognitive functions of the brain. At the third stage of alcoholism, the body already needs insulin insofar as the brain is used to “working” on fuel from ethanol metabolites.
Treatment of vomiting with an admixture of blood after alcohol
The question is twofold: what exactly should be treated - vomiting with blood or alcoholism? The answer is obvious: first of all, it is worth taking up the therapy of alcoholism, after that all the physical ailments associated with this disease will disappear. But what to do if there is already blood when vomiting after alcohol, and the patient is scared and wants to recover faster?
First, stop panicking. The first and main objective of the treatment is to reduce the manifestations of intoxication as soon as possible and remove ethanol decay products from the body. For this, Enterosgel or activated carbon preparations are good.
Secondly, support should be provided for the liver: you need to take "Karsil", "Essentiale", "Heptral" or another hepatoprotector. If vomiting with bile was observed, you can take a choleretic, for example, "Hofitol". This will disperse bile and contribute to its conclusion.
If a person is vomiting blood after alcohol - what should I do? The hangover syndrome is strong, and the patient can only lie down - which means that you can postpone a visit to the doctor for several days (provided that the blood is light scarlet and its allocation was short-lived). In this case, you can spend a couple of days at home, put yourself in order after alcohol abuse, and only then visit a gastroenterologist. If the bleeding was profuse and dark red in color - it is better not to hesitate and call an ambulance, since a life threat to the sick person is likely.
Recommended Medications
To relieve symptoms of intoxication, you should take "Enterosgel", activated carbon, "Anti-police."
As an antiemetic, Tserukal.
To maintain liver functionality, hepatoprotective drugs are needed - Karsil, Essential, Heptor, Heptral. The effect of the latter not only effectively protects the cells of the organ from fatty degeneration, but also has a mild anti-anxiety and antidepressant effect.
To maintain the healthy functioning of the nervous system, nootropics should be taken (a neurologist can prescribe) Phenibut, Piracetam, Mexidol.
Any drug in a state of hangover can cause unexpected reactions. Therefore, experimenting with them on their own is undesirable: if the alcoholic is alone in the apartment, no one can help him with bleeding or vomiting. This can be fatal. So it is better to be treated under the supervision of a relative or emergency doctors.
Prevention of vomiting mixed with blood after alcohol
The easiest way to avoid this unpleasant condition is not to abuse ethanol-containing drinks. In this case, you do not have to panic because of the type of blood and bile in the vomit and call an ambulance.
However, if the fact of abuse has already occurred - how to prevent vomiting? Firstly, you need to take "Tserukal" - if you really want to avoid the act of nausea. And you can take nothing and let your body tear away the poisonous masses - it will be better. Provided that the person is at home and not at work, it is worth even intentionally inducing vomiting.
If bleeding begins and vomiting does not occur, the patient may not even know that a serious pathology has occurred inside his body. So vomiting with blood after alcohol is a kind of marker of some diseases. It is precisely this symptomatology that often causes the patient to stop alcohol abuse and seek help from medical centers.
First aid for a person who is sick after alcohol abuse
Firstly, do not panic! Nausea and vomiting after alcohol (with or without blood) is an absolutely normal process. The body is trying to tear away the poison and decay products of ethanol. Therefore, urination becomes frequent, diarrhea may begin, indomitable vomiting may open .
It is important to prevent the patient from disturbing the water-salt balance. To do this, give him as much clean water as possible. Of the drugs you can use Regidron. Essentuki-17 mineral water will be very useful (if the patient has no contraindications to its intake - colitis, ulcers, erosion). During vomiting and diarrhea with a hangover, the patient loses a lot of water, dehydration often begins - this cannot be allowed.
If vomiting does not stop, the patient turns pale and loses strength - you can not hesitate. You must call an ambulance and get a qualified examination and treatment. With delay, the development of toxic neuropathy and other serious diseases that can lead to subsequent disability or death.
The consequences of alcohol abuse for humans
The consequences of poisoning by ethanol decay products are difficult to overestimate. This is a serious blow to the central nervous system (the death of hundreds of thousands of neurons), causing damage to the liver. If a person drinks vodka, tequila, cognac - it is always a burn of the mucous membrane of the esophagus and stomach. This process is most often the cause of vomiting with blood clots after alcohol.
These are all aspects of the negative effects of alcohol on the physical body. Do not forget about the social aspects: a drunk person causes fear and rejection in healthy, sober people. And how many episodes of violence and violation of the law occurs when drunk - not to count.
It is very important that the alcoholic himself wants to get rid of his bad habit. If this is not just a habit, but an addiction and illness, the help of a narcologist and psychiatrist is needed.