#212 Inpatient Alcohol Withdrawal: Sober Talk with Joji Suzuki, MD

Crush those 11 pm “STAT: Patient agitated” pages with this expert guide to assessing for and treating alcohol withdrawal! Dr. Joji Suzuki MD, addiction psychiatrist extraordinaire at the Brigham and Women’s Hospital, walks us through how to think about the risk of severe withdrawal, the different ways to manage it, and how to engage with patients as they’re leaving the hospital. In the course of this Car-Talk (well, not exactly the same as the critically acclaimed radio show, but he did record in his car….), Dr. Suzuki demystifies withdrawal and debunks some common myths: that we must manage withdrawal inpatient, that banana bags are the cure to a hangover and alcoholic malnutrition, and that we tend to under-medicate with benzos (actually, it’s the opposite!). Show Notes | Spotify | Swag! | Top Picks | Mailing List | thecurbsiders@gmail.com | CME Credits Written and Produced by Nora Taranto MD Infographic and Cover Art by: Nora Taranto MD Hosts: Matthew Watto MD, FACP; Paul Williams MD, FACP Editor: Cyrus Askin MD, Matthew Watto MD (written materials); Clair Morgan of nodderly.com Guest: Joji Suzuki MD Sponsor: VCU Health CE Time Stamps 00:00 Intro, disclaimer, guest bio 02:52 Guest one-liner; Career advice; Picks of the Week*: Why We Do What We Do (book); Fargo (film) 08:10 A Case from Kashlak and Screening for Alcohol Use and Severe Withdrawal Risk 17:32 Outpatient Versus Inpatient Treatment 25:27 Gabapentin for alcohol withdrawal 27:10 Indicators for ICU level Care 31:53 Symptom-Driven versus Fixed-Dose Protocols , Benzos vs. Barbs 36:55 And which benzo? 39:47 A Natural History of Withdrawal 44:10 Banana Bags and Thiamine Deficiency 48:17 The Transition Home: Naltrexone, Bridge Clinics, and Motivational Interviewing 56:36 Outro and Bonus clip