Alcohol Withdrawal Syndrome Treated With Adjunctive Phenobarbital or Ketamine

The primary objective of this study is to compare phenobarbital and ketamine adjunctive therapies to lorazepam‐based therapy in the treatment of acute alcohol withdrawal syndrome. It is hypothesized that the use of an alternative agent, either phenobarbital or ketamine, when used as an adjunct to symptom‐triggered lorazepam therapy will significantly reduce the rate of intensive care unit admissions and thereby reduce the total cost associated with hospital admission for treatment of alcohol withdrawal syndrome. Enrolled patients will be admitted to Santa Barbara Cottage Hospital where they will be monitored with continuous pulse oximetry and cardiac telemetry. They will remain hospitalized while undergoing study‐guided therapy in addition to supportive care for acute alcohol withdrawal syndrome. Patients will undergo standard of care therapy with lorazepam symptom‐triggered therapy regardless of study participation.