Clinical question: How do different pharmacological interventions compare for the treatment of alcohol withdrawal syndrome?

High‐quality evidence showed that fewer people had alcohol withdrawal seizures with benzodiazepines when compared with antipsychotics (on average 19 versus 78 per 1000 people). No differences were detected between groups when benzodiazepines were compared with anticonvulsants (moderate‐quality evidence), or when anticonvulsants were compared with antipsychotics (moderate‐quality evidence). In terms of adverse events and withdrawals due to adverse events, no differences were detected between any two drug classes (very low‐ to high‐quality evidence depending on comparison). The trials comparing benzodiazepines with each other, or anticonvulsants with each other, were far too small to provide clinically meaningful or reliable results