Anxiety for days after binge drinking alcohol.

[igorbiscan]

Hi there, I hope some of you can help calm my fears here!

Basically, two years ago I suffered pretty bad anxiety after a lads holiday where I drank alot. This was put down to two things - the fact I had had a really stressful year and then the alcohol sending me over the edge causing panic disorder. I was given Citalopram 10mg and within a few weeks I was already starting to feel better. A month or so on I was feeling back to myself and wasn't drinking atall really as recommended. Slowly I started to drink a bit but never did anything ridiculous, it was always limited to at most twice a week. A year ago I stopped taking the medication and have felt fine since, apart from one or two times where i've felt a bit dodgy after some prolonged drinking but that went away within a day or two.

However, last week I drank heavily 3 times in the space of 6 days and then on Sunday I started feeling very anxious. I stopped drinking, went home, and expected it to subside the next day (as it had done before), but now its Wednesday evening and its just got worse really. I just have this constant anxiety stomach churning and the racing and disturbing thoughts. At times its pretty damn bad I can tell you. It feels as bad as it did the first time I had it.

So, my first question, is it likely that this will subside on its own? Has anyone ever suffered anxiety for days after drinking or is it usually just the day after? I really, really want it to - and I've made a promise to myself to never drink like that again (and I know i'll keep to that) as I really don't wanna go through this again. How long should I leave it before its definitely not going to go away on its own?

Secondly, i'm slightly worried that the first time I took Citalopram I only got better because of the placebo effect (ie I thought 'this makes you better', so it did), so knowing that i'm worried if I go back on (REALLY don't want to) then it won't work this time. It worked amazingly first time. Am I being totally illogical here?

I hope someone can answer this!

[igorbiscan]

I'd like to add that i'm not worried about anything in particular. I worry that it won't go away and then worry about the thoughts I have but there is nothing in my life to actually worry about! (which is what makes it really random)!

[kibbutz83]

Hi, try a different antidepressant and stop drinking... it sounds like you need to listen to your body this time...

[igorbiscan]

Oh definitely, I will never drink like that again. But i'm not sure whether I should even start taking an antidepressant yet as its only been 3 days. And the last one worked, so it should work again right?

[kibbutz83]

Not necessarily, I was taking prozac years ago for pnd... stopped after 9 months, then a few years later took it again.. it didn't work at all :( I now take venlafaxine which works differently on the brain, and it's made my life bearable. It's a nightmare to withdraw from though :( I'd see how you feel in the next few days... if you start to feel better, maybe see if you can manage without the meds? Good luck

[igorbiscan]

Cheers, i'll do that. Hopefully it will subside, but its got so bad that i'm not so sure this time.

Wondering if anyone on here has had this similar experience to me where alcohol has brought it on? If you do, do you have any advice/explanation/experience?

[blueangel]

sIf you do a search on "anxiety and alcohol", I think you'll find that this gets reported a lot by anxiety sufferers. Often, it doesn't take that much to bring it on (more than about 4 units of alcohol will do it for me), and the effects can be pretty unpleasant.

[mrk74]

from what i have found out the anxiety that is present after a binge session is always caused through dehydration. if I over do it I just drink loads of water the next day.

[Cormac01]

Hi,
yes this is a real trigger for me and feeling anxious the next day. Its even brought on panic attacks where i have ended up in A and E thinking i was about to keel over!
I realise now that although its okay to have a few pints i find a 'heavy' session just to risky and after last panic attack am tending to not even go there. I'll have a few pints / some wine at a weekend but know now when to stop. I try not to drink during week and have reduced alcohol intake alot.
The combination of dehydration and anxiety just results in the panic and yes it can take me days to get over.
Dont get me wrong i love a pint of ale but just need to be aware now of it being a trigger and consequences of it. Like the previous post make sure you drink alot of water aswell.
Hope this helps, believe me i've been where you are and the danger is dont use alcohol to surpress your anxiety as easy as it seems. Sure it relaxes everyone but it wont solve the problem. Good luck!

[igorbiscan]

Thanks alot guys.

I actually felt completely fine again last night for a few hours but now in the morning I feel pretty lousy again. Just worried that it won't go away really! But yeah, thats the last time I drink like that I can assure you. To be honest, drinking less will not only stop this, but it'll be healthier and will save money! I'm 23 now and I guess its time to grow up and listen to my body.

I'm just hoping now that the anxiety will subside on its own and I don't have to go back on SSRIs! Cheers