alcohol

[Craze200]

Does alcohol make anxiety worse? Or can I still drink it in moderation??

[herbie73]

I drink in moderation, it seems to relax me, I only drink at the weekend though, xx

[Fishmanpa]

IMO and the opinion of experts as well. Anxiety and alcohol do not mix (http://www.adaa.org/understanding-anxiety/related-illnesses/substance-abuse). If you're on meds, it's a definite no no. There are hundreds of posts on the boards that back up my opinion.

Positive thoughts

[justina]

For me, alcohol takes down my anxiety. When I drink alcohol I turn into a normal person who can see things for what they are.

I never drink very much though. 2-3 glasses of wine is my maximum, so it doesn't give me a hang over next day which I suppose gives more anxiety, not less!

[Craze200]

I calm down when I have a drink and I feel Normal more like my old self. But once I sober up the anxiety hits me double barrels. I cant seem to win. I don't take medication and I don't see a counsellor. I suffer in silence.

[BoneyCOrk]

I find it helps me and I'd much rather have a quick swig of booze to manage my nerves than take any of the medication I've been put on in the past. Good results far fewer side-effects!

You need to be able to manage yourself though. Taking a shot of whiskey every now and then in the evening to relax is perfectly fine, but you need to stop there really.

[MyNameIsTerry]

IMO and the opinion of experts as well. Anxiety and alcohol do not mix (http://www.adaa.org/understanding-anxiety/related-illnesses/substance-abuse). If you're on meds, it's a definite no no. There are hundreds of posts on the boards that back up my opinion.

Positive thoughts

I agree with you in terms of self medication. However, in terms of drinking in moderation with an anxiety disorder, there is plenty of evidence to the opposite as well on this website where users report they experience no issues.

There are hundreds of people struggling with using alcohol but I've seen that people post saying it doesn't affect them and its only the problems that are going to be posted as new threads, no one is going to post saying something is fine for them.

In your link it gives the statistics but also states that most people with an anxiety disorder who abuse substances experience them independently i.e. there is on connection between the two issues. The Social Anxiety Disorder page makes the same % connection but doesn't clarify whether there is a true connection given the previous page has already stated that most are independent.

I don't doubt it happens though. But I don't see it as an argument for not drinking at all given these are long term forms of medication, only not drinking as a form of self medication.

In terms of medication, thats not the case either. For instance, I'm on Duloxetine and the PIL states that care should be taken if drinking alcohol while being treated with it. Prior to this I was on Citalopram and I'm sure the PIL for that stated to avoid alcohol. The labels that pharmacies print on the boxes tend to state avoid alcohol but is that more of a disclaimer given you will have this on antibiotics and other forms of medication?

I asked my GP about Citalopram and alcohol and he stated that in moderation there should be no issues with counterindication.

So, something I reckon when it comes to anxiety and the side effects is the anxiety disorder itself in terms of intensity. When I was at my worst stages, I would struggle with the increased symptoms due to eating a meal or drinking caffeine or anything other form of stimuli from going out to having a shower.

So, maybe the question is whether you are recovered enough? And then you can determine whether moderate drinking affects you in a negative manner by starting small with a test?

I remember looking on a few anxiety / depression forums about Duloxetine and alcohol in terms of increased symptoms and I found a few possibilities:

a) it can make you really drunk, far quicker than normal.
b) it can make you drunk but act in a way abnormal to how you would have acted when previously drinking before starting this medication.
c) 48hrs of terrible anxiety afterwards - the classic worry on here about having any alcohol.
d) no difference to pre anxiety disorder alcohol consumption.

So, I came to the conclusion that it depends on how well you are and doing a test to determine your reaction.

I also found that, in the case of Duloxetine, there is a link to liver disease but it was due to increased stress on the liver and heavy drinking.

I don't drink on it, but its been more a personal choice because the importance is the correct level of recovery first for me. If you are symptom focussed, depending on how intense your anxiety, you coule be triggered by caffeine, B vitamins, certain foods, etc so I believe you have to work to reduce your sensitivies & reactions until you feel ready to try alcohol because its going to bring some fatigue with it which for me is a trigger.

I remember drinking whilst on holiday when I was on Citalopram. I was at a good stage in my recovery at the point. I experienced no issues at all, even with the hangovers.

Certain forms of anti anxiety medication are more powerful or require specific diets so alcohol is likely to be more of a no no with those. I don't think I would combine alcohol with Benzodiazapenes or Hypnotics, for example, given the sedative effects.

There is also the question of liver function. I noticed in the US, they recommend doctors perform regular testing for this when on Duloxetine but they don't seem to do this in the UK. I do wonder about the impact though with SSRI's & SNRI's that are absorbed via the liver but if the manufacturers and our own doctors are not warning us against alcohol consumption then there must be no supportable indicators that there could be a problem.

[venusbluejeans]

Hi

This is just a courtesy reply to let you know that your post was moved from its original place to a sub-forum that is more relevant to your problem.

This is nothing personal - it just enables us to keep posts about the same problems in the relevant forums so other members with any experience with the issues can find them more easily.

[crystal17]

Makes me so much worse the next day. Like unbelievably worse, and for a few days too :(

At the time, it initially goes away but if I drink too much it gets bad again and I get horrible symptoms.

To me it's just not worth doing that often, hence I drink once a month maximum, usually less.

[ohwell123]

and when you don't drink youll be bored out your brain cuz everything we do revolves round drinking haha