Is 5mg of Valium safe to take after..

[tmckenzie-orr]

Is 5mg of Valium safe to take after having 6 pints last night? Stopped drinking about 8pm and it's now 9am? I always get bad anxiety after drinking alcohol and feel as if I need one to stop obsessing and checking for things etc

[ricardo]

Dangers of mixing Valium and alcohol

Dangerous side effects can result when you mix Valium and alcohol. This is mainly because mixing alcohol and Valium can intensify the effects of both drugs. First, Valium heightens the intoxication you experience from alcohol. This is potentially deadly, since you may not be able to safely drink the same amount you would normally be able to drink. Alcohol poisoning is a real possibility. Some other potentially dangerous effects of mixing Valium with alcohol include: (taken from the web)

[tmckenzie-orr]

Yeah I know that's what I'm worried about I really need to stop drinking until I can control my health anxiety as every time I drink it makes me a mess the next morning checking my mouth for abnormal things like blood blister where bitten my mouth etc, I feel like I'm fine and can join friends at the pub but just shows I'm not now I feel like I need a Valium to calm me down and relax , I might take one in 2-3 hours 6 pints should of wOrn off in 17 hours I hope lol

[MyNameIsTerry]

If I were you I would try to get through it without using Diazepam until you have eliminated the alcohol from your body:

Healthy people metabolize alcohol at a fairly consistent rate. As a rule of thumb, a person will eliminate one average drink or .5 oz (15 ml) of alcohol per hour. Several factors influence this rate.

So, work out when the alcohol will be out of your system.

Get plenty of water to rehydrate as dehydration is an anxiety trigger too plus it will help your body flush it through.

If you do try Diazepam be aware that it can intensify the effects of alcohol.

http://www.drugs.com/food-interactions/diazepam.html

diazepam ↔ Alcohol (Ethanol)
Moderate Drug Interaction
Using diazepam together with ethanol can increase nervous system side effects such as dizziness, drowsiness, and difficulty concentrating. Some people may also experience impairment in thinking and judgment. You should avoid or limit the use of alcohol while being treated with diazepam. Do not use more than the recommended dose of diazepam, and avoid activities requiring mental alertness such as driving or operating hazardous machinery until you know how the medication affects you. It is important to tell your doctor about all other medications you use, including vitamins and herbs. Do not stop using any medication without first talking to your doctor.

[tmckenzie-orr]

Thank you terry I will try and leave the Valium I miss just being normal and having a few drinks with friends and not thinking nothing of it the next day, Now I always check my mouth to see if I have bit my cheeks which I always do when I drink alcohol and it sets me off when I see the blood blister patches then I happen to look at the back side of my tounge on the very back of tongue I think they are called circumvallate papillae are all raised like bumps at first I thought cancer as never seen these but research a little which I shouldn't do but think it's just raised from iratation , so I don't need the Valium I hope lol

[MyNameIsTerry]

I know exactly what you mean about just wanting the normality back. Its not easy when your mates are going out on the lash just like you always used to.

Some people can tolerate alcohol with anxiety, but its not for everyone. I haven't drank in years now as I douby my SNRI would ne a good combination since I still have side effects years on but I found I could drink fine on the previous SSRI. But I didn't start drinking again (and it was only on holiday for a week with my GP's permission for moderate drinking...which I didn't stick to :D) until I was in a good position in my recovery.

I know that when I hit rock bottom with anxiety, I am so reactive to everything whether its food, caffeine, alcohol, anything really. But as I start to recover, my anxiety levels reduce and these substances no longer affect me. So, you could find the same and be able to tolerate alcohol in the future, you just might not be ready yet.

I've seen people say alcohol aggravates things like piles, so maybe it does the same with various glands around the body? Or maybe its a dehydration thing because that would work on piles too.

[tmckenzie-orr]

Yeah I think I definitely need to give alchohol a big break its not something I need in my life and if it's gonna make me worse the next day and then I need to drop it out, until I'm in a stronger place mentally, I hate it when you become overly aware of parts of the body mouth throat etc I hate seeing things in my mouth that are abnormal and shouldn't be there as it sets of the anxiety and alcohol obviously iratation to my mouth and relaxes you and causes me to bite my cheeks lol I really shouldn't look at my mouth what does it achieve in doing so if it's a ulcer red mark bumps all it does it set me off in panic thinking what if it's cancer I have a ultimate fear of cancer if it wasn't for cancer I certainly wouldn't have health anxiety lol

[MyNameIsTerry]

I odn't have HA but I have always been very symptom focussed with my GAD. If I see something, its no biggie to me like it can be to someone with HA, I've not got the tunnel vision thinking that can't see the Cognitive Distortions in that respect but I've certainly got them in my own area. So, whilst I may have some physical symptom constantly in focus, I won't be thinking it's anything more than anxiety but it can still wreck my day for a different reason. Fear of fear, eh?!

With things like alcohol, caffeine, even vitamin B or food, just ease yourself back in when the time is right. You will know if its a big no-no for you. Some people recover and still can't take some of these, its very individual. Concentrate on your recovery and if you want to test the waters with alcohol, go very small and increase bit by bit and you will quickly find out whether you can tolerate it or how much is a trigger. Treat it like an ERP thing, with a hierarchy.

I just to get trashed loads. I'm from a working class city, its just a normal night out for many of us, especially when you are younger. I doubt I could do it now but not because of anxiety, because the symptoms of a hang over mimic some of the physical symptoms I am still trying to work past. This is something we have to consider because we all know that a great deal of an anxiety disorder is our skewed or overreaction. We can do that with the hangover feelings and bring the anxiety or depression in.

[tmckenzie-orr]

yes i understand, its horrible do people ever really recover from anxiety? 100% recover i mean, its horrible i suffer a tiny bit of gAd also like if i go for a hair cut or dentist i start feeling funny sometimes not always but sometimes and i start to panic and feel traped and my body feels twitchy espeically my arms lol , And then after i think how stupid i really am, i miss being normal im only 26 and i hate it , i am such a normal person on the outside 2 kids wife nice house bussiness but inside sometimes im a wreck, and i have to seek reasurance and if its something crnt be reasured with by family then i have to go doctors i hate it, my mrs hates it when i ask her now to look at something, i do find when i take a valium i am chilled out but cannot take them everytime i panic and worry and work myself up thinking about cancer and horrible things , i think alcohol maybe from 18-23 i used to use as a mask if i got stressed angry upset etc id go have a few beers and probally got into a social habbit of it, i think that maybe contributed to how i am now , and maybe where my mum has always had anxiety maybe but she is the opposite she doesnt worry about her health she would rather not know if something was up with her and that makes me worry , as i love my mum so much im a proper mummys boy really lol

[MyNameIsTerry]

Its sounds to me like you do well to keep all those things going, you've got lots of commitment between a family and business. So, when this has you on your news you have to remember the positives like that.

I used to drink when had bad days at work. It was a kind of ritual for me and my best mate (we were both managers at the same company at the time). A few drinks and a grumble and it quickly moved onto to normal topics, playing pool, etc. Even if we had an argument at work we would still do this and by pint number 3 we were best mates again. So, I see that as quite a healthy thing and when I stopped doing things like this I edged closer towards my GAD which only came when I was 30.

My years before that were good unlike a lot of people who suffer from childhood. So, I always believe that 100% recovery is fully possible but I also look at it realistically and say its a question of whether I make it. But I don't deny the fact that it happens because there is too much evidence out there to show it does. My dad had depression for 2 years in his thirties, recovered and now he is in his seventies and never had it back. He had a few wobbles where he was low for a week or so but he pulled himself out but that was years apart and he didn't go back to depression. If he can do it, so can I. I just haven;t found my way out of the maze yet.

I know what you mean about worrying about others, I worry about my parents health given their age. I don't really care much about mine. I'm the opposite of someone with HA who is afraid of death, for me with GAD I kind of fear living instead :doh: It must be hard when you have kids to worry about too.

[tmckenzie-orr]

Yes i find the playing pool and few pints is great i really enjoy it socially its fantastic its just the next day that is the problem with me would love to make a bridge to have a few beers n it not effect me , i have been prescibed tablets by doctor but i want to do it without them am on my 3rd cbt meeting tomorrow i hope that helps me, i feel strong enough 60% of the time then something clicks in my head and i worry and turn into like a ocd freak i hate it, I even read some of the things people worry about in the health anxiety forum and think man they r crazy but i know when im in that worry mode u just cannot think straight its stupid, maybe having my kids has made me soft but i love them so much , but its not good for me to have this anxiety i need it gone lol , Its amazing how many people really suffer from anxiety its crazy i think the tablets r just a mask its the root problem that needs fixing, I hope some clever scientist invents something kool lol to kick it from our brains

[MyNameIsTerry]

Now that would be worth a Nobel prize (and without killing anyone first :D)

I totally agree, the meds don't do anymore than give us a safety net. Anyone who recovers whilst on meds has still done all the work to recover on their own whether they know it or not. Like my dad did and you can imagine some of the nasties they were prescribing 45+ years ago when he took them.

If we can sort the distorted thinking out and encourage the trigger responses to change, the rest can change too. Neuroplasticity is how we learn things and if has no age ceiling as they thought for most of the 20th century. We can relearn to not be anxious.

CBT is supposed to be as effective as meds so do it however you feel comfortable. There is always time to try meds and your therapist will be able to give you some steer too.

To be honest I think you have a head start anyway as many people can't even see how their's & the anxieties of others are distorted. Having that is a good foundation towards the next step of learning to challenge your own triggers when the come.

[tmckenzie-orr]

thank you terry fingers crossed and positives thoughts its been good speaking with you today sometimes it helps just chatting away with somebody in the same sort of boat,

all the best

Tony