View Full Version : Warning for Alcohol and anxiety
My anxiety has reached a whole new level recently and why? Alcohol. Since April 2014 I have been drinking every night to get over my dad dying and then my wife walking out on me. I currently take 30mg of Citalopram which is probably a waste of time if the alcohol is counteracting the good that they should be doing.
I can't remember the last time I woke up without a hangover, a lot of the time I am probably still half cut.
I have spoke to the doctor about my new symptoms and she blames the alcohol and has told me to stop drinking. On research it appears I may have given myself acid reflux which is scaring me as I have constant chest pressure and palpitations. I've had an ECG and bloods, an ultrasound on my liver and kidneys, thankfully all is ok.
Has any of you become hooked on alcohol and managed to come off it?
I self-medicate with it. I know how stupid and counter-effective it is, but sometimes it just seems such a quick fix - first drink and suddenly I feel better.
Intellectually I can see it is a depresant and know it's doing harm rather than good but.......
You all know my feelings on the subject so that's all I'll say.
Positive thoughts
Yeah me.
Drank every night. Bottles of wine. Came down with panic attacks. Scared to drink much now. Decided the other day I was gonna become tee-total. x
I used alcohol to self medicate as I was always a social deinker. Please be careful because I ended up eventually drinking in the day to ease my panic attacks which were getting worse because of the hangovers. I ended up dependent and had to go to rehab. Yes alcohol makes you feel better for a short while but once it wears off you are where you were but worse.
MyNameIsTerry
04-11-15, 04:56
I think your GP needs to do a bit more than tell you to stop drinking. Your level of drinking would indicate addiction and your GP should know full well that you not only need some serious support to get through this but also that there are dangers involved in alcohol withdrawal that need to be medicall managed!
You have been through some traumas that have led you into this trap and removing the alcohol is obviously not going to resolve those so you need proper professional support or staying off could be a problem.
Regardless of whether it's anxiety, depression, gambling, debts or any other situation leading to it - alcoholism is always bad, for any human being.
Thanks Terry. I found myself in out of hours last night as the butterflies in my chest, the tingling hands, the chest pressure and the shakes got too much. Doctor there checked me out and confirmed that my heart was fine, blood pressure perfect, pulse regular and strong. The palpitation feelings in my chest were nothing to do with my heart. He said almost the same as you, I need to get back to my GP and ask for referral to see a councillor as I am in a ridiculously high state of anxiety. He also said that I would need medical assistance with the drinking issue, something out of hours couldn't do for me.
I'm not alcohol dependent but I had a bad reaction with anxiety and alcohol at the weekend which has made me rethink the little amount of alcohol I do drink. I don't drink from one month to the next but attended a party with friends on Saturday. Great night, if not a little drunk! Had a bit of a headache when I got up but around midday I started getting really bad heart palps, dizziness & was so unsettled. Felt highly anxious for the rest of the day which made me panic slightly. I did feel better on Sunday night but ever since I've been on edge & a little anxious.
Today is the first day that I feel more level headed & less anxious.
Good luck with everything & I hope you can get the help you need soon. xx
Thanks, last night was the first night without a beer for a long time. Felt weird waking up sober...............Need to give myself a good kick up the backside x
Good for you :yesyes:. I hope it's the first of many. You can do it. xx
I do worry about just stopping as I fear the withdrawal symptoms will be horrible. Maybe cut down gradually, but is that just the talk of a dependant alcoholic refusing to cut it completely? I don't know....................
Never mix alcohol with anti depressants. It's been proved over and over again that it can be quite dangerous to ones health.
I agree with others that you need a serious plan together with your GP. Personally I would on reflection, prefer to grieve after bereavement than drink or take medication.I wish I had done so myself.
I've been mixing the two (in fact I take them with beer) on a nightly basis for over 18 months now. Not a good thing.
MyNameIsTerry
05-11-15, 05:46
Thanks Terry. I found myself in out of hours last night as the butterflies in my chest, the tingling hands, the chest pressure and the shakes got too much. Doctor there checked me out and confirmed that my heart was fine, blood pressure perfect, pulse regular and strong. The palpitation feelings in my chest were nothing to do with my heart. He said almost the same as you, I need to get back to my GP and ask for referral to see a councillor as I am in a ridiculously high state of anxiety. He also said that I would need medical assistance with the drinking issue, something out of hours couldn't do for me.
I'm pleased you have seen a better GP. Your regular GP sounds like he/she doesn't understand much about these problems and there is no excuse when it comes to alcohol as thats been as big an issue for the NHS as smoking for years!
In your surgery you may find there are leaflets for help on alcohol.
There are some people on here offering advice to another member with alcohol issues:
http://www.nomorepanic.co.uk/showthread.php?t=172966
http://www.nomorepanic.co.uk/showthread.php?t=118963
I've seen Richard1960 post advice about who you can call for help with alcohol. This might be useful or at least give you some ideas about what you can access through your GP.
I have no experience of alcohol issues myself but I've always seen what these guys advise and coming off alcohol suddenly can be dangerous so please be careful. On top of what has been said in there, I used to attend a charity walk-in group for anxiety/depression and one of the guys there had been off alcohol for 8 years. He said going to prison was the best thing that ever happened to him as they got him clean as drinking from an early age due to the local culture (he was about 5 when I met him) and he reconnected with his family. He now goes into prisons to talk to them and keeps in with the AA groups to help out. I can't say I've ever heard anyone on here or anywhere else who hasn't said the same about stopping drinking.
Good look and well done on going for a day without it as that must have been tough. Just be careful.
---------- Post added at 05:46 ---------- Previous post was at 05:42 ----------
Never mix alcohol with anti depressants. It's been proved over and over again that it can be quite dangerous to ones health.
I agree with you that some carry strict warnings about alcohol but you can't say this with all of them as the drug companies and our doctors don't say this. Whilst all these meds tend to state no alcohol in their leaflets, if you look at the real interaction warnings they can be Moderate which means use with caution as they can interact. My med carries a warning but only for heavy drinking as there have been links to serious liver disease which don't seem to have been adequately proven but it was enough to force the manufacturer to have their leaflets updated to be re-licenced.
My own GP approved me drinking whilst on Citalopram, in moderation and I'm not alone on here in this. Whilst you know I slate my GP for his lack of knowledge of antidepressants, I would like to think he would understand if there was a blanket decision not to drink at all on any of them if it were dangerous - for legal reasons alone!
I wish you the best Liviguy. I think you know deep down how detrimental your behavior is.
Positive thoughts
Powered by vBulletin® Version 4.2.5 Copyright © 2024 vBulletin Solutions Inc. All rights reserved.