alcohol and anxiety?..

[little_fairy]

hey guys, just some thoughts i have been having...

i have general anxiety and depression... im only young at 19 and a student surrounded by lots of events involving drinking!!

would love to hear your thoughts and experiences of the effects of alcohol on anxiety and depression... does it make your anxiety worse?

does it affect medication? i am currently on citalopram and it warns me not to drink alcohol.

much love xxx

[CliveL]

I have been on citalopram for 3 years, and have a drink. I think the warning is more about mixing citalopram, drink and driving

[Yvonne]

Well drinking alcohol with any anti depressant can make you more dopey that's for sure.

I think you know that excessive drinking could make the anxiety/depression worse and you probably also know that too much drinking with medication isn't good or else there wouldn't be a warning. I don't see a problem with having a couple of drinks socially with friends, however i know how students drink and it certainly isn't a good lifestyle for someone suffering anxiety/depression.

Try to curb the drinking if it it is excessive - it's hard in your situation I know but it's a must I reckon. You take care.

[keepemlaughing]

drinking is definitately not good for anxiety and depression prone people. take it from me, a recovering alcoholic. it may feel good in the beginning but the aftermath is a real bummer.

[Hereford Al]

I find that if I have more than 2-3 beers then I feel like absolute crap for a few days. If I am going to have a drink, then I seriously limit what I have because I just can't be arsed with the hassle the next day or two!

I'm on Mirtazapine, which is a different type of anti-depressant medication to Citalopram, but I guess alcohol in large quantities and medication of any kind do not mix too well.

Have a beer or two, but just don't go mad with it. Drinking lots of water before going to bed also helps, as does avoiding loads of caffine/sugar the next day.

[pedropanic]

I find alcohol makes me heart race and makes me feel a little bit out of control, which of course makes me panic so now I have a two drink maximum when I go out and I feel much better for it.

[minihaha]

if i have over indulged the night before then i pay for it the next day in terms of my anxiety levels...............first off i dont sleep well if i have had a few and then the day just gets worse at it goes on. I am not on medication at the moment and haven't been for 3 years but a hangover just heightens my anxiety. The dehydration makes me shaky and gives me a headache and alters my blood sugar levels which in turn sparks off panic type symptons and then it just becomes a vicious circle. I find if i keep within two or 3 glasses of wine i am fine the next day but anything over that just makes me horrendously anxious. I think aswell its the general lethargy that you get with a hangover, i tend to slob around all day and then come bedtime i am not tired and unable to sleep. What works for me is limiting my alcohol intake and then the next day i just make sure i keep hydrated and get out for a walk or some form of physical activity and normally i am fine.

[askim]

no man dont drink. i recently gave up a severe drinking habit and it couldnt have been a better choice. i have made the mistake of drinking since and it does nothing but cause severe panic attacks and anxiety. i would very seriously limit what you consume if you choose too. i believe in the past i drank to deal with my anxiety/panic attacks but in the long run it does nothing but make it worse. terrible hangovers with heightened anxiety is what i get. the anxiety can last up to 4 or 5 days depending on how drunk i would get. thats just me tho.

[Sleepless999]

Hi there - Taking anti-depressants out of the equation, I suffer from quite severe ectopics, and if I have caffeine (wouldn't dare actually!), chocolate or alcohol it makes them ten times worse. Any stimulant would make anxiety symptoms worse - there is enough adrenaline zooming around your body without any help!

[EdwardP]

Alcohol will certainly raise your anxiety. It has happened to me on numerous occasions. After a heavy night of drinking I used to end up terribly hungover, which led me to get stressed and then have panic attacks.

Askim said it in his post about ending up anxious for days on end after a heavy drinking binge and he is right. It's not worth it in the end.

[EdwardP]

I can't believe I used to drink a lot of alcohol while on valium and ciprimal. It carries a huge risk, not to mention making all your symptoms 100% worse.

[Hereford Al]

I used to drink every day pretty much, which I think is what caused my problems to begin with - although at the time alcohol helped me block out the stress, but I started drinking more and more and more. I used to be in a right state most Saturday nights and still be awake and drinking at 3-4am on the Sunday morning - Started drinking about noon before the football with a few pints in the local pub, then another one or two at half time in the club bar, another couple there after the game, get home and have something to eat and then go back down the local pub from 8-ish until closing time come home and have a few more whilst trying to watch a dvd.

I noticed that the more I was drinking on the Saturday night, the worse I would feel not really on the Sunday, but the Monday and Tuesday my anxiety would be sky high.

Luckily I have knocked all of that on the head since I was first signed off work (too anxious to stay in the pub too long!) but do find that if I have more than 2 or 3 glasses of beer then my nerves are seriously bad for a few days afterwards so I try and limit it now to just 2 on a Friday and Saturday night mostly at home, and not drink Sunday-Thursday.

Cider seemed to make my anxiety the worst, so I have cut that out completely. Which I am sure will please my dentist!