Extreme anxiety after drinking

[whatisthis]

Hi all

This has been quite a journey for me realizing how long I have suffered from different symptoms of anxiety.

I have being doing very well lately with a few slip ups with the latest being a long drinking session at the weekend just gone. I am currently taking Paroxetine 20mg which works very well removing my physical symptoms of anxiety.

I use to be able to drink fine with this med but the last few times I have developed severe anxiety lasting up to a week after the night out. I have tried to cut down but always get carried away but this time has convinced me I now must be total clean for the foreseeable future. I cannot put myself through this again, its just not worth it.

I don't appear to get the mental symptoms of anxiety unless I have these big drinking sessions. My main symptom was muscle tension but this anxiety is unbearable, I am only just getting through work.

I am not sure what is happening but am I detoxing from the alcohol or have I messed up my medication? This has happened 2 times before with heavy nights out and scares the crap out of me thinking that I will be like this forever. I know I will balance out again soon but my evil thoughts continually tell me I will not get better.

I have some lorazepam for when need but I hate taking it at all due to how addictive it can be.

Guess I am just looking for reassurance and other people's experiences with alcohol.

Thanks

[Dazza]

I thought that you're not supposed to mix alcohol with these kind of meds, as they both affect your brain.

I've also experience increased anxiety following drinking, so I've not touched the stuff for about 2 years now. I just know that if I drink too much it makes me really anxious, give me palpitations etc.

Don't wanna be a kill joy, but try coming off the booze totally! :)

[marie1974]

If i happen to drink alot then i too suffer bad anxiety, try just have acouple if u must, but draw the line after that hun, i think drinking too much makes most people anxious and it can last for days with me. hugs xx

[Earthworm]

I'm on Amatriptyline for anxiety, panic & depression - it says not to drink on them at all due to increased drowsyness but my doc said the odd beer or glass of wine here or there would be fine.

In the early days I didn't have anything but over time I can now have the odd glass if I fancy it - any more than that though and I'm totally spark out. Once or twice I've had a bit more (but not loads - say 3 glasses of wine) and I have had symptoms again the next day - usually dizzyness, it can't be a coinsidence.

Hate to say it but drink & meds don't seem to mix do they !!!

[jothenurse]

Definitely better not to drink.
I take Ativan .5mg in the morning and .5 at noon. The Lorazepam won't hurt you if you just take a very low dose.

[whatisthis]

Well this is day 4 and last time it was a week.

And yes dazza I will be taking the advice and totally stop drinking.

The anxiety is so extreme at the moment, I can hardly function.

Thanks

[whatisthis]

Sorry for the huge text, silly iphone.

[whatisthis]

Had to take Lorazepam to keep me still at work, I hope I can get through this again. I am so scared of becoming reliant on the benzo but I feel nearly manic at the moment. Not actually scared of anything, just too much energy. I feel so guilty after what I have put my family through to go out and recklessly drink.

I read that that alcohol is metabolized by the same enzyme in the liver as AD's so it basically flushes your system of the AD. Not good and I have definitely learnt my lesson the hard way.

Any ideas how long this will last?

[unspoken]

I wouldn't drink if my friends didn't. It tastes horrible and makes me feel ill. I always regret it if I have more than 1 or 2 drinks. I drink infrequently - these days at most once a month - but when I do drink, I tend to drink quite a lot. Last Saturday night, I drank: 1 bottle of wine (it was weak wine, so 6 units in the bottle), 2 glasses of wine in bars and 1 shot of apple sourz (20% ish).

I never feel depressed when I am drunk but I realised at the weekend that it does make me anxious. Alcohol can make me feel sick, combined with being tired and in a stressful environment like a nightclub, which made me feel ill and panicky last weekend. I was alright after spending about 20 minutes sitting in the toilets. Alcohol stops me sleeping though and I was wide awake and feeling sick and panicky about 4 hours after going to bed.

It is interesting that alcohol is supposed to affect the metabolism of antidepressants. I am on 100mg of sertraline (zoloft). It was very hot on Sunday. Mid-afternoon, I was in a car with my friend, he was driving. I started to get pins and needles like numbness in my arms and in my face. It was pretty scary. It went away after we got out of the car and I had some water and some ice cream, perhaps my blood sugar was low or I was dehydrated. It's not something I've had as part of a hangover before though, so maybe it was related to the antidepressants not being absorbed properly.

I have had hangovers that have made me feel weak and ill and anxious for a few days, generally due to the lack of sleep and effect on my sensitive digestive system. It does sound like you will have to try to give up alcohol, but I know how hard it is when all your friends are drinking loads. I don't regret getting drunk last weekend because I don't think I would have had such a good time if I hadn't been drinking. If I don't drink, my mind wanders onto anxious/depressed thoughts and I feel disconnected from the people around me. I guess we can't win, really. Just try to stop soon enough that you don't feel the really bad effects.

[whatisthis]

Thanks for your replies.

I really did overdo it at the weekend and need to stop for now. This has been such a bad experience I doubt I could even consume a pint.

I consumed a stupid amount to the point where I cannot remember. I always prided myself on knowing my limit but combined with the Anti D I think I get silly and it has started to affect me now.

It must have been:

Sat:

5 cans of cider
4 shots of vodka
2 pints of cider

Sun:

3 pints of lager
1 southern comfort
1 glass of red wine
2 pint of cider

Writing that down i really feel silly now, black and white it seems way too much. I sometimes go months without drinking but the last 2 month I have been out a lot due to a relationship breakdown.

The few nights/days of drunken fun is not worth the aftermath and I am only making my recovery harder.

[widge]

Hi......I identify completely with your predicament. I have suffered all my life with anxiety, depression and its symptoms. Most of the time I didn't restrict my drinking and would have the occasional binge....and usually suffer the effects....I would say or do damaging things and feel awful about them afterwards. Over a period of time life for me gradually became a lurch from one drunken binge to the next.
I told my doctor in the end.

We tried to work out a strategy where I might be able to drink moderately...but it wouldn't work and I couldn't control it.

Last year I just stopped. Not the news you might want to hear perhaps.....but it was the only REAL solution for me....and it wasn't as awful as I thought it would be after the initial shock.

I sincerely hope you find an answer that works for you too....open up about it and tell everyone you have quit if you decide to. Everybody knows how insidious booze can be and you will surprised by the amount of respect and support people will give you.

All Best

w

[whatisthis]

So yet again I have come back to reality after the hangover. Just about a week to recover. Only coming on here has triggered some anxious feelings again. I think looking at other people's stories and applying them to myself is not very helpful.

Managed to go out the other night and not drink, first time ever!

[shell24]

I find this very interesting to me as the first panic attack i ever had was after a big night out where alcohol was consumed (largely). I am not taking any medication and although i believe taking alcohol and meds will affect you the next day i do think its just the alcohol solely that causes horroble anxiety,

My take on it is that when we drink alcohol, we relax........well i do! The more i drink the more i feel confident and panic attacks are the last thing on my mind. The next day, the body is withdrawing and your on a come down. This is mainly due to the amount you drink. As i have had the odd pint or drink and been fine the next day but if i drink lots ( on a bender). I feel so panicky the next day. I have cut down my alcohol intake and seem to have dealt with panic a lot better. Although, i cant resist the sunny weather and a few drinks in a beer garden that can lead to a messy drinking session so i think everything in moderation.