Panic attack triggered by alcohol or DT's triggered by lack of alcohol?

[Diz]

Pasted from somewhere else... your opnions greatly valued....




I am experiencing shortness of breath / anxiety attacks the day after I have drunk. This is like clockwork, and hits hardest in the evening. I had a small bout of anxiety between ages 6 and 8 that passed and nothing was diagnosed or pinpointed as a trigger so this characteristic is in my system. It has returned now though and after a coupe of years of me monitoring it there is a definite link to alcohol. i.e. It will NEVER EVER happen when I am under the influence, but it will 80% happen the day after when the alcohol is leaving my system. I have put myself into situations to learn all about this and know exactly how to control it. I can deal with it fine on my own but being in a confined space or with others makes it worse. I fidget and can’t seem to keep still for long. The sensation is a bit like if you are out of breath from exercise but suddenly breathe as if you’re resting – it feels like you are not getting enough oxygen. Ironically doing exercise helps because it restores a natural breathing rhythm. The main issue for me is others finding out about it, and that thought scares me and makes the situation much worse. Pathetic, as I am worrying about nothing in particular. I know it is in my mind as usually if I leave the place from where it begins, it is relieved. Now this in my eyes is either a genuine anxiety attack not linked to but triggered by alcohol or it is some form of withdrawal from when I drink or delirium tremens. Very hard to call which though – any thoughts or similar experience?

[jackie13]

Hi there

I am really interested in your post as sometimes I suffer exactly the same. Alcohol is a BIG depressant and when coupled with Anxiety/Panic/Depression can cause "downers" for days.

I can speak from experience as I am an very heavy drinker and have had to seriously cut down to stop me from going completely mad!! The anxiety in my opinion is definately caused by the alcohol

Please let me know if you want to chat about this.

Jackie xx

[Diz]

Lets chat. What confuses me is searching wikipedia, it seems the attacks are a form of alcohol withdrawel or panic disorder excarbeated by alcohol. Panic attacks cant be fatal, but alcohol withdrawel can be. So can a panic attac born out of alcohol withdrawel be fatal?

[dbug]

Hi. My anxiety (sometimes full on panic attacks) seem to all stem from alcohol. I'm not a heavy drinker, more of a binge drinker. Nothing all week then a good drink on a Fri or Sat night. Its always the day after that i have a bad turn. As the alcohol leaves my system during the day i get nervous,fidgety, restless,hyper. I have a feeling of de-realisation so much that if i sit down for a couple of minutes i feel like im going to lose my mind. The only way i can suppress it is by keeping myself busy.

I really annoys me cos i enjoy socialising and drinking and i dont want to give up enjoying a bottle of wine on a Sat night.

I'm only 32 and this has only been effecting me over the past 6months

Id also like to hear other peoples views

[jackie13]

Hi there

I have been a heavy drinker for about 3 years now. I have always drunk about 3-4 glasses of wine per night, and I think this does catch up with me after a time.

Alcohol definately brings my anxiety/depression on. For instance, I have cut down this week and only allowed myself a small glass of wine per night which is 2 units and well within the recommended guidelines. Last night I went out and had 4 glasses and have woken up this morning with a bit of anxiety.

The thing is I enjoy socialising as well, however, it looks like I may have to "sip" to make by 1 glass last!

Jackie xx

[Jaco45er]

Hi there

I have always drunk about 3-4 glasses of wine per night, and I think this does catch up with me after a time.

Jackie xx

You got me worried now lol I can do a bottle of wine just cooking dinner.

You will have to be going some for it to be withdrawal. My mother was a chronic alcoholic for years when I was growing up, in the end she had to be treated under medical supervision but she drank spirits and in large volumes (and she was only small).

There is loads of debate lately about drinking, and I am not sure where I am with it all. Technically, I am probably off the scale with the units I drink in a week (could drink 90 units a week before I know it) but I go gym, run a company, and if I ever was staggering around incapacitated, or my life was falling apart around me while I just drank I would probably take immediate action.

It must be in the back of my mind though, because recently I keep dwelling on what damage it could be doing.

In the mornings I can feel a little shaky with anxiety if I have had too much, but it seems to pass quickly, but to get DT's I really think you would have to be putting vodka on your cornflakes.

If I could suss this poll thing out I might do a post on how many units people drink out of interest.

In my defense though, I thought a bottle of wine counted as one of your 5 a day

[englishguy43]

Hi Hemmy.
God am i so shocked and surprised to hear that heminevrin are still being prescribed in 2011, i`m gobsmacked to know that as i was told that they were no longer being used to treat outpatients - especially regarding alcohol or anxiety.
I was on them back in the mid to late 90`s for quite some years. I drank to deal with anxiety/panic etc then was eventually given these capsules, 6x192mg per day and would be given a months supply at a time. The first time i took them i was hooked, felt like a triple vodka within a couple of minutes and a sort of ecstatic fast relax would hit me.
I too often drank with them and lost count of how many times i would take quite a few whilst drinking only to find myself wake up having been asleep for a couple of days as a result. Was picked up barely concious laying in the street many times and had the police bring me home.
I overdosed on them many times and ended up in a coma once because of taking so many and woke up in a hospital bed many times.
Can`t believe i was able to get them on script after all this and eventually i did try and kill myself on them and was found in the street where the paramedics had to restart my heart on the spot and urgently get me into life support at hospital.
These hemmies were so addictive and i used and abused them like mad as they took so much anxiety away.
Was taken off of them then given diazepam and similar things happens, is a long story so eventually got off of them myself now my GP won`t give me anything more than an anti-depressant to cope and right now my life is hell.
My ex of 4 years dumped me recently and i`ve had to move back 160 miles to my mums house. My anxiety, panic and agoraphobia is at it`s all time worst and i`m now drinking trying to cope and if i had the chance would no doubt take heminevrin again because i know they are so good but also can be fatal.
Would not recommend buying them online at all, no way as they`re likely to be dangerous fakes.
Feel free to mail me and like i said i`m really surprised you can still get these things but i`d hate to think that you could end up in a bad way when it`s time to get off of them, was hell for me, literally. Was like a junkie going cold turkey, diazepam were nothing in comparrison to what heminevrin gave but i guess i`m glad that i`m no longer taking any of them in reality as was hell to get through the withdrawals and addiction.

[Hemmy]

I was on them back in the mid to late 90`s for quite some years. I drank to deal with anxiety/panic etc then was eventually given these capsules, 6x192mg per day and would be given a months supply at a time. The first time i took them i was hooked, felt like a triple vodka within a couple of minutes and a sort of ecstatic fast relax would hit me.

Yeah, I find my lunchtime dose is a real "aaaahhhhhh" moment. I realise it's a dependency, but it's a better cleaner one than alcohol. The better of two evils. I couldn't live a normal live on 6 a day though. On the rare occassions when I'm super agitated I'll pop an extra one - but it's a battle of the coffee and energy drinks to keep myself awake after that.

Can`t believe i was able to get them on script after all this and eventually i did try and kill myself on them and was found in the street where the paramedics had to restart my heart on the spot and urgently get me into life support at hospital.

It's certainly concerning that they were continued to be issued when they were being over used. I got pulled up once for putting a script in too early, so something has gone wrong with your medical support.

My anxiety, panic and agoraphobia is at it`s all time worst and i`m now drinking trying to cope and if i had the chance would no doubt take heminevrin again because i know they are so good but also can be fatal.

I'm taking them for my anxiety and it works for me - along with plenty of care and moderate will power not to over use them. Personally, I'd rather be taken them than using alcohol as my supporting crutch. They could be fatal, if use and abused like any other drug I suppose.

i`d hate to think that you could end up in a bad way when it`s time to get off of them, was hell for me, literally.

Yes that does concern me, even the GP has stated that it will take a long time to wean me off them. On my Google travels I did see some articles that suggest that it could be knocked off the list of UK prescribable drugs at some point. So I may not have a choice.

Was like a junkie going cold turkey, diazepam were nothing in comparrison to what heminevrin gave but i guess i`m glad that i`m no longer taking any of them in reality as was hell to get through the withdrawals and addiction.

Blimey. It's a vicious circle, hooked on one drug only to get hooked on another.

[Martin Burridge]

You should see your GP about this. There are a number of possibilities that I know of.
Alcohol boosts your serotonin levels. The next day there can be a dip in your serotonin levels while your body tries to balance things again. This can caused increased anxiety.

The other possibility is that the alcohol is affecting your heart rythym. This is called cardiac arrythmia. I suffer from this and the breathing problems you describe are very similar to mine. Its usually happens the day after drinking too much. Caffeine has a similar effect on me buts it usually within 15 minutes of drinking it.

The way to tell whether its a panic attack or something physical is whether you have the urge to flee or look for safety.

I dont suffer from panic attacks (Im a therapist) so I dont get the urge to flee so I know mine is physical not psychological.

Whether its anxiety or a physical problem I suggest you cut down on your drinking and see your GP.

[Touch Rugby]

I had my first attack on holiday on a small Greek Island 5 years ago. I had a stressful job and threw myself in to the alcohol when I arrived. After a week it felt like I was having a heart attack and had to be shipped to the mainalnd for tests and was finally sedated. It came as no surprise that the results were clear and it was down to stress and the booze. That didn't help me for the second week of my holiday and I found the alcohol was the only way to stop the attacks happening again, mainly at night when I was trying to get to sleep. After a nightmare journey home I tried a couple of different courses of tablets to suppress my problems, which eventually worked but I stopped drinking for over a year. I weaned my way off the tablets and started drinking again in moderation but over the last 12 months have started boozing heavily again at weekends. This has come with a price as last Xmas I had terrible panic attacks and headaches and the feeling of having a heart attack again. I've had the odd blip over the last few years but this was back big style. I've got myself back together again but wanted to test myself last weekend. Went out, drank lots, couldn't sleep for 2 days and the symptoms returned. I'm at a cross roads with the booze - give it up for good but lose my social life or take it on the chin and suffer the consequences. Tough call and one I'll make after this weekend where I'm staying in and staying sober!