Psycho-Babble Medication Thread 109839

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I NEED HELP PLEASE

Posted by caza1 on June 14, 2002, at 14:32:59

Hi there,
i really need your help guys. i'm from moroco, so excuse my english.
i was consuming alcohol almost daily for about one year. i stopped drinking 9 monthes ago because of depression(eventhough that i had depression since i was 12 i'm now 23). i took Seroxat (Paxil) 20 mg (with no much improvement)and Ativan 1 mg daily for about 6 monthes. now the problem is that whenever i drink alcohol i wake up the next morning with racing thoughts and severe panic that i can't get up from my bed for hours. what's wrong with me????
do i have to avoid alcohol for the rest of my life??
can alcohol cause severe panic attacks and racing thoughts?????
i really appreciate any help.

 

Re: I NEED HELP PLEASE

Posted by rainbowlight on June 14, 2002, at 15:18:02

In reply to I NEED HELP PLEASE, posted by caza1 on June 14, 2002, at 14:32:59

Some of the meds have a bad reaction when you mix alcohol with them. They can even intensify alcohol (make you feel like you've had 3 beers, instead of just one, for example). You're not really supposed to mix alcohol with any of them. Alcohol is a depressant, so it may intensify your depression even more.

 

Re: I NEED HELP PLEASE

Posted by katekite on June 14, 2002, at 19:58:59

In reply to I NEED HELP PLEASE, posted by caza1 on June 14, 2002, at 14:32:59

Hi -- Did you recently stop the paxil or ativan? If not very long ago, then maybe you are still in withdrawal from paxil. People find it takes several months to recover completely from stopping either paxil or ativan after regular use. You would be more prone to a bad effect from alcohol during withdrawal.

It sounds as if you are waking up with anxiety. If this is from alcohol and you are safely out of withdrawal, it may be that it is affecting your sleep quality.

In general people do not sleep very well after drinking alcohol (even though you feel nice and tired). It is a bad idea to use alcohol to get to sleep.

You might consider getting a prescription for a safer sleep aid such as an anti-histamine or something like Ambien, if you need help going to sleep.

Also try to let all the effect of the alcohol wear off completely before going to bed, drink a lot of water because alcohol is a diuretic. Try to only drink with a meal, this will help as well.

You probably used to be able to drink much more than you can tolerate now as you have abstained for so long. You will build up a tolerance again gradually but this will take a month or two.

Take care,

kate

 

Re: I NEED HELP PLEASE ยป caza1

Posted by Ritch on June 14, 2002, at 22:28:01

In reply to I NEED HELP PLEASE, posted by caza1 on June 14, 2002, at 14:32:59

> Hi there,
> i really need your help guys. i'm from moroco, so excuse my english.
> i was consuming alcohol almost daily for about one year. i stopped drinking 9 monthes ago because of depression(eventhough that i had depression since i was 12 i'm now 23). i took Seroxat (Paxil) 20 mg (with no much improvement)and Ativan 1 mg daily for about 6 monthes. now the problem is that whenever i drink alcohol i wake up the next morning with racing thoughts and severe panic that i can't get up from my bed for hours. what's wrong with me????
> do i have to avoid alcohol for the rest of my life??
> can alcohol cause severe panic attacks and racing thoughts?????
> i really appreciate any help.


Caza,

Alcohol *withdrawal* lowers the seizure threshold. So, hangovers can make seizures more likely. Panic attacks and racing thoughts may be symptoms of seizure activity. If you are experiencing any kind of seizure activity you will need to avoid alcohol. I would suggest seeing a neurologist for an evaluation for possible epilepsy.

Mitch


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