Alcohol to calm panic attacks

[Cream Gravy?]

Be careful. I had terrible social anxiety and discovered drinking made me confident and outgoing socially. But it led to 7 years in a hell of dependency and addiction that nearly killed me.

Seriously. Alcohol is society's crutch for the fact that none of us know how to understand one another. It breaks down those barriers in such a violent fashion though... I wish I just had a script for infinite clonazepam and diazepam, I'd never drink again.

 

[ChemicallyEnhanced]

Seriously. Alcohol is society's crutch for the fact that none of us know how to understand one another. It breaks down those barriers in such a violent fashion though... I wish I just had a script for infinite clonazepam and diazepam, I'd never drink again.

Same. In the UK benzo's are almost never scripted and when they are there's a legal maximum for 3 weeks (and then only in extreme cases and at stupid doses like 6mg diazepam a day). I never would have drank if I'd just had a reasonable benzodiazapine prescription. Just like 10mg diazepam 3x day or something would have been enough, I'm not asking for like 10mg Xanax. weirdly for back spasms you can very easily get up to 80mg diazepam a day here :/ but for anxiety? Nothing!
By the time I realized this, btw, I already had a history of benzo misuse ( I DID NOT misuse or abuse them, I simply acquired my own and took a low, sensible dose) so I couldn't get them prescribed no matter what.

 

[Cream Gravy?]

^That's fucked man... I have to take BZDs in order to avoid gut pain, if the doctor said 'no you don't', I'd probably punch him. Luckily it was his suggestion that I try them. But I'm talking .5mg alp a day, not really enough to kill the pain for more than 4 hours. So I use etizolam 3-5 times daily, they're practically the same drug only alprazolam has more 'chill' effect on my muscles.

 

[KS78]

I used to get very scary panic attack that felt exactly like heart attacks. The only benzodiazepine that worked for it was Alprazolam because the effects were rapid enough to catch up to the panic attack and the potency was well suited to help to calm the mind down. Other benzos were way too slow even if they were potent like Clonazepam.
Alcohol works for the attacks as well but the downside is the sugar intake with the alcohol makes the anxiety and panic to manifest much stronger when the effects of alcohol fades away. Sugar makes panic attacks much worse so I wouldn't use alcohol regularly for this purpose other than the times you don't have Xanax to take.

 

[Mafioso]

OP, benzodiazepines and alcohol will have a synergistic effect, making each "stronger", as they work on the same part of the brain. I actually just started a thread about this in neuroscience and pharmacology forum but beyond "they both work on GABA but in different ways"(simply put), the bulk of the responses were just warnings about how dangerous and addictive it was.

It will definitely work in calming your nerves, but it will also cause "rebound anxiety" where when the drugs effects wear off, you experience even more intense anxiety. For people who use it for anxiety, this tends to be the trap that draws them into addict.

 

[GENGAR]

I honestly use alcohol to sometimes calm panic attacks,

 

[Lucy20]

Hi, new member here, I looked through all of the forums to see where I should land this topic but didn't seem to find anything dealing with this specifically. As we all know there are plenty of topics concerning benzos and panic attacks/anxiety, I was hoping to find others that find that a quick relatively large dose of alcohol tends to remedy a panic attack, and how they deal with it. I mean, not hoping, because who the hell wants that. But I just was wondering about others' experiences doing this.

I have read all the studies that google wants me to know about how alcohol is terrible for fill-in-the-blank, so I already know the "powers that be" do not only do not recommend this, but site studies showing alcohol could actually create panic attacks.

I have valium that I take as a prophylactic measure twice a day (low dose 5 mg - and I naturally have a HIGH tolerance for about everything, so the low dose for me is practically microscopic), but it does help in reducing the amounts of panic attacks. Could just be the placebo effect because like I said, I feel next to nothing when I take it scheduled in advance. I tend to have a paradoxical affect from drugs, where sedatives generally create the opposite affect, etc. And I seem to be the only person alive that weed does not help. Nope, it's not that I have yet to try the right strain, I've tried many and all it does is make my mind hell until it wears off.

All this said, when I am not able to get ahead of an attack (because no one can tell when they will happen) once a panic attack has started, the valium doesn't do a thing, primarily because mine usually last about 30 minutes, and it takes valium (and a large amount of it) to get into your blood stream right about when the attack is beginning to subside anyway.

Any advice where I should post this question/topic?

EDIT: I just noticed that no one else here has an actual photo with their profile. Should I not be doing that (maybe for legal reasons?)

Alcohol will help but addicting I'm sure you know. I feel for ya, panic attacks are awful.
As for the picture, its just privacy, alot of people want to keep their identity private due to home/work/whatever. I would suggest changing it to be on the side of caution.
Although we have a nudie thread, no faces though

 

[Agora420]

Do you take any SSRI medication? Just curious, because I use to take prozac and was accompanied by anxiety 'panic like' symptoms which is very strange for me considering I don't normally get anxiety. From anecdotal experimentation and self research I concluded I was having this issue because of serotonin excess. When serotonin gets too high in proportion to dopamine it causes cell excitation. I was able to correct this problem by discontinuing the prozac and adding a dopamine promoter to my daily schedule. I switched up between 3 grams of taurine and 500mgs of theanine daily. I alternated between them every other day. My problem subsided. I'm sure the alcohol will help numb the symptoms, but depending on your specific problem it may not address the root problem.

 

[inflagranteineveryway]

Alcohol will help but addicting I'm sure you know. I feel for ya, panic attacks are awful.
As for the picture, its just privacy, alot of people want to keep their identity private due to home/work/whatever. I would suggest changing it to be on the side of caution.
Although we have a nudie thread, no faces though

A nudie thread? I think I'l just do us all a HUGE favor and not make anyone have to see that. Maybe 20 years ago. hahaha

 

[inflagranteineveryway]

OP, benzodiazepines and alcohol will have a synergistic effect, making each "stronger", as they work on the same part of the brain. I actually just started a thread about this in neuroscience and pharmacology forum but beyond "they both work on GABA but in different ways"(simply put), the bulk of the responses were just warnings about how dangerous and addictive it was.

It will definitely work in calming your nerves, but it will also cause "rebound anxiety" where when the drugs effects wear off, you experience even more intense anxiety. For people who use it for anxiety, this tends to be the trap that draws them into addict.

Thank you so much for the reply. This is the kind of info I was looking for, all aspects of the pros and cons.

 

[inflagranteineveryway]

Do you take any SSRI medication? Just curious, because I use to take prozac and was accompanied by anxiety 'panic like' symptoms which is very strange for me considering I don't normally get anxiety. From anecdotal experimentation and self research I concluded I was having this issue because of serotonin excess. When serotonin gets too high in proportion to dopamine it causes cell excitation. I was able to correct this problem by discontinuing the prozac and adding a dopamine promoter to my daily schedule. I switched up between 3 grams of taurine and 500mgs of theanine daily. I alternated between them every other day. My problem subsided. I'm sure the alcohol will help numb the symptoms, but depending on your specific problem it may not address the root problem.

I actually have not been taking an SSRI, but I have a huge backstory that is way more boring to try to tell - let me bottom line it - I spent about 12 years being told and believing I was bipolar, and was overloaded with every psych med on the market, including lithium. It cost $980 per month. When I discovered that the lithium made my legs tremor so badly I couldn't walk unassisted, I threw every last bit of everything into the trash and felt better than I ever did before. I of course still had deep problems, but the mountain of drugs just lit
everything on fire.

Fast forward to last year, my new GP discovered (that somehow had gone by unnoticed by TONS of other drs) that I had primary hyperparathyroidism, and have probably had it for - you guessed it - about 10-15 years. One of the many side effects of the disease; the problem is tumors that grow on your para glands and screw up your whole body by leeching calcium out of your bones, dumping it into your blood stream, and effectively damaging all your organs, and your brain especially. The mental brain fog, wild mood swings - all typical, and a lot of people like me, by the time they are finally diagnosed with this, have already spent years being treated for mental illness. I had an operation on my neck (that's where they are located), three of the four were diseased (I had a particularly bad case of it), they removed them and I felt like my life was restored almost as soon as I awoke from the anesthesia. So I figured my Bipolar days were history. Until the last several weeks.

I recently saw my GP, who i trust and is a decent dr, he wants to revisit the possible bipolar connection due to the recent panic attacks, possible masking mania or some mixed state. He started me on a low dose of limictal and we'll see what pans out (while he is also letting me have 2 valiums a day to help in the meantime, which is more generous than pretty much any other dr these days, at least around here)

 

[inflagranteineveryway]

A nudie thread? I think I'l just do us all a HUGE favor and not make anyone have to see that. Maybe 20 years ago. hahaha

I think this one should do nicely.

 

[Mafioso]

Thank you so much for the reply. This is the kind of info I was looking for, all aspects of the pros and cons.

same... If you look into my thread, the first 2 post are a good starting point. My guess is that the answer will probably require a fair amount of reading studies if I really want to know, as apparently I've been twice diagnosed as an alcoholic.....

 

[inflagranteineveryway]

^That's fucked man... I have to take BZDs in order to avoid gut pain, if the doctor said 'no you don't', I'd probably punch him. Luckily it was his suggestion that I try them. But I'm talking .5mg alp a day, not really enough to kill the pain for more than 4 hours. So I use etizolam 3-5 times daily, they're practically the same drug only alprazolam has more 'chill' effect on my muscles.

I just looked up etizolam because I had never heard of it. It says it is only legal in Japan and India, but not the US (of course). I'm guessing whomever holds the patent to that doesn't have more lobbyist $$ than the makers of all the other benzos......

 

[Agora420]

I actually have not been taking an SSRI, but I have a huge backstory that is way more boring to try to tell - let me bottom line it - I spent about 12 years being told and believing I was bipolar, and was overloaded with every psych med on the market, including lithium. It cost $980 per month. When I discovered that the lithium made my legs tremor so badly I couldn't walk unassisted, I threw every last bit of everything into the trash and felt better than I ever did before. I of course still had deep problems, but the mountain of drugs just lit
everything on fire.

Fast forward to last year, my new GP discovered (that somehow had gone by unnoticed by TONS of other drs) that I had primary hyperparathyroidism, and have probably had it for - you guessed it - about 10-15 years. One of the many side effects of the disease; the problem is tumors that grow on your para glands and screw up your whole body by leeching calcium out of your bones, dumping it into your blood stream, and effectively damaging all your organs, and your brain especially. The mental brain fog, wild mood swings - all typical, and a lot of people like me, by the time they are finally diagnosed with this, have already spent years being treated for mental illness. I had an operation on my neck (that's where they are located), three of the four were diseased (I had a particularly bad case of it), they removed them and I felt like my life was restored almost as soon as I awoke from the anesthesia. So I figured my Bipolar days were history. Until the last several weeks.

I recently saw my GP, who i trust and is a decent dr, he wants to revisit the possible bipolar connection due to the recent panic attacks, possible masking mania or some mixed state. He started me on a low dose of limictal and we'll see what pans out (while he is also letting me have 2 valiums a day to help in the meantime, which is more generous than pretty much any other dr these days, at least around here)

That's gotta be rough, I hope you find a solution to your problem. I have stumbled upon some research indicating hypercalcaemia (high blood calcium) can cause issues with excitation as well, and the inability to relax. Under normal circumstances, a combination of magnesium and bioactive vitamin K (aka "K2") can reverse this issue of elevated blood calcium and allievate the symptoms of excitation. However if you've had your parathyroid gland removed I'm not sure if high blood calcium is still the issue. At any rate I hope you can find a solution to the problem, I hated those panic like symptoms I was plagued with.

 

[inflagranteineveryway]

Same. In the UK benzo's are almost never scripted and when they are there's a legal maximum for 3 weeks (and then only in extreme cases and at stupid doses like 6mg diazepam a day). I never would have drank if I'd just had a reasonable benzodiazapine prescription. Just like 10mg diazepam 3x day or something would have been enough, I'm not asking for like 10mg Xanax. weirdly for back spasms you can very easily get up to 80mg diazepam a day here :/ but for anxiety? Nothing!
By the time I realized this, btw, I already had a history of benzo misuse ( I DID NOT misuse or abuse them, I simply acquired my own and took a low, sensible dose) so I couldn't get them prescribed no matter what.

Nothing like getting blacklisted, huh? Infuriating. If they feel you will "abuse" them, the only other solution they offer is to go get a nice big stick out of the back yard and just bite down on it when the pain gets to be too much. But it's for your own good! They have to save you from yourself! <eye roll>

 

[Cream Gravy?]

I just looked up etizolam because I had never heard of it. It says it is only legal in Japan and India, but not the US (of course). I'm guessing whomever holds the patent to that doesn't have more lobbyist $$ than the makers of all the other benzos......

Lots of benzos are prescribed abroad that are illegal/unused here in the states. Bromazepam and Nitrazepam jump to mind. We don't really have Oxazepam here either (I mean, we have dizepam, and oxaz is a metabolite of diaz so I can see why i.e. why bother). Etizolam is quickly being scheduled at the State level throughout the South though. Also being suggested for schedule 1 by the federal government.

Basically the feds are just pissed that people are finding ways to get around dealing with doctors/big pharma when they need help with anxiety.

 

[inflagranteineveryway]

Lots of benzos are prescribed abroad that are illegal/unused here in the states. Bromazepam and Nitrazepam jump to mind. We don't really have Oxazepam here either (I mean, we have dizepam, and oxaz is a metabolite of diaz so I can see why i.e. why bother). Etizolam is quickly being scheduled at the State level throughout the South though. Also being suggested for schedule 1 by the federal government.

Basically the feds are just pissed that people are finding ways to get around dealing with doctors/big pharma when they need help with anxiety.

Good info, thanks. I live in South Carolina, so maybe it will be a possibility soon, could always ask my dr in a few months or so....

 

[Cream Gravy?]

Good info, thanks. I live in South Carolina, so maybe it will be a possibility soon, could always ask my dr in a few months or so....

No, I mean that the fed intends to make sure no one can get etizolam in the US. It's among a list of other substances they plan to schedule soon.

There's really only four or five BZDs doctors will script here, the major ones being diazepam, clonazepam, alprazolam, and lorazepam. Then maybe triazolam or temazepam in cases of extreme insomnia.

 

[evo4ever]

If you find yourself with an alcohol addiction then the most effective medication u can take is a potent benzo like Clonazepam and then wean ur self off of it!