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  • BDD Moderators: Keif’ Richards | negrogesic

Doctor has recommended wine with ativan

Felonious Monk said:
Your Doctor sounds like an idiot. Is this in the United States? I didn't know doctors still recommended alcohol in 2016...
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A lot of MDs and Pharm. Ds are most interested in their paycheck. Another factor, general practitioners typically aren't the cream of the crop. It's amazing how little many doctors know about the drugs they prescribe. I had a doctor tell me tramadol was just a non-addictive antiinflammatory. Lol. Wrong on both accounts. And when he tried to prescribe an SNRI along side the tramadol and I mentioned the possibility of serotonin syndrome, he proceeded to use an interaction checker on his phone to see if that was a possibility. SMH

Also this isn't the first time I've heard of a doctor telling their patient to drink red wine. I can understand a doctor telling their patient to have a glass of red wine in lieu of normal drinking habits, so I wonder if it's people mistaking that for a free pass to drink several glasses.
 
We're more engaged in a debate of principle here, which I still think is important. It's well-known that Americans, like most other civilizations, consume Alcohol regularly. It's a minority of folks who actually do not use Alcohol. So, to add on to what Slow was saying, I think it's almost implied that people will consume small amounts of Alcohol here and there and it's not a huge deal. The issue at stake here, for me at least, is that it sounds like your Doctor is implying that Alcohol should be used as a medication in addition to your Benzodiazepines if they're not effective enough on their own.

This is a gigantic difference from the "implied" level of drinking that I mentioned. For instance, my Mom, we'll say she's getting a new Benzo script for sake of argument, buys a box of wine every two or so weeks and 90% of the time has one glass, but occasionally has another half of a glass. This is what I would define as a pretty much irrelevant level of Alcohol. It's also not being used to potentiate the effects of Benzodiazepines. It was a behavior she possessed long before being prescribed drugs came into play and will probably persist long after.

Implying that Alcohol should be taken on, used in conjunction with or used to potentiate the effects of other medications is the part that's irresponsible. The only thing Doctor's should be doing regarding Alcohol is not totally berating people for using it. Actively encouraging its use, being that it's literally poisonous, is crazy.
 
I usually drink a couple of glasses of wine at holiday dinners so obviously this time of year. Otherwise NADA. He was telling me I could use more lorazepam to offset the hyperness prednisone often causes to stop that feeling so that would have been during the day and then a couple glasses of wine before bed so maybe thinking there they were not actually being used "together".
 
Keif' Richards said:
Implying that Alcohol should be taken on, used in conjunction with or used to potentiate the effects of other medications is the part that's irresponsible. The only thing Doctor's should be doing regarding Alcohol is not totally berating people for using it. Actively encouraging its use, being that it's literally poisonous, is crazy.
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Exactly what I was getting at. And since the OP seemed to say she doesn't consume alcohol regularly, suggesting adding red wine is literally using it as a sleep aid. Why not recommend something safe like benadryl?
 
Right, that's an important clarification. I don't think we understood the totality of what you were saying originally. We're in agreement on your situation I think.
 
I'll look into something else for sleep. Really hate the effect Benedryl has on me so will look at other things. Thanks.
 
OP if you don't mind me asking, why are you on Prednisone? That's a really outdated drug that has alot of crazy side. It's way over prescribed
 
I don't know much about Ativan but I bet my ass 2 glasses of wine won't hurt you no matter what other substanse you are on.
 
bomber said:
I don't know much about Ativan but I bet my ass 2 glasses of wine won't hurt you no matter what other substanse you are on.
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This is horrible advice. Don't spread garbage. Alcohol can easily cause serious health complications with some drugs, even in small amounts
 
^Yeah alcohol can be dangerous, especially with benzos, but come on, it's just 2 glasses of wine.
 
I'm not going to hijack OPs thread so this is the last comment I'll make on it. There are many instances where a couple glasses of wine would be a terrible idea and could have serious health consequences. OP would be physically okay to have a couple glasses of wine with the Ativan, but blacking out is a serious possibility, and as a sleep aid, it's a terrible solution.

Spreading stuff like "I bet my ass 2 glasses of wine won't hurt you no matter what other substanse you are on" is crap HR advice, and it's outright wrong.
 
Dare7 said:
Can't imagine a doctor would steer me to something that wasn't safe but just looking for any input from people.
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Just becaue somone has a PhD, doesn't mean their word should be taken on everything. There are alot of great doctors out there, but there are also alot of quacks. Even if you have a great doctor you should always ask questions and do your own research on things. Ethanol is not good to be used for sleep, it messes with your quality of sleep, and combined with ativan could cause blackouts(and increased risk of gabaergic addiction combining the two), all things other posters pointed out. Have you tried doxylamine or melatonin?
 
bomber said:
^Yeah alcohol can be dangerous, especially with benzos, but come on, it's just 2 glasses of wine.
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The OP said they do not drink often. So two glasses of wine without tolerance combined with Ativan could be dangerous.
 
Prednisone is short term but could not get my ears to pop for over a month. The prednisone worked when nothing else would. Weirdest thing. No infection. Just pressure and clogging. Was driving me nuts!
 
Dare7 said:
Prednisone is short term but could not get my ears to pop for over a month. The prednisone worked when nothing else would. Weirdest thing. No infection. Just pressure and clogging. Was driving me nuts!
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That makes sense! Sometimes docs will prescribe Prednisone with other drugs for no apparent reason other than because it's sometimes used to treat said illness (it treats almost everything). It can have tons of side effects thought that can definitely contribute to feeling like crap!

Glad you got that pressure relieved :)
 
I got a prednisone shot for a cold and made me psychotic and agitated. Bizarre I started acting like some of the paranoid schizophrenics I saw in inpatient I would just sit outside the store while they filled my antibiotics rocking back and forth nervously rubbing my forarms and just with a overwhelming sense of I gotta get away away from this store away from all these people and was talking nonsense about lights makking me uneasy I dont feel safe I feel like my skin is crawling. And if you talked to me id just look nervously at the floor like I was preoccupied by something very distressing. Anyway im glad it helped you. I think it helps my dad with his arthritis and it helped my dog get a few more months before her legs gave in so everyones different
 
Yeah that's why he said I might need the lorazepam to counteract that feeling. I did okay with it though.
 
This is not safe.

Dare7 said:
My doctor has recommended drinking wine at night to help with sleep. I also take 1 mg of ativan per day. He didn't specify the quantity of wine but did say I could take the ativan in greater doses if I need it for anxiety and sleep. So is seems like a couple of glasses of wine and maybe 3-4 mg of ativan is safe and acceptable? Can't imagine a doctor would steer me to something that wasn't safe but just looking for any input from people. Have only been using ativan for 2 months on an as needed basis and would go a week, sometimes two without taking any until the 1mg daily for the past week. Also wondering what is best for sleep if these are good to combine. Do you drink your wine, get relaxed and then take the ativan to kind of knock you out? Thanks in advance.
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Ativan and alcohol will both suppress your central nervous system and affect your heart rate and breathing. It is never recommended to be used simultaneously, serious side affects can occur such as heart attack and even death. Lorazepam is not a good choice for a lobg term solution for anxiety, it affects your mitochondria after prolonged use. Better would be a low dose of an SSRI like Zoloft, 25 mg. You should seek a new practitioner.
 
^^ This thread is really old...

But wow... a doctor recommending alcohol as a sleep aid blows my mind. And in combination with a benzo! How did this guy get through school?
 
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