Can benzos protect from alcohol neurotoxicity?

[bouncer]

Is it possible that low doses of benzodiazepines (Klonopin,Valium,Xanax) could protect from alcohol's neurotoxicity? Just a thought..

 

[deathamphetamine]

I dont see how.

 

[Synapse999]

It does for amphetamines, But i don't see how one would think benzos could.

It could actually increace neurotoxity if anything, if somebody was passed out from alcohol poisoning.

Maybe in the non-chemical situation.

Where you normally drink a 5th of alcohol at a time.
But then find out, if you take xanax and drink 6 beers you get same effect.

You are then reducing neurotoxity. heh

 

[tiger-bunny]

i thought alchohol had a bit of nmda antagonism which would prevent damage from neurotoxicity

 

[Synapse999]

Yeah, there isn't a relation.
It reacts similar to alcohol, with the (GABA) and such

the drug is used for alcohol withdrawls, (hangover is considered part withdrawl).


and alcohol is very neurotoxic.

 

[BilZ0r]

The majority (if not the entieity) of alcohol neurotoxicity is mediated by poor diet, not a direct effect of alcohol.

 

[bouncer]

This is exactly why I posted this message. Whenever I go drinking, like for example right now I woke up from heavy drinking and 3 mg clonazepam and 20 mg diazepam yesterday before drinking - and have no hangover at all. Strange.. I tried digging Pubmed on this subject but cant find the connection. Oh and btw, I didnt eat at all during drinking and the amount of vodka was about 300-350ml.

 

[bouncer]

The majority (if not the entieity) of alcohol neurotoxicity is mediated by poor diet, not a direct effect of alcohol.

What? I thought alcohol neurotoxicity was mediated throught its metabolite (I cant remember the name, something "formaldehyde" I think).

 

[qwe]

^isn't that the main chemical in embalming fluid?

bilzor do you mean to say that alcohol prevents certain nutrients from being absorbed or used?

 

[bouncer]

I've read that arginine helps tremendously with hepatotoxicity/neurotoxicity (sorry I dont remember which one, I have a hangover but i definitely have read something about it) from alcohol. I'm too fatigued to open up Pubmed

 

[nenarOPI]

Alcohol is dehydrogenated by alcohol dehydrogenase, an enzyme in the liver. Alcohol - H --> Acetaldehyde + other stuff. It's acetaldehyde that you arre thinking of

 

[BilZ0r]

I'm not sure what causes the thiamine deficiency which causes korsakov's syndrome. It's not the only form of alcohol-induced neurotoxicity, but it's one of the few that can be labeled.

 

[5-HT2]

I don't think benzos would have any positive effect on alcohol neurotoxicity, unless, as mentioned above, they induced you to drink less.

Olney's group has demonstrated that GABA(A) receptor potentiation mediates a component of alcohol-induced neurotoxicity in the fetal brain, and that benzos, which potentiate the receptor in a similar way, can have similar effects when given pre- or (I think) perinatally. However, this has only been shown to apply to the developing brain, and I think any such effect in the fully wired, adult brain, if it occurs at all, would be much less.

 

[BilZ0r]

I think there is also form of excitotoxicity that can happen during withdrawal from serious alcoholism. Benzos might protect against that in part.

 

[Dr. Beat]

I read somewhere that alcohol blocks NMDA receptors (thats why you cannot remember much after a big night out), so those receptors up regulate themself over time on alcohol, and magnesium helps alot, because it is a natural NMDA receptor blocker, and it is the neuro excitoxity that can cause damage after you 'dry out'

I always take anti-oxidents after drinking alot, like grape-seed extract, milk thistle, ect.