Benzos how significant is benzo-alcohol cross tolerance medically?

[Lopez]

I don't want to go into details but my life has become a complete, irreparable mess and i attempted suicide, halfway through i stopped and called 911, i underwent an evaluation and today after many years my case was re-opened. the case manager told me I'd more than likely need to go back on wellbutrin and some kind of benzo seeing as there's not much else they can do but see how i react to that and follow up with counseling. i used to take 10 mg valium daily and it worked so I'm thinking they're going to put me back on that but there's something i failed to mention to him.

for the past 4 nights I've been drinking the despair away, the first night was a 40 oz and a couple cans of beer, second night was just a 40 oz, third night i had almost a full bottle of wine, and last night before the attempt i finished the last two mouthfuls. I've always been very cautious of tolerance... so I'm wondering if i take a valium will it kill the despair i feel, or will the alcohol tolerance significantly reduce it's effects? i know 10 mg is a moderate-low dose medically but that always did the trick without significantly impairing me, and I'm pretty sure i won't be prescribed more than that initially anyway.

can anyone offer any input on whether this alcohol consumption would affect the valium's efficacy?

and no, I'm no longer suicidal I'm just trying to to get some rest after 2 weeks of absolute hell and insanity.

also, i hope I'm not breaking any of the forum rules by asking any of this, i don't believe i am.

 

[f33lg00d]

Yeah alcohol is going to be cross toleratant with benzos, and decrease there effiecency relative to your tolerance. Valium does not "kill despair" though it lowers anxiety that's it.

Everyone develops tolerance differently and drinks to different levels of drunkeness, so nobody can tell you exactly how much more valium you'd need and certainly not with just what you've drank in the past 4 day.

 

[maddawg300]

Very cross tolerant, benzos make alc so much different and vice versa, people don't want to be around me when I'm off xanax and drinking, so benzos to me aren't anything social anymore unless an avid benzo user comes toward me. In my opinion the two should not be mixed because only bad things happen when you mix benzos and alc.

 

[dirzted]

If you've only been drinking for 4 days no matter how much you drank cross tolerance is irrelevant. No way it could have that significant of an impact especially with how little you drank.
Hang out around here though, your among friends, many many people on BL have been through the same thing, try checking out the dark side forum, lots of great info there.

Glad you called 911 nonetheless

 

[burn out]

There will be absolutely no cross tolerance whatsoever in your case. In my experience, cross tolerance between alcohol and benzos is virtually non-existent. I know this doesn't necessarily make sense scientifically speaking (although alcohol and benzos do not bind to the GABA receptor in the same way, which could be the reason) but it is my experience. For example, I used to be a heavy drinker. The first time I took benzos, I was absolutely floored. My high alcohol tolerance made no difference at all. In a similar way, if I would stop drinking for a time and only take benzos, my alcohol tolerance would drop. I had a friend who had the same experience. He had been an alcoholic for years, was prescribed k pin and .5 mg made him pass out.

 

[keeping]

you'd need to be drinking for a lot longer to become an alcoholic, but the threat is there and its good you've realised this early. combined with benzos you have the very real scenario of dying; a close friend of mine died two years ago from the exact same cocktail. RIP andy.

you should tell those closest to you that you are having a hard time coping; this isn't something that will get better if it is kept secret.