Is alcohol good to deal with my symptoms?

[juanreed]

Hi all, great to be here. I am suffering with pregabalin/Lyrica withdrawal symptoms. I heard that using alcohol can help me feel better to cope with these symptoms? What do you think? Please give me some advice! Thanks a bunch in advance.

 

[Keif' Richards]

Hey @juanreed

First, I'd like to welcome you to the forums! We are happy to have you here and look forward to what you have to share with us. For now, we will try to help you with your issue.

The short answer is, I definitely would not consume Alcohol. Alcohol is a drug that comes with a lot of negative side effects, like, to an extent disproportionate from most other substances. Alcohol is very difficult on the body. It's likely the most unhealthy, damaging drug in the history of mankind.

I know you're not concerned with long-term symptoms, so I'll gloss over that. Short-term, using Alcohol when withdrawing from drugs almost always makes things worse. In my experience, the weakness that comes from withdrawal tends to magnify the negative symptoms of Alcohol.

I've tried using Alcohol to deal with Alcohol symptoms on several occasions in my early years before I realized it was not the way to go. I remember I would take a few shots, feel some warmth and relief for 20-30 minutes, followed by an immediate feeling of hangover and nausea that would last for hours. THe more I would drink, the worse I would feel and the relief would come in very short bursts.

I believe if you do this, you will likely feel worse and seriously regret it.

Sedative/hypnotics including Barbiturates, Benzodiazepines and Alcohol have many things in common with Gabapentinoids regarding the withdrawal process yes, but they are certainly not cross-tolerant. If you were withdrawing from Benzodiazepines, I might feel a little bit different, as at least the Alcohol would account for the absence of a Benzodiazepine, although I still think the rule for Alcohol causing worse symptoms applies here. Alcohol is not something you want to consume when you're already vulnerable and feeling like shit.

If you had Benzodiazepines, I would say go for it within reason. Other than that, the only thing that is truly going to treat your symptoms is going to be another Gabapentinoid.

 

[negrogesic]

I remember I would take a few shots, feel some warmth and relief for 20-30 minutes, followed by an immediate feeling of hangover and nausea that would last for hours. THe more I would drink, the worse I would feel and the relief would come in very short bursts.

Yeah, this is a very spot-on description of alcohol's ability to ameliorate the symptoms of withdrawal from other drugs -- brief relief followed by a return of the symptoms (but now compounded by the dirty residual effects of the alcohol).

However I do recall a few times where I was so panicked and unbearably uncomfortable during benzo withdrawal that the temporary relief from alcohol seemed to be "worth it". It is definitely a last resort and is almost always best avoided.

 

[ColoradoOpiateGirl]

Hi all, great to be here. I am suffering with pregabalin/Lyrica withdrawal symptoms. I heard that using alcohol can help me feel better to cope with these symptoms? What do you think? Please give me some advice! Thanks a bunch in advance.

Were you prescribed these by a doctor or bought them off the street? I'm so sorry you're suffering. Alcohol will help temporarily, but then you will need more and more and you're trading one substance for the deadliest addiction I have ever personally faced. Can you call your doctor or get a few benzos? How much were you taking and for how long?

 

[Dreamflyer]

I've tried to use alcohol for benzo withdrawal many times. It works for the first 5 minutes (especially on anxiety), but when it wears off the symptoms come back twice as bad.