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From: RK on 26 Feb 2006 12:31
In this group I hear a lot of people benefit from benzo's like zanax etc. My
experience is that lexapro has helped a lot but if I (in difficult
situations) add Benzo's (and perhaps alcohol) anxiety sets in. If I add
alcohol to my lexapro medication (not recommended) I get more relaxed and
dont feel anxiety! Can anyone relate?


From: Radovan Berkovic on 27 Feb 2006 19:52
This is not suggestable by the doctors, but after a drink or two (or a
bottle:)i still must almost everytime take some ammount of diasepam (bensos)
or broasepam(lexilium) to sleep. I wait few hours and than take it..

Due to our fears, we don't fall down and loose conciousness even if we
combine them with alco, i tried once (i feel only more relaxed)but i know
that in these situations even a trained junky would fall down on a floor...

"RK" <R@J> wrote in message
news:4401e5d5$0$38641$edfadb0f(a)dread12.news.tele.dk...
> In this group I hear a lot of people benefit from benzo's like zanax etc.
> My experience is that lexapro has helped a lot but if I (in difficult
> situations) add Benzo's (and perhaps alcohol) anxiety sets in. If I add
> alcohol to my lexapro medication (not recommended) I get more relaxed and
> dont feel anxiety! Can anyone relate?
>


From: elzoid on 2 Mar 2006 14:33

RK wrote:
> In this group I hear a lot of people benefit from benzo's like zanax etc. My
> experience is that lexapro has helped a lot but if I (in difficult
> situations) add Benzo's (and perhaps alcohol) anxiety sets in. If I add
> alcohol to my lexapro medication (not recommended) I get more relaxed and
> dont feel anxiety! Can anyone relate?

If I add
> alcohol to my lexapro medication (not recommended) I get more relaxed and
> dont feel anxiety! Can anyone relate?

I did that for a long time. I can relate to the relaxation. I can also
relate to the resulting addiction to alcohol.
Mike

From: woeful on 2 Mar 2006 15:18
On Tue, 28 Feb 2006 01:52:34 +0100, "Radovan Berkovic"
<funky.crookie@@gmail.com> wrote:
>
>Due to our fears, we don't fall down and loose conciousness even if we
>combine them with alco, i tried once (i feel only more relaxed)but i know
>that in these situations even a trained junky would fall down on a floor...

I read an article about alcohol and stress yesterday, it is kind of
related.

http://www.damninteresting.com/?p=435
From: riccip-uk on 5 Mar 2006 04:53
"RK" <R@J> wrote:

>In this group I hear a lot of people benefit from benzo's like zanax etc. My
>experience is that lexapro has helped a lot but if I (in difficult
>situations) add Benzo's (and perhaps alcohol) anxiety sets in. If I add
>alcohol to my lexapro medication (not recommended) I get more relaxed and
>dont feel anxiety! Can anyone relate?

Sure can. I've mixed benzos and alcohol in the past. Anything to
survive. In fact it's the alcohol that's giving you the immediate
anxiety relief, not the lexapro.

Firstly I have to say I appreciate your honesty. A high
proportion of SPs use alcohol, often mixed with other meds, as a
way of getting by. Very few openly admit it because of the stigma
involved together with the blunt admission we are not always in
control.

Alcohol is the most widely consumed psychoactive drug in the
world. It works as a depressant. That doesn't mean alcohol makes
you depressed (although it can), just that it acts like an
anaesthetic to slow down interaction between brain cells. With
regard to SPs the positive effects are created by this slowing
down in thinking. It means less introspection and thus moves our
focus away from ourselves. Alcohol also masks inhibitions which
is why it is often described as a "social lubricant". A glass or
two of wine at a function can work well. A load of beers or
spirits will not.

It gets a lot of bad press but alcohol does not necessarily
deserve to be demonised. The main benefit for SPs is that it is
very rapidly absorbed into the brain so the effects are more or
less immediate. It's readily available without prescription and
relatively cheap. On the surface alcohol seems to have everything
going for it.

However if you are gonna self-medicate with booze the principal
drawback is the question of "dosage". Problems can arise from the
quantities involved and the pattern of consumption. Small
quantities have different effects from large ones. Binge drinking
can have different effects from the same quantity of alcohol
consumed over a longer period.

Then there's the possibility of dependence. Over time you will
build up a tolerance to alcohol so greater quantities are needed
to achieve the same effects. Alcohol dependence is characterized
by the vicious circle of short-term psychological benefits from
drinking, at the expense of long-term deterioration and
increasing depression and sense of hopelessness.

In short if you can stick to a few basic rules alcohol can be
beneficial:
**1) Never drink to combat depression, or while feeling
depressed.
**2) Never drink for general anxiety, or you will be loaded all
day.
**3) Take a small drink a few minutes before a difficult
situation, not hours before.
**4) Keep quantities to a minimum. Above that and it will impair
your functioning undoing any positive benefits. If your balance,
speech or vision is even slightly affected you have taken too
much.
**5) Stick to long drinks. Strong liquor will damage your liver.
**6) Be completely honest with yourself. If you notice your
intake regularly increasing either cut down or give it up.
**7) Think long and hard before mixing alcohol with any other
meds.

You should be aware that you are mixing two powerful drugs.
Nobody, not even the docs, can be sure of the short or long term
implications of their interaction. Side effects may well include
severe depression and/or higher anxiety levels. My personal
experience was not pleasant, probably the closest I've ever come
to glimpsing insanity.

Benzos can be addictive (although some would prefer to call it
"chemical dependency"). So can alcohol. I'm sure I don't need to
spell out the inherent dangers. Mixing the two is playing with
fire.

Anyone who does feel their drinking is out of control need not
worry too much. Alcoholism is something entirely different and
you should see your drinking return to normal levels in time.
However you should consider planning a withdrawal period.

Riccip
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