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Is Alcohol Consumption Advisable While On Xanax?
Question: URGENT Hello,
I took .5 mg of xanax the past couple days to help with my anxiety, unfortunately I also ended up drinking. Today I took 1.5 mg of xanax and now I cannot sleep as my heart rate ls fluctuating between 38-50 beats per minute and my blood pressure is 109/68. My heart feels like its going to stop. Should I go to the ER. I haven't consumed any alcohol for 24 hours.
I took .5 mg of xanax the past couple days to help with my anxiety, unfortunately I also ended up drinking. Today I took 1.5 mg of xanax and now I cannot sleep as my heart rate ls fluctuating between 38-50 beats per minute and my blood pressure is 109/68. My heart feels like its going to stop. Should I go to the ER. I haven't consumed any alcohol for 24 hours.
Brief Answer:
Yes, you should
Detailed Answer:
Greetings and welcome to HCM. I understand your concern.
I would recommend you to go the emergency room as soon as possible. It is always counterindicated to take benzodiazepines with alcohol, as they both have inhibiting effects on the brain stem, a part of the brain where most of the vital organ nuclei are situated. You should to go to the nearest emergency room and be monitored and measures should be undertaken there to "flush" faster these toxins from your organism.
I hope I was helpful. I am happy to help, if you have follow-up questions.
Best regards,
Dr. Meriton
Yes, you should
Detailed Answer:
Greetings and welcome to HCM. I understand your concern.
I would recommend you to go the emergency room as soon as possible. It is always counterindicated to take benzodiazepines with alcohol, as they both have inhibiting effects on the brain stem, a part of the brain where most of the vital organ nuclei are situated. You should to go to the nearest emergency room and be monitored and measures should be undertaken there to "flush" faster these toxins from your organism.
I hope I was helpful. I am happy to help, if you have follow-up questions.
Best regards,
Dr. Meriton
Above answer was peer-reviewed by :
Dr. REMY KOSHY
Also Dr. Meriton, do you have any suggestions on how to get rid of panic disorder? Ive been having sharp chest pains on the left side of my chest for the past month or so however ive had a full cardiac work up done (chest monitor, blood tests, chest cat scan etc) and everything is coming back clean. These panic attacks started about 3 months ago and this is the reason im on xanax. My cardiolodist put me on metoprolol and i took 12.5 mg of it at 4pm one night and in the middle of the night i awoke feeling like my heart was going to stop! Went into bradycardia and my heart rate was down to 40 bpm! Any help would be appreciated! Thanks!
Brief Answer:
No drugs, at first
Detailed Answer:
Hi again and welcome back.
Generalized anxiety disorder with panic attacks has to be addressed by the person himself, at first. There are certain situations that may exarcerbate these attacks, such as being in crowds, public speeches, standing in confined areas etc. You must detect these situations and avoid them. Anyway, my recommendation is that alcohol should be avoided at all costs, while on benzodiazepines or other drugs that affect the brain stem. If these panic attacks are severe such as are holding you back in your everyday life and/or work, then you should consult a psychiatrist or a clinical psychologist to further assess this problem, and discuss the possibility of using a benzodiazepine combined with an anti-psychotic drug for a short time.
I hope my follow-up is helpful. If you do not have further questions, close the discussion and rate the answer.
Kind regards,
Dr. Meriton
No drugs, at first
Detailed Answer:
Hi again and welcome back.
Generalized anxiety disorder with panic attacks has to be addressed by the person himself, at first. There are certain situations that may exarcerbate these attacks, such as being in crowds, public speeches, standing in confined areas etc. You must detect these situations and avoid them. Anyway, my recommendation is that alcohol should be avoided at all costs, while on benzodiazepines or other drugs that affect the brain stem. If these panic attacks are severe such as are holding you back in your everyday life and/or work, then you should consult a psychiatrist or a clinical psychologist to further assess this problem, and discuss the possibility of using a benzodiazepine combined with an anti-psychotic drug for a short time.
I hope my follow-up is helpful. If you do not have further questions, close the discussion and rate the answer.
Kind regards,
Dr. Meriton
Note: For further queries related to coronary artery disease and prevention, click here.
Above answer was peer-reviewed by :
Dr. REMY KOSHY
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