Combinations - Drinking every day: OK to use Alprazolam as well?

[bosch man]

Hi,i can see that there are people with experience,but i require more "technical" help.I wont bore you too much,but i suffer from chronic anxiety,almost crippled by it,i have done every treatment over the 18 years i have had it but the only thing that me and my doc found to work was alcohol.Now i only drink at night never during the day upto 12 units!Now i get temp releif which is most important before you all say alcohol is bad..lol.Now gradually i have been getting worse during the day and previously i said NO to any medication,until now,my doc will give anything i ask for if he feels it could benefit (trouble is i have a phobia of getting an alergic reaction to any drug)......Now i did research and found xanax to be good for my kind of illness,relatively safe too,BUT i want my alcohol at night as that is my ok time,he says xanax is far safer than my alcohol intake!......So can anyone on here tell me if i took .25 xanax in the morning,just one, and then had a few drinks from 8pm that night am i at risk as i note the half life of xanax is quite short,or has there got to be a 24hr non alcohol rule?I always assumed that it was only dangerous to take at the same time or within a certain time frame to risk death.Please dont judge my drinking habits,life for me is tough,you do whatever to get thru it and to be fair my intake isnt THAT bad....i just want daytime releif but wont go alcohol.I have tried xanax its ok although i have only taken half a .25 and i wont get addicted due to not doing it everyday plus i am not seeking any euphoria just releief and apparently people only up the dose because they feel it stopped working,but for anxiety its will always work even if you dont feel any different.

Thanks

[xxrtagxx]

I have been prescribed xanax by my doctor for sleeping problems. From my very short experience with it, I wouldn't recommend drinking with it. I slept for 18 hours straight, the first time I took my prescribed dose of .25mg before bedtime. I couldn't imagine what it would do to me if I had alcohol in my system. But I know several people who have anxiety disorders and they drink alcohol & take xanax with no apparent problems.

[bosch man]

Hi,as i said i am NOT asking about taking it together,i am asking how long after a .25 xanax would it be fine to drink alcohol,i am NOT looking for a thrill!

Also as with alcohol neither that or xanax makes me tired,although i am only taking a small dose i guess 1mg would knock me out but that is not my mission,half a .25 keeps me relatively normal but relaxed.

[purplehaze]

Phaze would say taking .25mg of xanax and drinking a beer would probably only give the effect of 2 beers and .5mg (1 peach) xanax.

.25mg is not alot of xanax, 2 hrs later there shouldn't be a problem. Depending on how sensitive swiys body is to benzo i suppose. But taking .25mg while drinking probably wouldn't even be that rewarding.

[Burnt]

xanax is a terrible drug. if you have anxiety problems try to get over them instead of relying on this awful tranquilizer to help you. the rewards will be much better and cheaper.

the best way to get over anxiety is to face it head on. then you will realize how silly it all is. doctors don't like to tell you that because it doesn't make them money but its the truth.

SWIM is however a bit biased against xanax he took high doses when he was younger blacked out and basically thought it was a horrible drug all together. SWIM also had friend who would lose control if they take ANY amount of it and wound up in a mental institution not knowing how he got there.

if you have sleeping problems and the doctor gives you xanax smack him in the face. there are way better medicines our there to help one sleep that don't have potential for addiction and cost essentially nothing. try drinking lavander flowers in a tea in the evening. that always makes SWIM very drousy and unable to resist sleeping. a very peaceful sleep too.

Burnt added 8 Minutes and 29 Seconds later...

actually lavander essential oil is also anxiolytic so guy with anxiety also give it a try. there are many options to help you with your problems. SWIM is waging a war against the pharmaceutical industry so has a lot to say on this issue. SWIM understands you want the quality of your life to get better but there are other ways of doing it rather then listening to your doctor. SWIM had anxiety when he was a teenager what cured him? LSD and learning how to face SWIMS fear now SWIM laughs about his fears.

[purplehaze]

Phaze has tryed lavender essential oil and doesn't think this will cure the problem.

The OP mentions

Originally Posted by bosch man

i have done every treatment over the 18 years i have had it but the only thing that me and my doc found to work was alcohol.

And lavender essential oil is not really going to help someone who has genuine anxiety problems. Xanax is usually a short term "patch" if you will, for the problem. But the patient aparently has tryed everything else and the only thing that allows him to feel comfortable out of his shell is alcohol, which is not suprising, and xanax.

The xanax will be addictive, and may not have been presribed as a long term cure, but sometimes when taken in moderation for the duration of the time the patient is on the drug its worth it to them so they can live a normal life.

True anxiety is not something people can live with, it can cause heart problems, early death etc. Sometimes the dangers of a drug do not outweigh the dangers of what might happen if the drug wasn't used, IE to regulate daily stress and anxiety for overly anxious people etc.

Reputation Comments on this post:

Good points :)

[Burnt]

SWIM still thinks facing your fear is better then burying it. LSD...?

[bosch man]

Burnt,i appreciate your replies,but you have no idea about severe anxiety.Facing ones fear,yes i have been there with a behaviour therapist,but he give me up as no help,you see when i "face my demons" it doesnt gradually ease off,it gets worse and worse,i tried you see and the demons didnt go away after 9 hours of hell,so i had to give in,as feeling that bad for so long is not pleasant.I have an all clear medically...but it dont explain the nausea for hours on end without being sick,the chest pains and fatigue with breathlessness even though blood pressure is excellent,resting pulse (when i rest is around 60bpm) and my peak breath flow is 750!...All at time of anxiety.

I agree xanax is evil,but what else do i do?Stay indoors 24/7?

Imagine feeling like you are about to die..ok?......now have that feeling on and off all day everyday and NOT die!!!

Maybe i was a murderer in a previous life and this is punishment...who knows?

[Burnt]

I am sorry your conditions is so bad. By no means am I trying to marginalize your pain. Just trying to give some ideas. Have SWIY ever taken a psychedelic drug?

[Solinari]

The half life of alprazolam (brand name Xanax) is 6 - 12 hours, so basically it will take at the very least, one full day for the drug to be fully excreted. After 6 hours at least 50% of the drug will still be present, and after 12 hours at least 25% will still be present. Even with the small amount still present, it will still potentate any alcohol that is consumed. The half life is 6 - 12 hours, so it could take up to 36 hours for the drug to be considered fully excreted with the previously mentioned percentages being up to 2 times higher and taking more will have a cumulative effect.

I know you are trying to keep the two separate but i am not sure that is possible. Alprazolam has a relatively short half life especially compared to something like diazepam (have you tried that by the way?) but even at 6 - 12 hours, drinking the same day will have an effect. That said, it is a small amount of alprazolam and the effect should be minimal. I don't know if someone with a high tolerance of alcohol would automatically have a high tolerance for benzo's, but if i were to guess i would say it should be tolerated much more easily. Because of that i think 0.25mg of alprazolam will do very little for you but i suppose that will be for you to find out.

Now i got the half life technical bit out the way, i have to say drinking every night isn't going to do you any favours and i can't see how it will help any more than a benzodiazepine like alprazolam (xanax) unless you're drinking yourself in to a stupor every night. You said you have an all clear medically, well that is not going to last with boozing every night. 12 units every night is up to 4 times more than what is recommended each day, at that rate you will do your liver in. Habitual use of alcohol is bad enough but combining it with benzo's could be really bad, they will mutually potentate each other making the effects of each seem much more pronounced. I would be very careful with this and although you say you're not looking for a buzz, i think it is inevitable and you might like it.

[Herbal Remedy]

Hey Burnt, be careful with recommending psychedelics to just anyone, especially anyone expressing psychological or mental issues. I understand that many people have breakthroughs and positive growth assisted by the influence of certain substances, but if someone wants information on psychedelics there is a forum full of it. The major issue of psychedelics, mental disease and borderline personality disorder is also something to be considered beforehand.

As for the original question Bosch, many people have different ideas of what SAFE means, i would recommend consulting your doctor with all these ideas (anxiety, personal fears and hopes, possible medication..)