01-09-2005, 08:32 AM
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#1 | Member
Join Date: Dec 2003 Location: New York
Posts: 57
| Alprazolam (Xanax) and drinking alcohol
I am currently taking 3.5mgs of Alprazolam daily for my panic disorder and agoraphobia. I know the warnings that come on the container with the prescription saying not to drink alcohol while being on the medication. I was wondering if anyone has or does drink socially while taking Alprazolam. I have not had a drink in probably over a year and will be spending time on vacation and going to my brothers wedding. Is 1 or 2 drinks something that is out of the question or dangerous? I do not have any intention of abusing alcohol or drinking very much, but does anyone know if an occasional drink is that dangerous?
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01-09-2005, 11:04 AM
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#2 | Senior Veteran (female)
Join Date: Jan 2003
Posts: 1,370
| Re: Alprazolam (Xanax) and drinking alcohol
I would suggest that you ask your Doctor this question.
I can tell you what my Doctor told me when I took Xanax...keep in mind I'm not saying in any way that this applies to you, I'm just telling you what I was told.
I took a much lower dose than you did...1/4 of a MG twice a day...so like I said I'm sure on a higher dose it's different.
But my Doctor told me having 1 or 2 drinks probably wouldn't be a problem, but more than that was not a good idea.
I've never been a drinker said it never mattered to me one way or the other, because the situation was never going to come up for me.
I have to tell you also that if...after you talk to your Doctor...he says one or two is okay, don't drink anything that's mixed with Grapefruit juice...I'm sure your bottle has this warning, but just in case... apparently there's some kind of reaction between Xanax and Grapefruit or it's juice.
But please, talk to your Doctor and get his imput on this.
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01-09-2005, 12:19 PM
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#3 | Senior Veteran (male)
Join Date: Feb 2003 Location: melbourne, vic, aust
Posts: 7,368
| Re: Alprazolam (Xanax) and drinking alcohol
to rsspro
I would prefer if you didnt take it every day but carried a few tablets with you at all times and only took it when needed, also remember that a dose only lasts a few hours
all these benzo meds make the effects of alcahol much stronger, so that 1 or 2 drinks may have you staggering around feeling as if you had 10 drinks
however lots of people do drink on xanax, you need to get used to alcahol and xanax at home first
the side effect of these meds is similar to alcahol for many , they feel drunk on them
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01-09-2005, 08:52 PM
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#4 | Member (female)
Join Date: Nov 2004
Posts: 55
| Re: Alprazolam (Xanax) and drinking alcohol
I take Lorazepam (Ativan), which is very similar to alprazolam. I have found it is NOT a good idea to drink alcohol with it. Once, I took a 1mg tab, then started drinking an hour later, got way more trashed than I anticipated, passed out and woke up the next day at suppertime! Another time I had a panic attack after a night of drinking and took 1mg. My fiancee told me he didn't think it was a good idea so I called the hospital and spoke to a nurse who said I could stop breathing from mixing the meds with alcohol. So then I completely panicked and made myself throw the pill back up; yuck! Now I avoid alcohol completely.
Everyone reacts differently to their meds but if I were you I would be very wary of drinking alcohol with that dose of alprazolam. It is quite a bit. Also, if you haven't had a drink in that long of a time who knows how you could react from even one drink?
I know this isn't the answer you were hoping for but if you are already suffering from panic and agoraphobia this vacation and wedding could be stressful the way it is without adding alcohol to the mix.
I sincerely wish you good luck and health and hope you have a great time whatever you choose!
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01-10-2005, 08:29 AM
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#5 | Member
Join Date: Dec 2003 Location: New York
Posts: 57
| Re: Alprazolam (Xanax) and drinking alcohol
Thanks everyone for your replies. Luckily I am not a big drinker at this point in my life, like I said I haven't had a drink in a long time. I will be seeing my psychiatrist tomorrow and will also ask him the question, sometimes hearing others experiences helps though so I am glad to get the responses. I am/was hoping that I may be able to have a drink while I'm on vacation, maybe even if I have to skip a dose of the medication at one point. I know my brother has had drinks on Alrazoloam and been fine, but everyone is different. I think he was only taking around 2mgs though. I'll see what happens. I would like to be able to have a drink or a few sips at least if we do a toast of something, but again, I'll have to see how it goes. Thanks again everyone and of course if anyone has any other stories, opinions, experiences, or knowledge about mixing alcohol with Alprazolam, I'd appreciate you sharing it with me. Thanks again.
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01-15-2005, 09:35 PM
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#6 | Inactive (female)
Join Date: Dec 2002
Posts: 3,581
| Re: Alprazolam (Xanax) and drinking alcohol Quote:
Originally Posted by Rsspro18 Thanks everyone for your replies. Luckily I am not a big drinker at this point in my life, like I said I haven't had a drink in a long time. I will be seeing my psychiatrist tomorrow and will also ask him the question, sometimes hearing others experiences helps though so I am glad to get the responses. I am/was hoping that I may be able to have a drink while I'm on vacation, maybe even if I have to skip a dose of the medication at one point. I know my brother has had drinks on Alrazoloam and been fine, but everyone is different. I think he was only taking around 2mgs though. I'll see what happens. I would like to be able to have a drink or a few sips at least if we do a toast of something, but again, I'll have to see how it goes. Thanks again everyone and of course if anyone has any other stories, opinions, experiences, or knowledge about mixing alcohol with Alprazolam, I'd appreciate you sharing it with me. Thanks again. | I wouldn't do it, just to be safe. Virgin drinks are quite tasty by the way!
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