Sometimes I get panic attacks from alcohol. It doesnt calm me down at all. I think its related to how it affects my blood sugar.

I have found that 3 beers does exactly as much as taking one of my meds ( half mill of ATIVAN ). I also know that if i go too far with the drinking it does make me pay the next day dearly. not so much from a hang over but it does put my mind in a HIGHLY PANICY state all day..... Now i just try to have 4 or 5 beers or just a couple mixed drinks and STOP!!

I found that indeed getting an alcohol buzz on does help initially with my anxiety, but it worsens when the alcohol wears off, especially if I've drank to excess. I've laid off the booze for a while now, not even beer...just to see if the citalopram and ativan help.

yea , I agree with the other posters, it helps relax me initially , but the after effects when it wears off are double worse than before the alchohol . Sometimes when it gets seemingly unbearable , and its been going on for weeks , I will reach for alcohol , but it really is only a quick fix , and it comes with its own set of problems. I have terrible anxiety all day when I have a hangover . I try to avoid it whenever I can .

Wow, not to be a wet blanket or anything. But who in their right mind mixes prescription drugs with alcohol? I am a recovering alcoholic and prescription drug abuser. It's hard a hell to get off the cycle once you start mixing. Please talk to your doctor, if you are mixing drugs and alcohol, it's not only your liver it's your life.

God bless and good lcuk,
Wendy

I used to do the same.... I thought of myself as a very severe social drinker... I fit in, my family and friends did the same. Anxiety also runs in my family as well! I feel as though I only get panic attacks when I have let my anxiety get out of control and go over it's maximum capacity. I just recently started with panic attacks again and once I sit down and look over the last year of my life, it all makes sense on how I got here. I was using alcohol to self medicate for the last 2 years as I was off of paxil and once I stopped drinking last fall in order to return to school, my panic attacks soon followed... I am sooooo happy that I am not self medicating anymore, it feels ALOT better and I have been workign with a therapist to understand how I let my anxiety levels get so high... Best of luck to you!! :)

It took me years to realize that when i drank (not every day) my anxiety became so much less overall, but then i was a binge drinker and would pay dearly and then do it all over again. I was in a mild depression and had never been on pysch meds and was getting better dealing with it with accupuncture, excercise, eating good,etc. and then threw a bbq party for my husbands co-workers and made all the food, hosted, etc and i drank nearly an entire bottle of TEQUILLA!

I lost my mind the next day and have been trying to chase it back since then. I had binged drank many times before that but that and felt anxious the next day but that bottle put me over the edge, severe anxiety, pacing, insomnia, and depression instantly and it was relentless so i checked myself into a psych hospital fr a few days but the recovery from that day has been long. I haven't drank in nearly 2 years or smoked a cig since that day:)

Thats interesting to hear your stories. Because my family never considered me having a drinking problem but i had this method of drinking to control anxiety that worked for lots of years.

when i used to drink heavily to relieve paranoia and anxiety, i didn't give a shit about the next day..it was always just that moment that I needed to feel ok in...

and that's how it is...all you want is something to take the pain away...take the pain away. you don't think about tomorrow.

I agree with several... Although alohol is a depressant!! Supposedly. It works for me. Anxiety, Panick, Depression.. It is only when I have had way way too much that it does not work!!!

My Anxiety is 10 times higher after a night of drinking..I cant do more than 2-3 drinks or its a not so pretty sight the next day.

Although I have not had attacks for many years, I am aware of the fact that I have used alcohol to relax. I have no problems after a stressful day of drinking a few beers to ease the tension. I think it has actually helped me many times to avoid an attack.

Maybe its because I am anemic that alcohol made me feel like I wasnt getting enough oxygen to my brain.

I seriously hope my panic attacks go away and that I will be able to drink again once my iron stores are back to normal.

Hi all, you should read my post "Discontinuation Syndrome". I know alcohol has different effects on everyone; however if you are on prescription meds BEWARE. I had my PD under control until one night I had ONE glass of licquer, two puffs (ONLY) of weed and I lost consciousness. It terrifeid me and I thought I was dying. After that my panic attacks came back full throttle. I was so scared I quit drinking, quit my meds, and swore never to have a joint again. I am still keeping my word to never drink or smoke again...I dont need it. But I have been paying dearly from quitting my meds. I eventually had to go bak to the doc and get back on my meds as quitting cold can be potentially fatal to long time med users - its called serotonin syndrom! Anyways, my suggestion is to be careful when mixing alcohol and meds and know your limits.

I enjoy the taste of a good beer like some enjoy a good tea or coffee. I don't care about the alcohol but it does not go well with the meds. All it takes is one beer sometimes and I pay the price the following day. Now a beer is becoming a rare event in my life.

@jessica

one more reason prescription drugs are just as dangerous as any other drugs.

f**k the laws! they won't let us use drugs they don't sell, but they will allow us to use dangerous drugs as long as they can be the ones in control to sell them!

i don't need a nanny to tell me what i can and cannot do!