Posted by Ame Sans Vie on July 28, 2003, at 12:28:55
In reply to Benzos and Alcohol, posted by Dragonslayer on July 28, 2003, at 7:10:07
I personally see no problem with occasional drinking, in moderation, while using benzos. As long as you follow a few basic rules, that is.
1. Leave the benzos at home when you go out drinking. Once you're drunk, your judgment will be impaired and you may be tempted to take more to enhance the experience.
2. Don't overdo it! Too much alcohol in combination with benzos can cause fatal respiratory depression and/or CNS depression that can cause you to pass out and aspirate your own vomit.
3. Just in case the worst-case scenario *does* come about, make sure the people you are with know what medications you take so they can tell paramedics. It's also a good idea for anyone to keep a card in your wallet that details your medical history and medications taken in case of an emergency when you may not be able to provide that information to medical professionals.
4. Follow the basic protocol for prevention of hangovers. You're taking psychotropic drugs for a reason, and I'm sure a hangover is the last thing you need. :-)
Note: O.J. and Gatorade® can be substituted for water in steps a-c, o, and p. O.J replenishes all-important vitamin C, and Gatorade® replenishes electrolytes.
a.) Drink plenty of water before drinking.
b.) Alternate alcoholic drinks with 8oz. glasses of water.
c.) Drink plenty of water after drinking.
d.) Eat cheese, fruit, soup, or anything high in fat and/or protein before drinking. These slow down the absorption of alcohol, thus allowing more time for the body to metabolize it and rid itself of alcoholic toxins.
e.) Nibble on the aforementioned foods while drinking.
f.) Avoid mixing different types of alcohol. Your body takes longer to recognize and metabolize the individual types.
g.) Avoid carbonated drinks like sparkling wines, or in mixed drinks. These speed up the absorption of alcohol.
h.) Avoid sweet drinks (i.e. margaritas, piña coladas) unless you are able to accurately gauge how much alcohol you are consuming. These drinks tend to disguise the taste of alcohol, and you may not realize how much you are actually consuming.
i.) Stick to light liquors (i.e. vodka, gin, light rum). Dark liquors, especially bourbon, contain more congeners, which are toxins that contribute to the hangover.
j.) Avoid red wine in excess--it contains more congeners than white wine. Also, as any MAOI-user will know, red wine contains tyramine, which has been known to cause migraine, tension, and cluster headaches.
k.) Avoid cheap liquors. More expensive brands undergo a more extensive distillation process which removes more of the congeners.
l.) Before and after drinking, take a good multivitamin (I like Theragran-M), a complete B-complex vitamin (or the sublingual liquid form, which is absorbed much more efficiently), 500mg thiamine (vitamin B1), and 2,000mg vitamin C. These replenish vital nutrients which are lost while drinking. In addition, a deficiency of thiamine makes it more difficult for your body to break down alcohol.
m.) Avoid painkillers during and after drinking. These do more harm than good. Save them for the morning after.
n.) Don't drink when you are fatigued, ill, or stressed. Because your body is already functioning poorly in these conditions, it cannot process the alcohol as well as it normally can.
o.) Try to space your drinks an hour apart. Your liver is only capable of metabolizing *two teaspoons of alcohol per hour*. Once again, always drink 8oz. water between each drink.
p.) Taking your alcohol-tolerance into mind, set a maximum number of drinks for the evening and once you reach it, drink only water.
q.) You should be able to avoid following most of the above suggestions by taking the two Chaser® caplets prior to drinking. My friends and I have found it works just great. They also make Chaser for Wine®. Four tablets (enough for two nights drinking) go for $2.99 at GNC. You can check out their website at http://www.doublechaser.com.Finally, if you wake up the next morning and *do* find yourself hungover, here's a proven way to take care of it. I found a recipe for this smoothie on the net and modified it a bit. My friends and I all have been amazed at how well a combination of this smoothie, a good multivitamin, and some painkillers eliminates all the symptoms of even the most severe hangover.
INGREDIENTS:
1 large banana
1/2 cup strawberries
1/2 cup orange juice
1/2 cup plain yogurt
1/2 cup ice
1 heaping scoop protein powderPREPARATION:
Well, duh. :-) Just put it all in a blender and frappé.On a personal note, I can't take OTC pain meds as I'm allergic to them, so I use a homeopathic treatment for my hangover pain--Nux vomica 6x (the number and letter following the name of the homeopathic remedy indicate potency; lower numbers are more potent). According to the Online Remedy Finder at http://www.abchomeopathy.com/go.php, Nux vomica is good for hangover headache and neck and back pain and soreness. It certainly works great for me. I take three pellets sublingually as-needed. I'd recommend looking into homeopathic remedies using the link I just provided... they can be very helpful. I also take Gelsemium sempervirens 12c, three pellets three times daily, to help with my social anxiety. I plan on adding Argentum nitricum and Arsenicum album for this same purpose.
Anyway, back on the subject of drinking on medication, I have been drinking anywhere from two to six absinthe cocktails every weekend along with 6mg/day Klonopin (now switched to 3mg/day Xanax XR) and 150mg/day (now raised to 300mg) Ultram with no ill effects. And absinthe has a very high proof (usually around 150-170). YMMV though.
Hope this helped!
poster:Ame Sans Vie
thread:246098
URL: http://www.dr-bob.org/babble/20030728/msgs/246154.html