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Worse panic/anxiety after alcohol?

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Posted 2/3/2013 8:02 PM (GMT 0)
Hi all,
I've been on Prozac for about 5 weeks for anxiety/panic disorder. The Prozac has helped tremendously, but I've still had I think three very bad days of panic where I had a really hard time getting myself out from under blankets on the couch. Today is one of those days. I've noticed that each of these days has been after I drank a little the night before - last night it was just three beers (over several hours), but I still feel this way. Do you think there's a connection? Is this common with Prozac or other SSRI's? I didn't really have this problem before the Prozac (just anxiety/panic very often, but it didn't seem tied to alcohol).
My boyfriend is trying to be helpful but I think it's kind of wearing on him and he doesn't quite know what to do when I get like this. Thank god I have my little dog to keep me company. rolleyes
Posted 2/4/2013 2:04 AM (GMT 0)
Hey alfers.:)

I am sorry that you are not feeling well at the moment...but it is good at least that you have figured out the connection as to why.

It is known that alcohol renders A/D meds less effective, and also can increase the alcohol's effect on the body...so you have a lose, lose situation when you are imbibing.

In other words...you may have a hangover...and not have your meds helping you when you  feel bad and need them most!

Perhaps you may want to stick to just one drink, or even a mostly seltzer water cocktail, like a spritzer in the future.

I hope that you start to feel better really soon, and get back to feeling well again. I am glad that otherwise, the Prozac is helping! Good news.:)

Keep posting!

S.C.

Posted 2/9/2013 5:28 AM (GMT 0)
Alfers,
Scardy Cat is right and some meds tend ot make us borderline diabetic, blood sugar fluxations can trigger an anixiety attack, I am not sure about Prozak but with xanax they dont recomend drinking.
Good luck you will get better it just takes a while.

Larry
Posted 2/9/2013 2:03 PM (GMT 0)
Hi Scaredy Cat and Larry,
Thanks for responding! Since last weekend I've just had one drink (a glass of wine last night) and I feel ok today. I guess the solution is only stick to one drink! I'm finding that Prozac worked REALLY well for the depression I was experiencing - I now have lots of energy and am mostly feeling optimistic about things - but it hasn't worked as well on the panic. It has definitely worked SOME, don't get me wrong, but I think the Paxil I was on years ago worked better (but made me gain 30 pounds!). So we'll see...I may ask my doc if it's worth trying a different med, although this is the 4th one I've tried. Anyway, thanks for listening!
Posted 2/9/2013 3:25 PM (GMT 0)
I am so glad to hear that the Prozac is working so well for your depression!:) That is great news!

As far as the panic goes...do you practice breathing/relaxation skills regularly? Do you have a technique for stopping a panic attack?

You may very well be able to handle attacks in this way, with simple, but effective coping mechanisms.

We have them in our Resources (video links) You can learn them, practice them and give it a shot! If nothing else, you will be more relaxed over-all...which could reduce panic episodes.;)

If you still need more help, why not discuss, with your doctor, an as needed benzodiapine for breakthrough anxiety?  This way, you would not need to change your Prozac, which is working so well for you otherwise...just a thought.

Talk to you soon,

S.C.
Posted 2/10/2013 2:10 PM (GMT 0)
S.C.,
I do have klonapin that I use when I really need it, but I try not to use it - it knocks me out, and also I don't want to develop any kind of dependence on it. My therapist now also thinks it's important for me to learn that I can help myself when I'm feeling anxious/panicky rather than rely on a medication. So anyway, yes, I've been in lots of therapy over the years and just started seeing a new therapist a couple months ago. She is trying some meditation with me, though I haven't done it yet on my own - I plan to try this morning with a CD she gave me. I have found that focusing on my breathing (and counting during breathing) helps when I start feeling panicky. Lately I've started doing that when I wake up early in the morning feeling anxious, since that seems to happen now every morning around 6am. This morning I was able to fall back asleep for a couple hours, which I deem a big success. :)

The hard part for me is trying to figure out how much of this anxiety is just from a genetic predisposition (anxiety and depression run rampant on both sides of my family), and how much of it is situational. I obsessively question my relationship with my boyfriend and wonder if that's the source of the anxiety, since there ARE certain issues that bother me quite a bit. But then I don't want to break up with him because other things about him are great, and I often think I'm just looking for the perfect person (which doesn't exist, of course!).

Now you know my whole story. :) Sorry for rambling! But thanks again for listening - HW was incredibly helpful for me in the past (with lyme disease), so I'm glad to have found a supportive community here too.
Posted 2/11/2013 4:11 AM (GMT 0)
You really sound much better, more confident. This is just my thinking, but I don't really care why I have anxity, inhearated or genetic, what I want is a way to survive it to beat it down, and if all else fails get up of my but when it knocks me down and start over, I went for years feeling like a falure everytime I had to take a xnax to get through the work day, over time I have learned that I can just focus on something bigger than me or my fear, I'm not preaching ok, but I have learned that the Rosery calms me down more than anything, its a selfdissipline for me, if I miss a word I go to the beginning and start over, I make myself say the words with as much precission as possible, I suppose there are many typed of meditation that would accomplish this, when I start the anaxity is overwhealming and its difficult to think and I want to quit but I wont after a little while I start to calm down, I force myself to continue and most of the time i go to sleep, sometimes I wake up with a start and I just start over again the first few times I did this I seemed to be up all night but I was determined to not take a pill I wanted to ride it out and I needed my Faith to keep me in the saddle. I was tired and wore out the next day but at last I knew that an anxity attack was not going to kill me. Now understand the next atack was just as bad but I had an alternative to xnax and I did it again, I must admit even though I was really proud of making it without a pill I was tired really tired, I'm glad I learned this lesson but honestly xanax is easier and I get some rest.
I told some one else this little dity, "We are all traped on this supersonic mudball called earth and cant get off, might as well enjoy the ride and look at the stars".
You will be OK! We will be OK!
Stay Cool
Larry
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