Posted by yxibow on January 21, 2006, at 5:09:38
In reply to Benzos and the Sauce, posted by notfeelingthebest on January 20, 2006, at 15:18:47
> You know how the label says "avoid alcoholic drink?" They don't actually say don't drink at all. There's also some bit about the combination will relax your lungs to the point where you'll die. I've heard other reports suggesting that drinking and taking benzos can lead to seizures and even death. Any truth to this?
I'm not sure about seizures, but it isn't the best idea to down a few pints just after you've taken your prescribed benzodiazepine (especially the stronger ones for sleep like temazepam, that would be a total nono), because respiratory depression is real in benzodiazepines. Because they relax muscles, they relax most muscles, including those that are controlling one's lungs. Alcohol only increases this action.
If one must drink, and realistically even if people are prescribed medications that say "avoid alcoholic drinks", most people can get away with the occasional drink or two, but its not best right after the peak of a benzodiazepine. Even if one has a long acting one like Valium, there is still a peak plasma level, and its best to wait a few hours.
Its the same thing that they say about "operating heavy machinery". If you're on a high dose benzodiazepine regimen, it takes time to adjust your reflexes on the highway, because just because one isn't drinking alcohol, depending on your jurisdiction, you can still have a DUI for wandering all over the freeway after just starting a regimen and not taking reflex and reaction time into account.
>
> I have noticed that sometimes I'm sitting back having a whiskey and then I'll wake up with my drink all over my shirt. Have I had one of those non-convulsant seizures? Did I just pass out? I use to pass out when I used to drink heavily, but this seems different.
No, you've combined two CNS depressants and lived to tell the tale. You've passed out and your conscious reflexes have no longer held your drink. One time I also accidentally still had hard cider in my system before I took Trazodone. I wound up on the bathroom floor some hours later because the alcohol accentuated the orthostatic hypotension.
Benzodiazepine induced seizures are fairly rare from what I can tell. Alcohol withdrawal seizures though can mimic benzodiazepine withdrawal seizures, though that is more associated with defined alcoholism. Librium is prescribed for the treatment of alcoholism so I would imagine that the combination of the two have definately occurred together.
In general, benzodiazepines have a far greater margin between ED50 (effective dose) and LD50 (lethal dose) than their prior barbiturates. But add one, two, or even more CNS depressants together, and lung depression can develop.
So, its basically -- can your body handle it, if you're experiencing blackouts, its probably a sign that there are too many CNS depressants being intaked at once, and its time to modulate one's behaviour. Reduce one or the other.
If you're still experiencing blackouts without combination of alcohol and you're concerned about petit mal seizures., it might be good to talk to your doctor about an EEG monitoring of absence seizures. Or possibly add Depakote which is a broad spectrum seizure medication. But this really is only if you've had a history of seizure disorders in the first place. Its fairly genetic, and rare, and the duration of these seizures are short. I'll bet if you remember the last time you looked at your watch before you passed out, several hours have gone by.
poster:yxibow
thread:601133
URL: http://www.dr-bob.org/babble/20060115/msgs/601418.html