There are basically 6 reasons why alcohol consumption and hangovers make many people anxious and I’m going tell you what they are. I want to share this with you so that you can be more informed and avoid becoming alcohol’s punching bag.
Ever since I became sick with nervous illness I’ve heard a lot of people say that anxiety sufferers should not drink alcohol because it makes you more nervous than you already are.
I’ve always found this to be ironic because there are so many anxiety sufferers that drink alcohol to cope with their anxiety, but true it is.
Now, the fact that alcohol can cause anxiety is just that, a fact. It is a scientifically based understanding, so this is not simple conjecture on my part.
Will alcohol affect all people this way? Probably not, but as an anxiety sufferer you should be aware of the possible pitfalls of alcohol consumption, so pay close attention.
Scientists believe that alcohol causes or at least increases anxiety in 6 basic ways and here they are.
1. Mood
Alcohol can affect our mood because it can affect the level of serotonin in the brain. Serotonin is a feel good brain chemical that when in short supply can cause feelings of anxiety and depression.
A drop in blood sugar can cause dizziness, confusion, weakness, nervousness, shaking and numbness. These symptoms can most certainly trigger a bout of anxiety.
3. Dehydration
This has been known to cause nausea, dizziness, fatigue, light-headedness and muscle weakness. These symptoms wouldn’t cause anxiety per say but they add to a sense of illness which fosters anxiety.
4. Nervous System
The nervous system is affected because in order for the body to fight off the sedative effects of alcohol it puts the body into a state of hyperactivity in order to counteract this effect. This hyperactivity can lead to shaking, light/sound sensitivity and sleep deprivation.
5. Heart Rate
Your heart rate can become elevated as a result of consuming alcohol which can cause a palpitation false alarm and put you into a state of anxious anticipation. Is it a heart attack or isn’t it you might ask. This “what if” questioning can increase your general state of anxiety.
6. Concentration
A hard night of drinking can also make you hazy, bring on headaches and create a sense of disorientation.
So if you’re going to have a glass of wine with dinner I don’t think you should be concerned. On the other hand, if you’re a heavy drinker, or binge drinker, then this might cause a real problem for you.
According to The Times Online, scientists don’t know exactly why all this happens but they do suggest that you eat before drinking, drink water in between drinks, and stay in bed if you are hung over to avoid all the problems I outlined above.
Some would say that maybe you shouldn’t drink at all if you have an anxiety disorder – that’s debatable. Do you think that alcohol should be avoided at all cost when someone has an anxiety disorder?
I don’t think that alcohol should be avoided if drinking is part of your social repertoire, however, I also know that moderation and good sense should be your guide.
In addition, although alcohol does have a sedative effect it should not be used as a coping tool. This type of behavior can lead to alcoholism and worse yet, more anxiety.
So if you know that you’re a light weight, or if you already know that alcohol makes you anxious, don’t bother. Maybe I don’t need to say it, but really some people just don’t know when to say no.
Note: I want to hear your opinions. Let me know what you think about this issue – comment below.
Update
After waiting forever I finally completed a podcast for this article. Press play to listen now.
Well I finally got some answers on everything… good thing for my anxiety at this moment in time. I felt really off on Monday, just not right. Hadn’t had anything to drink, I had one very weak Bloody Mary at a dinner with family the day before. I started getting intense stomach and chest pain and started vomiting blood. I ended up getting admitted and had surgery this morning for a GI bleed. I still have intense stomach pain but they are giving me morphine and a few other drugs to help ease the pain. I am actually not worried about the chest pain for anything else anymore. It was like a calm washed over me. Kind of nice to figure things out.
Hello all.. When i found this site and forum i wasnt sure if it was something that i was experiencing or if the people on here were just a bunch of whack jobs…(just being honest). But after reading the comments i was amazed at how much of the SAME EXACT experiences/symptoms i’ve had as many people noted on here… Especially certain experiences people have noted like after drinking “the next day is a regular hangover, but the anxiety really kicks in 2-3 days after the nite out”, and how many of you on here seem to note that taking vitamins/working out does seem to help(i also have been doing both of those ever since the anxiety attacks)..Also, people noting that they can handle the first night of drinking on a weekend, but after a 2nd nite the anxiety REALLY kicks in the next day…I experience these symptoms TO A TEE!! Personally i had an experience the other day,
I was on verge of going to the ER.. I had absolutely no chest or arm pains, however i just felt like i was crawling out of my skin, and that i was going to die and had morbid thoughts.. It came on suddenly and lasted for about 1-2 hours.. This all happened after going camping saturday and drinking HARD saturday nite…..sunday i didnt drink, monday i had a couple, and tuesday i did drink again…Wednesday is when i had the full blown “thinking im dying” and keys in hand almost going to the ER experience.. Like i said it last about 2 hours…I had to take a xanax which i think eventually helped…not sure if the anxiety would have subsided on its own eventually if i didnt have xanax??
I know everyone keeps saying that these panic/anxiety attacks are created by our own thoughts, but for this forum and the “hangover anxiety” i really dont think it IS our “own thoughts” but more of an actual physiological change that occurs… Something that strongly affects our central nervous system, and also brain thoughts….Cant someone in the damm medical field come up with a CURE for this or at least ACKNOWLEDGE it openly since it appears to affect ALOT of people?? For those that dont drink, i know THEIR response is going to be a smug “just stop drinking”, but for us that have grown up enjoying alcohol and partying, and tipping back a few —to just “not drink” is not as simple as it sounds!!….I would love to hear back from SOMEONE who may have “beaten” this anxiety??? Everyone on this forum just tells about their bad experiences, but is there really a cure?? Would stop drinking REALLY stop the anxiety ?? Or has anyone found a true way to fight off the anxiety after drinking??
Thank you for this article. I used to drink a lot in college. I never knew why my hangovers were so awful (anxiety, panic attacks, nervousness) All my friends would have normal hangovers & mine were always intensified by major anxiety!! Id have a Hangover x 1000
I have Obsessive compulsive disorder, anxiety, panic, major worrier!
I tried weed once while I was drinking & I had the same reaction as the poster (Jesus mentioned above)… Disconnected from others, reality felt weird – I thought I was literally going in sane. It took me 3 days to feel somewhat normal again. I always wondered why so many people love weed so much – my guess is they dont have an anxiety disorder? Ive never touched it again & never will. I drink in moderation & rarely to get drunk!
everyones comments on this website has been more than enlightening, and actually helped me to realize that i’m not a freak, and that MANY others suffer from this same disabling affliction…Its helpful that we can all “share” our own experiences, but so far i dont see how sharing has “helped” anyone here?? I think person to person interaction would actually help me say “omg yes i know what your taking about” if i could actually talk to someone who goes thru this same crap as i do…I know everyone is secretive on this board and no one wants the other person to know who they are, but my request is that is there someone i can actually talk to on the phone that would be willing to share experiences? To me that would be the best therapy of all…..I’m hoping to talk to another female on here (sorry guys but i feel i can relate more with other women who have gone thru this)….Please let me know if so……my email is jayyce004 dot com…
Joe-
Sharing definitely helps us all. Why? Because it’s healing on some level to know that we all share a common bond, and one that can be very scary when faced alone. Once you realize it’s a human affliction and not YOUR affliction ALONE…That can actually be quite empowering to learn.
We all come here with our own unique stories. Each of us have a special relationship with alcohol/addiction/abuse. Not one Soul is perfectly alike. Yet what bonds us all are our battle with anxiety and alcohol. For some, the withdrawals and anxiety is horrifically severe. For others it is a mere annoyance that we need to get a grip on.
For all of us, it’s a part of our lives we would all love nothing more than to vanquish from our lives forever.
Me? I am not a AA kind of guy. Sure it works for some people but I am not some people. We each have triggers that help us snap out of it, help us rise above the fog so-to-speak. Maybe some of us are helped by these very forums. Who knows?
What I DO know is that I get these notifications in my email from someone telling their story or sharing their intimate feelings about their struggles. Each and every one of them are powerful reminders to try to treat myself right and fight the good fight every day. As my daughter would say, to “make good choices” today.
As Seal says in the song “The Right Life”, “…Wake up tomorrow you’re going to be living the right life…”
Everyday is a new choice, a new chance…
I really believe this forum is a tool for healing for us all.
Joe, as I mentioned before alcohol, specifically hangovers, are a major trigger for my anxiety/panic. I have others, i.e caffiene, tiredness, stress at work. But for me the day after a heavy night is a living hell. I drink in moderation during the week and dont tend to suffer after a few beers, but if I go on a big binge like I do most fridays with my mates then the next day is a killer. It does not matter how many times I experience this, each episode is as scary as the last. The problem is that after a few days when I feel better I forget how bad I felt and go out again and the cycle continues. So I have decided not to drink for a month and see how I feel. It has been 9 days now since my last drink and although I have had a few anxious moments, nothing like what it is when I am hungover. So in answer to your question although it seems obvious, stopping drinking really does help. I am hoping the longer I can go living normally without alcohol induced anxiety the more normal my thought procceses will become and feeling o.k will slowly become the norm. If you know you have this problem I think it is the only way you can deal with it. Accept it as the way you are and adjust your lifestyle accordingly. Although I know it seems unfair when all your friends seem to be able to drink what they like and only feel a bit groggy the next day, thats just the way it is. I will see out my month and then try to keep my drinking in moderation as at the end of the day I enjoy a few beers with my mates.
I am a binge drinker and usually only drink once or twice a month in social settings as I have social anxiety. I come from a family of binge drinkers, and have been binge drinking for forty years. I am on an antidepressant and should not be drinking at all, but going to a party or throwing a party without drinking can be very boring.
All my relatives and friends drink therefore I’m finding it difficult to abstain from drinking.
Anyway, the day after drinking I have anxiety and increased depression, this can last anywhere from two days to two weeks.
I have tried A.A. many times and have discovered that this is not the program for me.
I’m glad that I found this site, i thought I was the only person that had this problem.
Obviously the answer is to quite drinking completely.
Hi Everyone, Paul here. Just want to thank you all for your recent contributions. I appreciate them all.
@Todd – Very well said.
lawrence, you hit the nail on the head literally!! i am the SAME EXACT as you.. I enjoy a few beers during the week, and dont have much anxiety the next day (sometimes a little), but i get ripped up on the weekends, and after a heavy nite of drinking on friday i feel pretty crappy saturday, but i’ve notice with me its the “second” nite of drinking that REALLY pushes me over the edge and brings out the “feelings of death” anxiety on sunday. Sunday i will take off from drinking but then the anxiety REALLY hits on monday(after the first nite of non drinking after a bender). Then after a few days of not drinking (or drinking just a few), i go right back to the bender on friday nite…A question i might ask all on this board though is this.. Do we drink because it gets rid of anxiety we normally have day to day, or does the alcohol itself cause the anxiety?? Would we have this anxietey anymore than any normal person if we didnt drink ?? I’ will wait to hear how you make out after a month of abstinence Lawrence, plesae keep this board posted.
All I can tell you Joe is that I haven’t had one sip of beer in a month and my anxiety is pretty high. I think it’s caused from the Effexor XR I’m on.
But like I said before I do notice higher than normal level of anxiety (almost verging on panic) and depression the day after a night of binge drinking. I tend toward those two problems anyway. Alcohol definitely exacerbates it!
For me, my anxiety peaks between day 4 and 5 after binging. The next day after binging doesn’t feel great, especially if I REALLY drank way too much but for whatever reason, my panic/anxiety really hits 4, 5 days after. Not sure why.
The heart palpitations are worse because alcohol really effects my mind and I focus on my heart (what if I have a heart attack?) and death. Very unpleasant. Sleep cycle sucks, emotional state is raw, focus on negatives…Wow, this alcohol really sounds great doesn’t it?
Like others say, after the worst is over, you start feeling good again and suddenly the alcohol side effects weren’t so bad, hey, let’s do it up again this weekend! Good time ahead! That Reptilian Brain is at its most powerful once your body recovers. Just in time to start the vicious cycle all over again.
Joe, I’ve said before that I think we have pre-existing anxiety for whatever reason (whether it’s buried for years or prominent) and alcohol abuse, especially patterns of binge drinking, really brings it to the surface.
The only sure-fire way to get anxiety out of our lives is 1) seeking help (whatever that means to you) to get to the bottom of your anxiety and 2) quitting drinking.
I hate to think that but I feel it’s true. For many of us, a little alcohol always eventually leads to more and more until we are right back at Panic Central.
I agree with everything you said Todd!
Todd…5 star posting, i agree 100% with what you said, except with me the bad anxiety is about 2-3 days after the “rough nite” of drinking….Do you drink a “few” after the binge nite?? I usually have about 10 beers on a friday or sat, and the rest of the nites, it will be like 3-4 beers a nite…On rare occasion, maybe once or twice a week i wont drink anything at all….I totally relate to how after the rough nite of drinking “feeling the heart” palpations and having NOTHING but looming feelings of death, and “what if” i have a heart attack…..I dont know if therapy will help, i’ve heard countless people say on these boards therapy did NOTHING for them…..Has anyone on here actually gone thru therapy? and did it help at all?
I’ve had CBT counselling, and it helped me to understand my anxiety more, i.e triggers and coping strategies. I think if you try to deal with the problem alone you can become bogged down in it and lose perspective. It helped me just to talk about it with someone who was prepared to listen, and I found that when I voiced my symptoms and feelings out loud they sometimes sounded so ridiculous that it made me almost laugh at what I was going through and helped me snap out of my mood. Saying that there is no magic cure, talking will help you to deal with the problem, but what I think we are all looking for is the cure. I think if I knew that I would be advertising my services on here like some of the other less reputable sites who claim to have the wonder cure for all your anxiety problems, at a price.
I think as individuals we all have to find our own best ways to deal with our problems, go to counselling by all means, what have you got to lose? But ultimately you need to understand your own body, your triggers and your limits, and live within them.
By the way I am still off the drink and have joined a gym, something I would never believe I would do. For someone who has spent the last four years on and off believing my heart is about to pack up it is liberating to work up a sweat and prove to myself that im o.k and it is all in my head. Im not there yet and I think it will be slow progress to ever get back to how I was prior to anxiety, if I ever do, but it wont be for the want of trying.
Hello all,
I fear this may be a long post. I will try to edit it down…
I am yet another person who was googling anxiety and alcohol. I am 29 years old and I believe I have just developed some kind of anxiety disorder. It makes sense. I always had a nervous disposition as a child, but nothing like this..
Anyway….7 months ago my live-in boyfriend of 5 years left me. Was moved out in less than a week; fell in love with a girl in his school program. Destroyed me. My lifestyle changed. I used to work out 5-6 days a week, and I continued to post-break, but then I separated my shoulder in January and haven’t really gotten back into the gym much since recovery. My diet changed – used to be very health conscious but now I hardly cook at home. I work in a restaurant and I eat there often – more sodium, fries, junk.
And of course, my drinking. I’ve always had a battle with alcohol. My father is a binge alcoholic — makes it to work always,sober. But on his days off he gets really wasted. I can see these patterns in me and I was keeping them in check until that break-up. I went off the rails. Started partying like 5-6 days a week. Easy to do in the restaurant industry…
About 3 weeks ago it started to get really bad. I went to the doctor to get some birth control and she wouldn’t prescribe my normal pill as my blood pressure was too high and that sent me into panic mode. She prescribed a different brand (which I guess is for those who have high bp) and I gave it a whurl. Just over two weeks ago I was excited for a 2 week trip to San Francisco that I was about to take. Going to visit a fella I’m seeing. But that weekend before I left, I started having a racing heart, trouble swallowing and at one point I thought I was going to faint. I thought it was just excitement and new man nervousness. I drank both that Saturday and Sunday night before I left to pass the time and to chill me out. That’s when I noticed that alcohol was getting rid of these symptoms. After 3 drinks I can’t feel them any more. I can swallow just fine again, my heart beats normally, etc.
Once I got to San Francisco, we partied hard. He’s a drinker as well, so every night we’d go to our local and tie one on. And then every day, when we were out walking/sight-seeing, I’d be overcome with anxiety. We got some natural stuff from a health food store, kava kava root and I started taking that. It eased some of my symptoms but I was still aware of my heart. And it made me so sick to my tummy and I lost my appetite. Then we researched the pill I was on and read reviews that it can cause anxiety symptoms, including a racing heart. I am also a smoker, so I really shouldn’t be on the pill anyway. I stopped taking it while in San Francisco and after a day or two without it, I was feeling a bit better. Stopped taking the kava kava root.
But I definately still have some symptoms. Out of the 14 nights in SF, there was only one night – about 4 nights in, that we didn’t drink, cuz my anxiety was stressing me out. We stayed in and watched movies. The next day was my best day there, I felt normal again. That’s the day I stopped the kava kava. But then as we started drinking again, the symptoms crept back in, more managable than before, but still there. And I would count down the hours until we were going out for a pint, so I could get some relief from the anxiety.
I don’t want to get caught in this cycle. Thankfully I am already seeing a therapist, have been for the last 3 months. I’m sure she will be helpful when I share this San Fran experience. What I’m wondering is if all my alcohol abuse has caused this development of anxiety in my life. Maybe it’s not dealing with that break-up properly and feelings of being lost in life that caused the development.
My Mom told me to take Vitamin B6, I’ve also have someone suggest Valarian Root. Can anyone suggest anything? I’m going to cut out the drinking for the next week, see if that helps me, which will be hard because of my dependency and it’s my fail-safe cure for the anxiety symptoms….but I am not liking this AT ALL. I also don’t have a family doctor, gotta find one. Get everything checked out.
Thanks for reading and thanks for all the posts. It’s provided comfort, but also scares me that I may have to deal with anxiety for the rest of my life.
Wow, that was a novel, sorry guys!
I do see a therapist nearly weekly. For me it does help. It’s not a cure but it does help me shine a light on some of those deep, dark places that create the manifestations of anxiety and panic and alcohol abuse. Remember, these things aren’t the SOURCE of the problem, they are the SYMPTOMS of the problem. Where therapy can be useful is helping to guide you to those deep, dark places within yourself that ultimately manifest as these symptoms we suffer from.
What came first? Alcohol abuse or anxiety? It’s a great question. I think they both feed off of each other quite brilliantly. If I have to answer, I would say anxiety was there first and alcohol became a very useful – and fun! – tool to escape from whatever I was wanting or needing to escape to. Now, 25+ years later, I am still using and abusing alcohol as a form of escaping/self-medicating.
The difference between then and now is the level of anxiety and panic in my life from my cycle of binging. 10, 20 years ago I had a normal hangover after some hellacious partying. No big deal. Now forget about it. If I drink more than once a week, especially twice or three times consecutively, I will be paying dearly, physically, mentally and emotionally.
What I tell people about therapy is that it is like having someone hold up a mirror. You can’t run and hide from what you see in its reflection. It’s you. For good, bad, or worse. You can’t lie to a mirror. What it shows is who you really are. Once you get that, often it allows you to open that door that holds all your secrets. Maybe, just maybe, once you walk through, true healing can begin.
Like I said, it’s not a cure, but it is a tremendous tool to help you try to fight and beat anxiety/panic/abuse. It may be worth looking into for some of you on the fence about it.
I just wish I didn’t love the damn high that alcohol gives me in the moment.
Sigh.
So, its been almost two weeks since my last drink of anything. Fathers Day I had one drink. The following day I was in the hospital. I cannot drink for at least 8 weeks because of medical reasons, but I am doing alright with out it. I used to love the feeling, even though I knew the next day I was going to pay very dearly for it. I still find that now that I have ACTUAL medical problems, my anxiety has gotten a bit worse. I am trying to keep it at bay because I have been informed that I am suppsoed to remain stress free.
I hope that everyone is coping well and dealing with everything alright. Best wishes.
Very well said Todd! I’ll be starting to wean off the Effexor XR, I’m really nervous about what it’s going to be like. I’ve read some real horror stories from people that have come off from it. At the same time I’ll be trying a new SSRI called Viibryd, supposedly no weight gain and no sexual side effects. Like most SSRI’S it’s good for anxiety.
I’ll let everyone know what happens. YIKES! I’m scared!
I have a similar issue with Lorazapam. My doctor and psychologist both insist it is perfectly fine to take in the low dosage that I do when needed. However, I am convinced I suffer withdrawals/side effects from it if I take it in clusters and then stop cold turkey.
It does help me tremendously especially when I my anxiety is at the peek level for that particular week. Especially at night to help me sleep.
A lot of the symptoms I will get after cold turkey from the Lorazapam a day or two later sure seem to resemble the symptoms I read about. Benzo withdrawal I hear can be worse than the drug/alcohol withdrawals.
I don’t want to be on daily meds however. Still, the end goal is to be completely alcohol and med free. Some day. Some day.
Some.
Day.
I took some Ativan the other day as my anxiety level was quite high. I’ve never taken it before. It was .05 mg. It knocked me out for three hours, when I woke up my anxiety was still with me.
If anyone needs to get off a benzo look at Dr. Heather Ashton’s withdrawal program online.
I got off from Klonopin almost effortlessly using her methods.
Take care all
Good to know, thanks Minnie.
im glad everyone posts on here, and PLEASE to the person who said she wrote a novel and she was sorry?? DONT BE…we all here WANT to hear full stories or how this is affecting each of us…..so that we can hopefully help each other …keep posting everyone…the longer the better:)
Thanks Joe 🙂
I agree Joe…We are ALL being helped by the words in this forum. We may be strangers but we all share a common bond that intimately ties us together. Amanda, there is NO doubt that alcohol is compounding your issues with anxiety. If you can free yourself from the cycle and give your mind/body/spirit a solid break from alcohol for at least a couple of weeks you will no doubt see your symptoms ease.
I do believe anxiety disorder has a deep rooted source but the ACUTE panic/anxiety symptoms most of us are discussing in detail are due to alcohol withdrawal, which when you may already have pr-existing anxiety, adds up to a living, breathing, repeating hell.
I know that many times when I drink heavily on the weekends or holidays, it’s because I want to temporarily free myself of these symptoms. But deep down, I know MOST of these symptoms are due to my binging lifestyle! Sure, there’s a predisposition for anxiety, but the levels have always been manageable and even completely gone at times in my life where my drinking has been more under control.
It’s damn tough, this drug. It is seductive and manipulative. It draws you in time after time, promising good times ahead. And it delivers!
Temporarily.
At some point, each of us will have that waking moment in our lives where we decide either enough is enough, that that fleeting moment of “feel good” is simply not worth the suffering that follows, or we just continue on suffering right into our graves.
Well again I have to agree with everything Todd has said here.
Thanks Todd for your infinite wisdom!
hey, its 4th of July weekend, and since we ALL love to drink, and especially on holidays..lets’ all get nice and tanked up this weekend (i personally will drink MORE than one nite in a row) and compare horror stories on monday or tuesday about bad panic attacks we had as a result from “having fun” and tying one on this weekend…lol….I’m actually NOT making fun at all, and HOPING that the anxiety doesnt bite me bad, but at least knowing it might, and being prepared for it, and being able to joke about it (as i have a few beers to start off the friday nite) may just help a teensy bit if it does hit..eh? :)..Happy weekend everyone.
Now that’s some funny stuff right there I don’t care who you are. 🙂
Yeah, there’s no doubt the fermented grape will find it’s way down my throat throughout the holiday weekend. My personal goal is to NOT drink 3 days in a row!! I can handle 2 days (Sat/Sun, Monday is a work night as far as I am concerned so I am going to avoid drinking as much as I can).
Not drinking tonight as I will be flying a Cessna 172 in the morning. That is one time I never have a problem not drinking…When I know I will be flying within 24 hours.
Have fun! Stay safe! Be as disciplined as you can and care to be.
I feel so outside myself. Racy mind, like I’m losing it. Not outright panic attacks, but close. I hate my job, dreading going back. I drink every night. Some days more than others. Last night I had a bit. Bourbon shots. It’s like I want to be alone, but afraid to be alone. Like I want to talk but my mind is not in sync with my reality. Horrible feelings. Life is too short to feel so awful. I’m going to make things better. The root is stress, job-related. I’m going to change jobs. Drink in moderation, not to drown out.
In terms of anxiety and alcohol and its scientific connection, look up lactic acid and anxiety:
“Perhaps the most significant biochemical disturbance noted in people with anxiety and panic attacks is an elevated blood lactic acid level and an increased lactic acid to pyruvic acid ratio.” –Encyclopedia of Natural Medicine, Michael Murray, N.D. and Joseph Pizzorno, N.D.
Guess what throws lactic acid levels??? ALCOHOL!!! Low B-12 vitamin (alcohol robs the body of B-12), caffeine, SUGAR (I stay away from it like the plague and trust me I used to be a total sugarholic. It was the best thing I ever did!), deficiency in magnesium and calcium blend. LOOK THAT UP! Difficient levels of calcium/magnesium WILL CONTRIBUTE TO PANIC. Guess what robs cal/mag??? Alcohol…
I started looking up how to correct lactic acid homeopathically. Apparently, athletes can suffer from elevated levels of lactic acid (I work out alot so if I suffer from this, I’m probably getting it from working out, alcohol, caffeine, B12 and cal/mag deficiencies from alcohol.
Hope that helps.
Joe, that was the best post! I would like to laugh at this horrible feeling, but your post made me smile!
I felt like hell yesterday. Drank on Saturday night but I felt really bad…Panic/anxiety mixed with flu-like symptoms and major nausea. Horrible! I started feeling sick Saturday afternoon so I know it wasn’t due to alcohol. I wonder if it’s Lorazapam withdrawal? I took .25 mgs and I did start to feel a little better.
Drank a lot lost night and even though I am hungover today, I feel much better than I did yesterday. I hate these cycles of feeling like crap for one reason or another…
Sorry to hear, Todd. I feel your pain. I’m so spacy. Can’t concentrate.
Has anyone dealt with ongoing nausea due to anxiety? I’ve been getting it a lot lately and of course it feeds my panic/anxiety even more.
ya, i definitely just feel “yucky” is the way i like to put it, especially when drinking alot, or the next day….just feel a little “sick” to your stomach type thing….i’m not sure if thats from the alcohol, or maybe just improper diet? i notice it most if i eat something greasy ,even the night before.
I have had panic attacks and anxiety for several years. 5? I’ve always been a large social drinker but over the years it has progressed and now I only drink alone and not at all for pleasure. After a drinking binge on wine one day I had a 17 hr attack and paced the living room table hundreds of times with a pacing heart and hyperventilatig. When anxious you become completely disassociated with yourself and identity, it is anhillating and very very scary. It is definitely alcohol related, however having done a lot of research, certain people are predisposed to it and it is far more common than most people know. It is normal to think you are going to die or have suicidal thoughts and to go to the ER to get yourself checked for a potential heart attack as we think we are having something very serious going on. It is entirely complex and will never ever be understood with those that have not experienced its horror. It really is important to knock down the drinking (I used to be an insomniac and sat up drinking all night till I got tired) and get the magnesium and calcium and B12 in your system. Smoothies will do it as when you are anxious it is hard to swallow pills, and hard to eat properly. Eating food will make you throw up. When it goes on full force, times slows down, the mind spirals over things are not really big issues in truth. I think it is highly important not to talk about it to people who don’t know anything about it. I have been told stupid things, like, ‘relax, come to the cinema’ but when you having a full blown attack you feel all sweaty, shaky and DO NOT want strangers around you as it makes you scared of everything. I think a great way for me to deal with it is to talk to a friend who knows about it, stay home, watch a comedy film or something light and best of all, listen to music. It is a totally head thing and very frightening. It is hard in the middle of it to tell yourself all will be okay. Don’t talk to people who think you are mad or making it up, they will make it worse. I think Xanax is ok but for me it doesn’t work very much, I’m on a low dosage and have a stigma about taking pills. Sleeping pills won’t help as your body gets used to them too fast so they have no effect. Lying in bed trying to get back to sleep is not good, you go back to the head again. I have to clean the house and close the blinds and know that I am not really alone. I hate being alone with an attack which is really awful as I am usually a super independent woman. Be around someone you love and cuddles help. I am going to start doing yoga and another thing that is important in the alcohol and anxiety combo is that you should NOT go cold turkey. It is dangerous, will bring on more attacks and encourage you to ‘take it easy with just another few glasses’ and cause a viscious circle. I’m going in for counselling. It is no life to live with this horror but I think we can lessen it. It mostly happens to the most sensitive or damaged people so we have to address the roots of that, work on boundary issues or we will always go back to the pills or booze. I have decided to live a life with the least stress and drama which is really important too. Living calm and peaceful seems a dream come true after an attack subsides. Thanks for reading this. Good luck to you all. Oh, and one more thing, we are NOT victims and we must not blame ourselves for this. It just happens, no one knows when and it is not only brought on my alcohol binges. So we have to look inward and deal with that base of where it really comes from. xxxx
Ruth, I’m so sorry to hear that you’re having such a hellish time of it. Most of what you say is certainly true.
I think anxiety is also genetic as I know my father had anxiety, and my four siblings have also have had anxiety attacks.
My brother committed suicide due to anxiety and depression. I retrospect I believe he was also bipolar. We also all binge drink, just like my father did.
I haven’t had anything to drink since June 4th, I’m feeling somewhat better.
I’m also weaning off one antidepressant and at the same time slowly going onto another one.
I am Bipolar II therefore I cannot be without medication. Some of the antidepressants do help with anxiety as well as depression.
I know this will be a life long struggle for me, I’ve been on at least thirty different medications, the new one I’m on is called Viibryd.
I also take Lithiium and 10mg. of Valium at night for sleep.
If my new medication works I’ll be weaning myself off from the Valium which I’ve done before and is fairly easy to do. Valium has a long half life and I drop it by 1mg. every two weeks until I’m down to between 1/2 and 1/4 mg. I’ve been on it for about three years now.
Anyway, I know you don’t like to take pills, nobody does, I hate it but I’ve accepted it.
Maybe you should consider an antidepressant, I would at least mention it to your doctor.
I never had anxiety when I was on Zoloft, but it stopped working after being on it for nine years.
Good luck and I hope you’re well very soon.
Todd, when I get anxiety my stomach is so upset that I can’t eat any food whatsoever.
One time I had ongoing anxiety plus depression for two weeks and I lost 20 pounds!
Also, if you’re coming off Lorazapam that is also going to make you anxious and sick.
Like I said before if anyone is coming off from a benzo please do the Dr. Heather Ashton method. Just google Dr. Heather Ashton.
What you need to do is switch over to a longer acting benzo, and that would be Valium. It lets you down a lot easier.
Anyway all the instructions are on her site.
I think someone is trying to make money off from her method but there is a free one one the internet, just keep searching until you find it.
Good luck Todd and I hope you feel better.
By the way Lorazapam is very difficult to get off from because it is completely out of your system in a few hours, that’s why a switch to Valium is the best way to go. And don’t let your doctor talk you out of a Valium prescription. The Ashton Method will give you the equivalent you’ll need to match the amount of Lorazapam you’re on.
hi
In my opinion if you can stay of the pills,Try for 3-4 weeks to just have a couple of beers on a fri or sat,do some exercise ,just go out on your bike or for a walk or jog(depending on your fitness).watch some good comedy(stay away from daily soaps) and reduce just browsing the web.
It can help alot ,exercise is the main thing.
A month or so ago the panic peaked and it got to be every day,I thought it was the alcohol but then last weekend I was at a wedding and got plastered!,I woke up on the sunday just waiting for the inevitble atack to come,and it never came.
I was so happy,I think you just need to break the cycle of feeling shitty and get healthy and break the bordom,(and lets be honest if we can do this it will make us better ,stronger people)
Stay strong people and give yourself a target,train for a half marathon or start yoga ,anything.
gl all
Nobody on this site is stating the obvious, just stop drinking.
Minnie, unfortunately I have suffered from anxiety since I was 15, long before I started drinking. Sometimes drinking alcohol temporarily stops any anxiety which provides a welcome break. The problem is that after drinking, anxiety levels can be alot higher than usual but drinking is not the cause of anxiety!
The best thing I have done so far is listen to the audios on this website https://www.selftherapy.org. Ive started to look forward to getting home and listening to them everynight, its made me feel alot better (its also free!). Let me know if you give it a shot, I honestly think its the way forward.
Oh man. I have not had a drink since Fathers Day. And that was only one drink. Still having serious anxiety issues. It actually caused a bleeding ulcer in my stomach that I had to have emergency surgery to have it repaired. My normal PCP decided that I needed to learn how to live without medications, so that in itself is proving to be a huge issue.
Minnie, although I agree that for most it would work… I don’t everyone wants to stop living because their anxiety has taken over their lives. I know that mine has. I wish that I could go out with my husband and friends and have a few drinks without being in a state of dread for the next day. 🙁
Right now I am on bed rest recovering from the surgery and I am having scopes done next week to check the bleed. Hopefully then I can get back to my normal self. I would love to start working out again, I stopped that after the chest pain started. Eat healthier// etc. Best of luck to everyone.
I guess if people have to drink go keep on living then or to have fun I guess that’s called a drinking problem.
I know I have a binge drinking problem but I’m trying not to drink, I realize it is difficult to go out with friends or go to a party without drinking, but the anxiety the next day is really scaring me.
I do have social anxiety therefore that’s the main reason I drink when I’m in social situations.
It’s so strange because I’m very outgoing and not shy at all. I guess I just don’t feel comfortable around some people.
Hey, I’m not saying I’ll never drink again, in fact knowing my history I probably will but right now I just don’t have the desire to drink.
Good luck with your recovery from surgery Jessica.
I also have to start working out, and eating better. I have put on tons of weight since I started taking Lithium and antidepressants that makes me even more depressed!
I”m sorry if I gave everyone the impression that I thought alcohol was the only cause of anxiety. Believe me I know that’s not true. All I know is that for me alcohol exacerbates an already existing anxiety disorder.
Thanks Craig, I’ll check out the website you mentioned.
Oh man I thought I was the only one who dealt w/ this! I drank last night
And my anxiety has been unbearable all day long. I feel like complete crap
But I guess I’m not alone in dealing with this.
I would just like to add a small technique that helps since I too am a huge anxiety sufferer, my panic attacks used to be so bad that I would pretty much get paralysed for a little while which was horrible, my gf would cry when she saw me. I have done a lot better by just changing my thinking of getting scared all the time to just not caring, when an attack comes I’m so tired of getting scared that I just let it happen and try to hide it so other people don’t notice it and let happen whatever has to happen. Anyway talking about alcohol, used to drink very often and now only on weekends but suffer a whole week for one night of drinking but found something that helps, if you can remember this when you’re wasted! Whenever I know I have had too much to drink I go to a 24/7 store and buy a vitamin drink or serum I am not sure what you call them over there but in Mexico they sell them as serum for when you are dehydrated or something! Anyway drink that before u go to bed and you will be surprised in the morning, try it! It’s like u never even drank at all!
Okay John, more information please. What the hell is this miracle drink called? I’d sure like to give it a try if it’s caffeine free. I know what the vitamin water is but what is this serum you’re referring to?
Thanks
Minnie1971
The drink you can get that can help for hangovers is over here in the States is probably ‘Ensure’ as it will give you back all the vitamins and supplements you are deprived of through due to alcohol. A friend who was a binge drinker swore by it. Of course it doesn’t solve the problem when no one should be binge drinking. After reading some reviews, there is another one called ‘Boost’ which did not get good reviews compared to ‘Ensure’. You can get any of these at any Walmart or Walgreens or Amazon, etc, however they are not cheap. Basically they are meal replacements so they are about 350 cals each. I think I’m going to go and get some tomorrow and will give you my reviews. Oh and they are lactose free… I’d like to hear what the serums are, never heard of those…
In Mexico they’re called serum but I believe it’s probably the same drink Ruth is talking about in the States, basically here in Mexico doctors usually recomend them in summer when the heat gets really bad people usually get sick from dehydration, so when your body loses all these vitamins and minerals because of this, that drink is a good supplement to help with dehydration. So basically pretty much the same happens when you drink too much alcohol your body becomes dehydrated and you need to get these vitamins back in your body. It’s actually a well-known drink here where I live, usually when someone is wasted you will here people tell them to go get this vitamin drink before they go to bed or the next day if someone sees a person drinking this they usually make jokes or comments that he or she is having a bad hangover. It helps with hangovers and in my case I don’t suffer the anxiety that comes after, it’s worth a try!
I did some research and I’m not so sure it’s the same as the vitamin water! if you google it in images as “electrolit suero” that’s the exact drink that they sell here and it’s not the same as vitamin water because i have tasted both and they are very different, this serum drink is kind of thick. The only drink similar that i found in English is “pediatric electrolyte drink” that should be it!
Or how about “Smart Water?” Is it the same?
Yes, Pedialyte is the English alternative. I did some research too. Ensure and Boost are thick meal replacements, not the same thing. Pedialyte is a clear fluid. There is another brand called Drip Drop which is the same. A cheaper alternative would be Gatorade, but that is loaded with sugar, so it’s not a great comparison. I see that you can get Pedialyte on the web, but does anyone know which stores sell it?
Just found out that Walmart, Walgreens and CVS all carry Pedialyte. In Apparently found in the baby formula aisle or if not by the pharmacy section. Thanks for putting us onto this John!
from what i can tell, all you people are really talking about is a “gatorade” type drink….Those sports drinks are specifically designed to replace electrolytes and for “athletes” who sweat alot….Gatorade is VERY bad for the “average joe”….its even been known to cause heart palpatations and racing heart in some people, read up on it if you dont believe me…..The only other thing i can think of you are talking about is those bullcrap “5 hour energy” drinks, which are LOADED with caffeine, that none of us want to take i’m sure…….anyways, i’m off to cracking another beer, and bbq’ing….ttys..
oh, reading further….pedialyte….well from what i understand its nothing more than a gatorade “for infants”….ergo “pedi-lyte”…….i woudl read up on it before trying it…..Also would be curious to hear from someone that suffers from panic attacks after drinking who took the pedialyte to see if it helped…….if anyone tries it, please post here…..i dont hold much hope for it though.
I wrote several posts ago that Vitamin Water (specifically “Revive”) has given me pretty impressive results “the next day”. Loaded with B vitamins, electrolytes and potassium, I feel MUCH better an hour or so after drinking a full one. Personally I would recommend it to anyone with our issues.
https://www.vitaminwater.com