Anxiety and alcohol

[Tider]

Hello everyone I am new to this forum. About 4 months ago I was under alot of stress and started having heart palpitations. They didnt seem to go away for a couple of weeks so I went to the doctor and they said everything was fine. After a night of heavy drinking I was lying around with a hangover when suddenly my heart started beating out of my chest. I immediately started to panic. My arms and face were tingling so I went to the emergency room. They said that I was fine. This was a real scare to me and afterwards I had alot of anxiety. After a couple of weeks of not feeling myself I went to see two doctors and a cardiologist just to get some piece of mind. Everything checked out other than a very common heart ahrrythmia that most people never know they and I may have never known had I not seen a cardiologist. Nevertheless, this caused me more concern. I continued for about 2 weeks to just have a sense of derealization and my heart rate was sky high constantly. I started feeling depressed and didnt work for a week. I decided to go back to the doctor and he put me on lexapro. I also saw a therapist. Within about 2 weeks I was feeling much better, almost myself completely. I wasnt havent any anxious thoughts and my heart rate finally came down. I have been feeling better for about a month, but all that changed the other day. After another long night of drinking much more heavily than normal I experienced the same episode that caused me to go to the ER originally. I have not been able to shake the anxiety since. Although it is more manageable because I can recognize what Im feeling and because of the medication. So my question is has anyone else experienced these sort of episodes of anxiety after drinking too much? Does anyone know if drinking too much could be the cause of my episodes of my anxiety? Thanks for the responses.

[Jombie]

Yup, I went through exactly what you went through. My doc put me on Lexapro and Lorazepam. When anxiety first hit me last year I decided to quit drinking altogether if it was going to make me feel that way all the time. I was sober for 7 months. Never had a problem again.

I had a pretty stressful Summer this year, though, so I picked up having a few drinks her and there just to ease the tension. One night, I have a little too much, wake up at 6 in the morning w/ my heart racing and realized that I was right back where I started. Took half a .5 milligram Lorazepam, calmed me down, and I was able to get some rest.

I'm no doctor, but coming from personal experience, alcohol can definitely set off the anxiety trigger. It dehydrates you, puts your mind at a general unrest when the euphoria has dwindled away, and basically isn't very good for you if you don't practice it in moderation.

So, yeah, you're definitely not alone in this.

[serenadin]

Tider,

There is a direct chemical reason why alcohol can lead to anxiety. Alcohol inhibits the liver from making glucose, so if you haven't eaten, you run the risk of low blood glucose (hypoglycemia). Alcohol can increase or prolong the action of your insulin and actually halt insulin production by the pancreas... not a good thing.

Glucose drop is that same feeling you get when you crash from a sugar rush... Glucose = Blood Sugar

In fact, the glucose-lowering action of alcohol can last 10 hours after your last drink.

[northstar]

hi tider :)

serenadin hits the nail on the head with the alcohol and blood sugar connection. it'll play havoc with your blood sugars and when the come crashing down it can cause a whole host of symptoms including anxiety and those heart palpitations you mention (i get them from just a single glass of wine!). you can read a bit more about it on this post here: http://www.anxietyforum.net/forum/viewtopic.php?t=4087

another thing to remember is that alcohol and antidepressants don't really go together, so it's best avoided while you're still on lexapro.

hope this helps a little :)

[Carla]

Hello! :)
Alcohol for me made my anxiety lots worse and the following day was always a nightmare. It causes me to have palpitations. Whenever I dont drink I dont get them. White sugar affects me the same way too and white bread - basically anything processed and refined. I dont touch alcohol anymore. On the rare occasion I have a glass of wine or a short then I can tell the difference very shortly afterwards as my anxiety rises significantly. I am not just imagining it either. It happens every time, so I think there is a definite link and if you read other posts on here and also google about the link between anxiety and alcohol you will find there is a lot about it. It is all due to blood sugars. Northstar, will be better at explaining this than me, as she really knows her stuff regarding this and her posts have been really helpful I find. :)

[Tider]

Thanks for the responses everyone. I hope the root of my anxiety is the alcohol consumption. The only thing that scares me is the fact that even days after the night of heavy drinking I still cant shake the anxiety. Im fine from the time I get off work until I go to bed but the mornings are brutal. I have been waking up at 5 and 6 o'clock just a nervous reck. I dont know if it is anticipation of my day or what. Could drinking too much have lasting effects on my anxiety days or weeks after?

[northstar]

hi again tider, it's not unusual at all to find it takes a couple of days to recover from a blood sugar crash. i find the very same thing happens if i overdose on pizza and coke it can be quite a couple of days of good healthy eating and taking care of myself until i feel sturday again :) so no worries about that.

when you drink alcohol you burn through the your body's nutrient supplies very quickly, it's gonna take a couple of days for you to recover from that. i think you'll find if you eat well and avoid sugar and stimulants for a couple of days after a blood sugar crash that you'll start feeling better a bit sooner. take a vitamin b supplement or a multi vitamin supplement too. you can read all about the methods that will help you feel better in that link i gave you, i would suggest since your anxiety is alcohol/blood sugar related that you pay close attention to the section on diet and blood sugars.

the reason you feel so bad in the mornings is also down to blood sugar. you haven't been eating all night long, so your body hasn't been getting its any fuel supplies and your blood sugars will fall. by morning this can make you an anxious wreck as you mention, believe me i know it well. the best way to combat this is to avoid sugary foods, refined carbs and stimulants for a couple of hours before you sleep - have a snack before you sleep that will slowly release sugar into your blood like a banana or some wholemeal toast with peanut butter on it - and also eat as soon as you can when you wake up, never ever skip breakfast and don't have coffee or doghnuts for breakfast either lol. i often leave a banana on my bedside table to eat as soon as i wake up, this will keep me happy until i can eat a proper breakfast. at the beginning of my recovery i often found it necessary to get up in the middle of the night to eat a banana or some toast because i woke up feeling anxious, that doesn't really happen anymore though unless i've been eating too much chocolate before sleeping hehe.

your symptoms really sound like hypoglycemia/low blood sugar problems, it really can be easily managed with diet. like i said, take a look at that link i posted in my previous response and it will explain things in more detail :)

[Tider]

Thanks alot northstar for the info. I have already taken steps to better my diet. I have always been a thin person so Ive always eaten what I wanted. Therefore, my diet has never been very good. Ive never drank all that much caffeine but now I have totally eliminated it from my diet. I have stock piled my pantry with much healthier foods including fruits and vegetables. I have been taking multivitamins and today I am going to pick up some vitamin B complex. Hopefully within the next few days I can stabilize my body and get to feeling normal again. Thanks for the responses. This forum has provided me some relief. I will keep posting.

[Evilbob333]

Alcohol plays havoc with my anxiety too, and Northstars advice is absolutely spot on. I also read an article the other day which talked about how alcohol messes with your noradrenalin levels, which are closely linked to your adrenalin production levels, which also goes someway to affecting your anxiety.
Funnily enough i was also looking at some of those 'hangover' cure sachet things you get from the chemist just yesterday... i wasn't surprised that they were stuffed full of vits B6 and B12...

[culljosh]

Hello everyone I am new to this forum. About 4 months ago I was under alot of stress and started having heart palpitations. They didnt seem to go away for a couple of weeks so I went to the doctor and they said everything was fine. After a night of heavy drinking I was lying around with a hangover when suddenly my heart started beating out of my chest. I immediately started to panic. My arms and face were tingling so I went to the emergency room. They said that I was fine. This was a real scare to me and afterwards I had alot of anxiety. After a couple of weeks of not feeling myself I went to see two doctors and a cardiologist just to get some piece of mind. Everything checked out other than a very common heart ahrrythmia that most people never know they and I may have never known had I not seen a cardiologist. Nevertheless, this caused me more concern. I continued for about 2 weeks to just have a sense of derealization and my heart rate was sky high constantly. I started feeling depressed and didnt work for a week. I decided to go back to the doctor and he put me on lexapro. I also saw a therapist. Within about 2 weeks I was feeling much better, almost myself completely. I wasnt havent any anxious thoughts and my heart rate finally came down. I have been feeling better for about a month, but all that changed the other day. After another long night of drinking much more heavily than normal I experienced the same episode that caused me to go to the ER originally. I have not been able to shake the anxiety since. Although it is more manageable because I can recognize what Im feeling and because of the medication. So my question is has anyone else experienced these sort of episodes of anxiety after drinking too much? Does anyone know if drinking too much could be the cause of my episodes of my anxiety? Thanks for the responses.

Ah. Yes, The same thing has happened to me in the steps you listed.
I was drinking a little around the time it happened. The palpitations
were so crazy,how my heart felt like it wa shaking every few minutes.

I too went to the emergency room and had Xrays done on my chest.
It seems my heart was beating so off, It made my chest walls swell.
So after that, i saw a Heart physician and he put a heart monitor on me.

I did feel tingling like a flush down from my neck to feet.
So the heart reading came out fine.

I smoke marijuana for my attacks and I didnt that day.

So i know how it feels.

Cheers!

[Bree]

Same here!
I drank heavily and frequently for over 10 years, but it was only in the last year that I started having severe anxiety (specifically while driving on highways), so I quit drinking all together.

I wish I could smoke pot! But I can't, it makes me paranoid.

[culljosh]

Same here!
I drank heavily and frequently for over 10 years, but it was only in the last year that I started having severe anxiety (specifically while driving on highways), so I quit drinking all together.

I wish I could smoke pot! But I can't, it makes me paranoid.
Ill have to agree I have been on numerous numbers of highways.
While driving i felt so anxious like i needed to get somewhere,
Like overly rushed for no reason.

Cheers!

[TheShortBus]

I wish I could smoke pot! But I can't, it makes me paranoid.

ha same here, the few times ive done it ive ended up having a panic attack..

but yeah, your ive had the same things go on when i drink and party a little to much. doesnt help when your already on meds either :p.

like everyone says your diet really does play a part in it. i started eating better, and its really seemed to help.