[buttface]

i'm taking 1mg klonopin twice daily for social anxiety. i know you shouldn't drink alcohol in excess with benzos, but i'm looking for anyone's personal experience with moderate drinking + klon. i feel better in public these days, but i'd like to go out a socialize and drink a pint or have a drink at a bar or a club... i wouldn't even have been able to visit those establishments before starting this drug.

i asked my psych about drinking + this drug and he said "wouldn't advise it, but it's up to you."

bracing myself for the "you should never, ever, ever drink while using benzos" comments.

This post has been edited by buttface: 01 December 2008 - 08:20 PM

[celestia]

buttface, on Dec 2 2008, 01:15 AM, said:

bracing myself for the "you should never, ever, ever drink while using benzos" comments.

You should never, ever drink while doing benzos.

Okay, I'm a smartass. But seriously? How much faster do you want to get better? If you are truly having the OCCASIONAL drink then you'll be fine. However, if you drink to get trashed even occassionally then you are going to fuck yourself up. Period. Been there, done that.

[dianthus]

One drink once a month or so probably won't hurt you. However, you run the risk with any benzo of overdose because of the synergistic effect with alcohol. You will probably get a lot more drunk than you're expecting, so drink slowly and be mindful of how much the alcohol is affecting you. IMO if you decide to drink, you should at least have a really good idea of how klonopin affects you without alcohol--which means being on it for awhile. If you can't limit yourself to one drink through an evening just to be social, don't even try. It's just not a great idea.

An even better idea is to just get non-alcoholic drinks. Only your bartender will know. Honestly, I don't understand the need to drink when you're out socializing-- I've never had a problem with it-- and friends love the fact that I can be a designated driver. You don't have to be drunk to enjoy yourself.

[sun_zoom_spark]

buttface, on Dec 2 2008, 12:15 AM, said:

i'm taking 1mg klonopin twice daily for social anxiety. i know you shouldn't drink alcohol in excess with benzos, but i'm looking for anyone's personal experience with moderate drinking + klon. i feel better in public these days, but i'd like to go out a socialize and drink a pint or have a drink at a bar or a club... i wouldn't even have been able to visit those establishments before starting this drug.

i asked my psych about drinking + this drug and he said "wouldn't advise it, but it's up to you."

bracing myself for the "you should never, ever, ever drink while using benzos" comments.

I've been taking 0.5 mgs. TID for 4 years and I have a drink almost every day and my doctor knows it.
Usually a beer or two or a glass of wine. Doc doesn't like me drinking the hard stuff.
I use to medicate with a lot of tequila so he doesn't want me to slip back into that habit.

As mentioned, it's a trust issue and an addiction issue between you and your doctor.
I've been taking benzos for a long time so I've developed a trust with my doc.

The 'no benzos with alcohol statement' is really a disclaimer.
Some people can't do it and for them this is sound advice.

Others can fudge, though I wouldn't suggest it.
Never know who you are dealing with.
And good God, man. Don't drive to a bar w/ clonazepam in your system.



SZS

This post has been edited by sun_zoom_spark: 02 December 2008 - 02:43 AM

[goldfinch]

I have a glass of wine almost every night and I take from .5 mg to 1 mg of klonopin before bed. Probably not a great idea, but I do it and I have not had any ill effects that I know of.

I never ever drink when I take xanax.

[buttface]

thanks for the responses.

S9, on Dec 2 2008, 04:07 AM, said:

If you are truly having the OCCASIONAL drink then you'll be fine. However, if you drink to get trashed even occassionally then you are going to fuck yourself up. Period. Been there, done that.

i used to get absolutely wasted to allay my anxiety. i don't know if that tendency won't crop up again. i guess i figured the med would 'cover' the anxiety, therefore i could drink like a normal person when i go out - i.e., just one or two drinks. now i realize that's stupid.

susanb, on Dec 2 2008, 04:32 AM, said:

One drink once a month or so probably won't hurt you. However, you run the risk with any benzo of overdose because of the synergistic effect with alcohol. You will probably get a lot more drunk than you're expecting, so drink slowly and be mindful of how much the alcohol is affecting you. IMO if you decide to drink, you should at least have a really good idea of how klonopin affects you without alcohol--which means being on it for awhile. If you can't limit yourself to one drink through an evening just to be social, don't even try. It's just not a great idea.

An even better idea is to just get non-alcoholic drinks. Only your bartender will know. Honestly, I don't understand the need to drink when you're out socializing-- I've never had a problem with it-- and friends love the fact that I can be a designated driver. You don't have to be drunk to enjoy yourself.

this is good advice, thanks. i haven't been on klonopin for very long, so i do need to see how it affects me on its own... at some point in the future i might try experimenting with one beer while being mindful of how it affects me, as you said.

non-alcoholic drinks? well, that's no fun. haha, just kidding.

[lottacrazy]

I dont think it is a good idea...my fiance is on it and on thanksgiving he had 3 beers and he acted like a retard (excuse the phrase) he was very strange...but funny. Benzos actually intensify the alcohol I have heard, so one beer may feel like 4 to you. If you are going to drink I would at least stay home and make sure you have some one monitoring you

[null0trooper]

In theory, a single glass of wine or a beer with dinner at home probably won't cause a problem. It's just that it's very easy to slip up.

buttface, on Dec 2 2008, 06:46 PM, said:

non-alcoholic drinks? well, that's no fun. haha, just kidding.

You're sober, your friends and compatriots are not. Connect the dots and hide the negatives.

[TCB]

I would suggest to drink in moderation because of the phenomenon of cross-tolerance which means if your using two or more depressant drugs (i.e. benzos and alcohol) you may develop tolerance for one of the drugs as well as partial tolerance to the other depressant drug. Which just means you might run the risk of needing more klonopin to do the job or more alcohol to feel anxiety-reducing effects.

[buttface]

TCB, on Dec 3 2008, 09:05 AM, said:

I would suggest to drink in moderation because of the phenomenon of cross-tolerance which means if your using two or more depressant drugs (i.e. benzos and alcohol) you may develop tolerance for one of the drugs as well as partial tolerance to the other depressant drug. Which just means you might run the risk of needing more klonopin to do the job or more alcohol to feel anxiety-reducing effects.

how often do you reckon you'd have to drink to have this happen? i guess it's impossible to predict. but i'm hoping this only happens to frequent drinkers? like people who have a drink or two every night.

so, not that anyone cares but, i've experimented with alcohol & klonopin since my initial post and so far, 1-3 beers spread out over 1-3 hours seems to be fine for me. it's strange to go from a binge drinker to a drink sipper, but whatever. this cross-tolerance thing scares me more than any immediate effects of klon + alcohol. guess i'll just save drinking for once or twice a month...

[H3AD_TR1P]

goldfinch, on Dec 2 2008, 04:49 AM, said:

I have a glass of wine almost every night and I take from .5 mg to 1 mg of klonopin before bed. Probably not a great idea, but I do it and I have not had any ill effects that I know of.

I never ever drink when I take xanax.

omg i have a glass, or two, sometimes three... hell mabey the bottle!
but for reals i do have wine averaging 2 glasses of chadonnay a night and i take 2mg of klonopin in the am and 2mg of klonopin the afternoon (mostly i just need 1mg of it) and i also take ambein to sleep too!

i DO have to be carefull witht he ambien, when i take i only have time to get some water (or wine lol!), smoke a cigarette, and hop in bed or else crazzzzzy stuff happens!

but if you wanna go out and fun do it!
klonopin saved my life, amen!

This post has been edited by H3AD_TR1P: 20 December 2008 - 09:37 AM

[Ophelia]

ok. in reality, you are not supposed to. in actuality, some people do.

the thing to be aware of, though, if that everyone's tolerance varies. what happens to one person maybe not happen to another and visa versa. what happens to you one night might not happen the next, especially since you are a new user.

i really do not see you saying, "ok, i'll abstain from alcohol," but, if you do choose to drink, you really have to be careful. you can potentially end up sick or hospitalized. i don't mean to scare you, but i just thought i'd put it out there.

[Vitriol]

like someone else said, you arent suppose to but a lot of people are mixing alcohol and benzos.

I mixed them many times in the past (a bottle of wine at least, I know this is very stupid) and each time, it was a direct way to major depression feelings for a few days.

A drink or two is ok according to my Pdoc but I would strongly recommend to avoid drinking more.

[gizmo]

Jhude, on May 7 2009, 03:08 PM, said:

Can I still drink tequila (not 15 shots like I normally do) when taking these pills? I have to take them twice a day, but normally I only take them once a day in the evening.

Only if you want to be a overdosed, dead corrections officer. Seriously. Klonopin makes you all relaxed and sleepy so you don't notice you are vomiting and breathing it in at the same time. Hence choking on your own vomit.

It doesn't matter that you take the pills hours before you drink... they last for 8-10 hours.

If you are drinking 15 shots a night, you don't need a website, you need a detox program or an AA group. And likely a less stressful job. My father is a recovering alcoholic. I've seen rock bottom, and almost killing yourself with booze and pills is pretty damn close.

This post has been edited by gizmo: 07 May 2009 - 11:03 PM

[Deepster]

Buttface-

I'm not sure what dosage of klonopin you are taking, but that aside........MAN, 15 shots of tequila per night would likely cause ANYONE to have anxietly and depression from the alcohol alone!

Mixing this with almost any dose of a benzo is just bad news, PERIOD!

Get detoxed first. Engage in a program to get you off the booze. Does your doc know about this? Doubtful!...as I don't think anyone but a quack would prescribe benzos for someone with a chronic alcohol addiction.

Taking benzos after a night of drinking can surely relieve the symptoms of a hangover, but it also sets you up for a tragic cycle of abuse....alcohol which you admit you are already abusing, then comes the cycle of bringing yourself back by using benzos. Very likely the you will become habituated to the benzos whether that's your desire or not. You'll need more to "bounce back" from the continued nightly benging.....the cycle expands and eventually you could find yourself in a broadening cycle.

Your wellness(and possibly eventually your life) are more important! Please seek out a recovery program that works for you, and learn the coping skills that can help you deal with the work situaion without self medicationg......DBT counseling is wonderful for many. Give it a try.

My best to you in your battle, which is likely to only get worse with the combo you're now taking.

Deepster

This post has been edited by Deepster: 08 May 2009 - 08:12 AM

[chimpmaster]

I think a lot of people here are a little paranoid about the subject matter.

In the end its all about tolerance. If you take a handful of pills and drink more than you normally would on an empty stomach you are going to run into trouble.

If you drink regularly and take your benzos regularly, you will build up tolerance to them (and possibly dependence).

[BackAtTheLab]

It's all about tolerance, blah, blah. That's been said so I won't go over it again.
Advice? 15 shots of anything is too much.

I have low tolerance to both, so I will have about a half a beer and already feel somewhat flushed and odd. I'm on .5-1, 2x/d.

[gloryforixseal]

My view is that ive taken paxil for the majority of the last 8 years. 5mg as that is all that my system can handle. More than that and I have trouble sleeping and have stomach aches. I have no experience with klonopin.