One of the most dangerous symptoms of a depressant overdose is respiratory depression. Respiratory depression is when your breathing is slowed to a dangerous degree. Depressants like Valium and alcohol can slow down your breathing by slowing nervous system activity relating to important automatic functions in your body.
This article will explain the risks of combining Valium and other benzodiazepines with alcohol, withdrawal, and how to get help if you or a loved one are struggling with a substance use disorder. Since alcohol and Valium overdose can cause nausea and a loss of consciousness, you may be at risk of vomiting while you’re asleep and aspirating it. If someone is with you when this happens, they may be able to intervene by helping you to sit up or roll to your side. In chemistry, alcohol is a broad term that can refer to many different kinds of chemicals, most of which would kill you if you drank them.
The clinical presentation varies from mild to severe and the onset of symptoms typically occurs a few hours after the last alcohol intake. The most common manifestations are tremor, restlessness, insomnia, nightmares, paroxysmal sweats, tachycardia, fever, nausea, vomiting, seizures, hallucinations (auditory, visual, and tactile), increased agitation, and tremulousness. A minority of patients develop very severe alcohol withdrawal syndrome, including delirium tremens.
Alcohol and Valium reduce the activity in a person’s central nervous system, which is why when someone drinks they often feel drowsy, sleepy, or lightheaded. Mixing the two can be dangerous, because each drug, no matter how potent, is intensified by the other. Abusing the two substances can also result in various behavioral or social problems, such as depression and alienation from family. In some cases, those who abuse these substances experience problems with work and finances as well.
Substance use disorders that involve depressants are often treated with medical detox, which involves 24-hour care from medical professionals. Through detox, you may receive medications to help you taper off alcohol or Valium. Benzodiazepines, including Valium, are sometimes used to help people taper off depressants. If you only have a mild chemical dependence, you may be able to taper at home with the help of a doctor. The Alcohol withdrawal Syndrome (AWS) is one of the most common presentations of Alcohol Dependence Syndrome. AWS is a cluster of symptoms which occurs in alcohol-dependent people after cessation or reduction in heavy or prolonged alcohol use.
- Valium can dramatically enhance the effects of alcohol in the bloodstream.
- The occurrence of seizures during the AWS is indicative of severe alcohol withdrawal, although the CIWA-Ar score may not correlate.
- The potential for a harmful interaction may provide a compelling reason for patients to cut down or quit drinking when warranted (see Core articles on screening and brief intervention).
- Diazepam’s first patent was filed in 1959 by Hoffman-La Roche and had seen more than 2 billion tablets sold by 1978.
- Anti-convulsant drugs have been shown to block kindling in brain cells.
These results should be interpreted in the context of several limitations. Additionally, our results may not be generalizable to uninsured populations. Addiction to benzodiazepines can result from past trauma, undertreated anxiety disorders, and also from excessive use of the drug. A lot of people start using depressants like Valium or alcohol to feel normal.
Alcohol was itself used as a detoxifying agent through ‘gradual weaning’ that commanded support in the 18th and early 19th centuries [36]. By the mid-19th century, the Temperance movement strongly influenced the way habitual drunkenness is conceptualized and had widened its focus to condemnation of all alcoholic beverages. This made it difficult to advocate ‘gradual weaning’ as a justifiable intervention. A literature search (Medline, Cochrane, EmBase, Psycinfo and DARE) found just two recent reports concerning the use of alcohol for alcohol detoxification [37,38], although there are reports in other medical specialties [39]. Ths regiment is administered to patients who can be considered dangerous and aggressive.
Side Effects In The Absence Of Alcohol
This results in a euphoric feeling, which can then lead to repeated abuse of both substances combined. Mayo-Smith and Saitz and O’Malley formulated a treatment regimen in accordance with CIWA–Ar score severity [24,51]. According to these authors, patients with mild withdrawal substance use disorder sud symptoms (i.e., CIWA–Ar scores of 8 or less) and no increased risk for seizures can be managed without specific pharmacotherapy. Successful non-pharmacological treatments include frequent reassurance and monitoring by treatment staff in a quiet, calm environment.
Once alcohol is in your brain, it affects your nervous system in several ways. However, despite thousands of years of drinking alcohol, researchers don’t know exactly how it works in the brain. The main way it is thought to affect the brain is to interact with a naturally occurring chemical called gamma-Aminobutyric acid (GABA). GABA is closely tied to relaxation, anxiety management, and sleep, and it works by opening a channel in your nerve cells to let in negative ions. This negative charge shuts down certain activities and has the overall effect of allowing you to rest and digest. Alcohol may have an effect on these channels to enhance the effect of GABA.
Alcohol Withdrawal Syndrome: Benzodiazepines and Beyond
The first thing you should do is to call for emergency medical services. An overdose can be treated, but if someone stops breathing, they need treatment immediately. Paramedics and first responders can help as soon mixing alcohol and antidepressants as they arrive, and they can take them to an emergency room for further treatment. If an opioid or benzodiazepine like Valium is involved, there are medications that can counteract those drugs in the body.
Valium and Alcohol: Dangers, Withdrawal, and Side Effects
Many people combine depressants or sedatives with alcohol (another depressant) for a more intense side effect or high. In most cases, the results are highly distressing and potentially fatal. Because alcohol also acts as a depressant on the CNS, also by reacting with GABA, mixing Valium and alcohol can produce extreme sedation and drowsiness as well as impairment of certain functions.
When a woman drinks, the alcohol in her bloodstream typically reaches a higher level than a man’s even if both are drinking the same amount. This is because women’s bodies generally have less water than men’s bodies. Because alcohol mixes with body water, a given amount of alcohol is more concentrated in a woman’s body than in a man’s. As a result, women are more susceptible to alcohol-related damage to organs such as the liver. Your pharmacist or other health care provider can help you determine which medications interact harmfully with alcohol. Some medicines that you might never have suspected can react with alcohol, including many medications which can be purchased “over-the-counter”—that is, without a prescription.
Alcohol dependence is one of the most common psychiatric disorders, second only to major depression [5]. Data from the National Co-morbidity Survey and the NIMH Epidemiologic Catchment Program revealed that approximately 14% of the general population has a lifetime history of alcohol dependence. A recent National Household Survey of Drug Use in India [6] recorded alcohol use in only 21% of adult males. However, this figure cannot be expected to mirror accurately the wide variation that exists in a large and complex country such as India. The prevalence of current use of alcohol ranged from 7% in the state of Gujarat (officially under Prohibition) to 75% in Arunachal Pradesh. Not only can their combined immediate side effects be dangerous and potentially fatal, but chronically taking a Valium and alcohol mix can lead to addiction.
It can also impact a person’s mood and emotions, making them feel drowsy and sedated. For these reasons, Valium may also be prescribed to people with anxiety or insomnia to help them relax or to promote sleep. Brian Obinna Obodeze is a professional health-niche content developer for AlcoRehab.org with six years of experience as a research writer. He is an expert in medical content development, especially in the field of addictions, general health, homeopathic medicine, and pharmaceuticals. Brian has a bachelor’s degree in Microbiology from the University of Benin and has worked as a Lab Scientist and as a public healthcare officer. His hobbies include physical fitness, reading, and social entrepreneurship.
Valium is used to treat anxiety disorders, or alcohol withdrawal symptoms. Alcohol is potentially dangerous when mixed with a variety of substances. Any drug that is potentially harmful to your liver may be dangerous when mixed with alcohol. Doctors may advise you to limit alcohol intake while you’re on these medications. Check with your doctor before drinking whenever you’re taking a new medication.