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Mental Health (Expert Forum)
panic and alcohol; prozac and alcohol
Answered by
Roger Gould, M.D. - Mental Health, Wellness
Questions posted in the Mental Health forum are being answered by Dr. Roger L. Gould, author of the Mastering Stress and Depression program and affiliated with the UCLA. Department of Psychiatry. Topics covered include anger, attention deficit disorder (ADD), bipolar disorder, dementia, electroconvulsive therapy (ECT), learning disabilities, memory, obsessive compulsive disorder (OCD), panic, personality disorders, phobias, post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD), schizophrenia, stress, transitions, and work problems.
panic and alcohol; prozac and alcohol
by trouble33, May 15, 2006 12:00AM
I am a 35-yr-old female who has been diagnosed by my GP with anxiety disorder, "probably a couple of different types", as well as a bit of obsessiveness. (I have had two EKGs, normal; thyroid test, normal; blood tests, normal.) She put me on 10mg of fluoxetine, which seems to be working really well so far (2 weeks).
Background: My panic attacks first started a couple of years ago, when I was hungover. I started having them every time I was hungover, and I pretty much stopped drinking (I used to have 3-4 beers probably 3-4 times a week, sometimes more, sometimes less). But then the attacks began happening whenever they wanted. They generally take a half hour to an hour, and take several hours to fade away. There is vibrating, heart attack pains, tingling in my arms and hands, feeling as though I will pass out, etc.
Question: I don't drink very often any more, but I do like to have a drink or two, socially. I know you're not supposed to drink while on Prozac but a lot of people do. This past weekend I had two beers while out with friends, kind of as a test. I didn't feel drunk or even very buzzed. I did feel slightly unreal for a little while during the first beer but the feeling went away, and I was merely tired. But the next morning, I had rolling panic attacks for 3 hours or so. It was horrible. They were pretty severe.
Is it possible that the panic attacks I suffer are somehow alcohol related, or perhaps liver related? Also, have other people experienced this type of thing?
Is there any other condition I should check for? Besides the panic attacks, I am afraid to be alone, for fear of dying and having noone there to rescue or find me in time. That was how they started; I was afraid I would die from being hungover.
Thank you for your time, and sorry my question is so multi-facteted.
Background: My panic attacks first started a couple of years ago, when I was hungover. I started having them every time I was hungover, and I pretty much stopped drinking (I used to have 3-4 beers probably 3-4 times a week, sometimes more, sometimes less). But then the attacks began happening whenever they wanted. They generally take a half hour to an hour, and take several hours to fade away. There is vibrating, heart attack pains, tingling in my arms and hands, feeling as though I will pass out, etc.
Question: I don't drink very often any more, but I do like to have a drink or two, socially. I know you're not supposed to drink while on Prozac but a lot of people do. This past weekend I had two beers while out with friends, kind of as a test. I didn't feel drunk or even very buzzed. I did feel slightly unreal for a little while during the first beer but the feeling went away, and I was merely tired. But the next morning, I had rolling panic attacks for 3 hours or so. It was horrible. They were pretty severe.
Is it possible that the panic attacks I suffer are somehow alcohol related, or perhaps liver related? Also, have other people experienced this type of thing?
Is there any other condition I should check for? Besides the panic attacks, I am afraid to be alone, for fear of dying and having noone there to rescue or find me in time. That was how they started; I was afraid I would die from being hungover.
Thank you for your time, and sorry my question is so multi-facteted.
Doctor's Answer
by Roger Gould, M.D., May 16, 2006 12:00AM
, May 16, 2006 12:00AM
It is not your liver that is involved, its your mind. Drinking dulls your thinking, then you lose perspective, and all the ghosts lingering down there inside your mind come out to play in the form of fears that you have not mastered. I would suggest that you seek psychotherapy counseling along with the medication to get to the bottom of this.
