Anxiety/panic attacks the day after drinking

[bvjens31]

This isn't really a question, it's more or less a walkthrough of what I am going through with anxiety problems and alcoholism in hopes that it might help someone out there. Had I read online about how common anxiety attacks after a night of drinking are, maybe I could have started my road to recovery sooner, and maybe some of you can.

Anyways, I am a 25-year old college student (receiving my 2nd BA tomorrow actually :D) who had never experienced anything related to anxiety or panic attacks ever in my life. I've always been a laid back, easy-going individual. Last May, after a weekend of beer pong and partying, I woke up on the following Monday and instantly felt dizzy and out of breath, like I was going to pass out or fall over. I didn't know what it was. I thought maybe I had hit my head during the previous weekend's festivities. A couple days later I still had a dizzy feeling so I had my ladyfriend drive me to the ER for fear of having post-concussion syndrome or something. They gave me something for my nerves (Loreazapam maybe?) and did a catscan and everything was A-OK. I had no idea why I was feeling like this, but I finally told my mom about it and she googled it and thought maybe I was having some panic attacks. Over the next couple of months during the Summer, my roommates and I's drinking continued, and so did my anxiety issues (always the day after going out). At first I tried blaming them on stress or my girl or anything else besides drinking. I didn't want to think for ONE SECOND that my favorite past-time (drinking and being social with the wonderful people in my life) was actually the crux of my least favorite past-time (anxiety attacks.)  

Before I had my first one last May, I had heard of people having anxiety problems (my ex-girlfriends mom took meds for them) but just scoffed at people actually having to take medications to control their thoughts. What pish-posh I thought to myself. Well, after 1 year of having these #$%^$@ panic attacks, it's not pish-posh anymore. I have finally come to terms with the fact that it IS my drinking that is causing these (and smoking a pack of marlboro lights on the weekends in the bars does not help!!!!)  I don't even really get typical hangovers anymore like I used to, well maybe I do, but they are being over-shadowed by the PURE AGONY of the anxiety attacks. Sometimes they go on for the whole day. There are several different reasons about why people have panic attacks, hypoglycemia is one, but I have finally realized that it is my drinking style. Thank God I'm getting out of college so I won't feel the need to go out and get belligerent drunk with my buddies anymore. I know that being in college is no excuse, but hey, it's fun!!!

All this being said, I am working on curing myself. I have always been a type of person who needs to be in control of my own life/mind/health and this anxiety **** has got to stop!!!! I am going to start taking daily doses of St. John's Wort and B complex, to see if that helps. I am also going to get back into my workout routine once my job starts in a couple of weeks. I know that an active lifestyle will help me on the road to recovery, as well as those supplements. But I am starting to realize the #1 thing that will cure these attacks is to stop drinking. Every time I have one of these day-long attacks, I swear to myself that I'm done drinking. But the truth of the matter, is that after a few days, I feel my equilibrium has returned to a pretty awesome level, and I forget about how the major anxiety attack I just had a few days ago made my life complete hell. That's how **** works. Out of sight, out of mind. If I don't have one for a few days, I start thinking I'm invincible again, and we go party. I need to grow up and realize that there is a cure to feeling this PURE AGONY! And it's in the form of alcohol abstinence. It's going to suck and I'm sure I'm gonna miss the bars. But I will not miss these anxiety attacks.

I will keep my progress updated on this forum, because I now know that there are TONS of people out there who are suffering through the same problems that I am currently faced with. We all know the cure, deep down, we just don't want to accept it. To those reading this, hopefully I have calmed you down a little. I know it's hard. It sucks. It's hell on earth, in your brain, and it feels like there is no way out. There is. I think. So I'm going to try the B complex and the SJW and try to keep the drinking and smoking under extreme control.

Peace and love and freedom of YOUR MIND.
Take care,
C

[sheilah1]

I know this is old, but I have been drinking for years now and experienced hangovers- feeling tired and groggy, throwing up, you know...the normal hangover. But 2 weeks ago I woke up and was headed home from a long week of drinking over spring break and had the worst feelings i've ever had in my life. I started to be scared of everything, couldn't even drive myself home. I got super hot and sweaty, couldn't breathe well, I had a red bull earlier that day because I needed to be awake to drive and I ended up throwing that up because I thought that was the cause (i drink red bull a lot, i quit now but i had never felt like that before from them). But the worst thing was I would literally feel like I wasn't myself, like I would be walking and feel like I was having an out of body experience. I would start to think I was okay then it would hit me again- couldn't breathe, didn't feel like I was even alive, increased heart rate, hot flashes, horrible thoughts, i literally said to myself that I would rather kill myself than feel the way I am feeling right now. I slept throughout the day, woke up the next morning and felt a little better. While I was at the doctor 2 days later (for anxiety and depression and ADHD, i take seteraline-off brand of zoloft, and vyvanse) my psychiatrist said it was just alcohol withdrawls and skipping a dose of my anxiety meds here and there. While I would believe this is true, I drink all the time and skip doses (I am working on it) and have never ever felt this before. The next Friday I drank again, woke up and was perfectly fine so I figured I would be fine to drink again on Saturday night. I drank a lot that night (as I did the night before) and was driving home from the lake and out of no where I felt my body go into the same thing as the weekend before. As I was driving, I was terrified. I was so out of it (again not feeling myself) and thought I was just going to run off of the freeway because I didn't even know who I was, then I would go back to reality and get my head straight, then a minute later it would come back. I had to pull over and throw up hoping that it would make me gain my awareness back, but it didn't help much. Luckily I had a friend that could drive us home and he dropped me off but I kept going back into that mental state throughout the day. I got super hot (this is mainly happening in my upper neck area and feels like its in my head almost) and couldn't breathe well. I slept on and off throughout the day and the next day I felt better. I now have anxiety of driving (which I have never had) and it makes it really hard because I am in college and come home every weekend for work. This week I haven't drank at all and feel good but I am a college student and while I am going to slow down my drinking a lot, I know that I am going to continue to drink alcohol (no, I don't have a problem I just like to drink socially sometimes). I am petrified of drinking again because I don't ever want to feel like that again. I am going to go to a different doctor but I am sure they will only tell me to stop drinking. I have noted different ways to prevent hangovers but I am not sure if they will work since I am so scared to drink again! If anyone knows any causes or ways to help, please let me know! Thank you!

[michigan07]

Alcohol and anxiety don't mix. The alcohol can block the absorption of any anti-anxiety medication you may be taking.

[Scoordinator]

I started getting panic attacks after binge drinking at the age of 35. I would never eat before drinking and I think that is a major cause. If I eat before drinking, keep drinking water with my alcohol drinks and stick to beers I notice I don't have panic attacks. Also it always happens the next day. There are two cures to next day panic attacks I found that work. When you first wake up get your butt out of bed and do a 15-30 minute cardio workout. Your body can't go into panic mode if you are active. Working out on a daily basis also helps with panic attacks and foggy brain. Second cure - go to Chipotle get three tacos on your way home grab a six pack of corona. Have a beer with each taco then pass back out and sleep for 3 hours. You will feel so much better! - panic attack survivor

[Scoordinator]

I started getting panic attacks after binge drinking at the age of 35. I would never eat before drinking and I think that is a major cause. If I eat before drinking, keep drinking water with my alcohol drinks and stick to beers I notice I don't have panic attacks. Also it always happens the next day. There are two cures to next day panic attacks I found that work. When you first wake up get your butt out of bed and do a 15-30 minute cardio workout. Your body can't go into panic mode if you are active. Working out on a daily basis also helps with panic attacks and foggy brain. Second cure - go to Chipotle get three tacos on your way home grab a six pack of corona. Have a beer with each taco then pass back out and sleep for 3 hours. You will feel so much better! - panic attack survivor

[viktor_raul]

hello, I am Brazilian and not mastered English very well, I'm using google translator sorry, I had anxiety problems the day after a binge, dizziness, fuzzy thinking, fear, I felt very strange, one day I read an article on the Russians can drink an entire bottle of vodka and not faint of drunken, they eat fat, before and after drinking, I did this test and it really worked for me, it helped me a lot, eat fatty foods before and during consumption alcohol and you'll notice the difference in their levels of anxiety, in my case it worked, I hope it can work for anyone who is suffering with this problem also, hugs Raul

[viktor_raul]

hello, I am Brazilian and not mastered English very well, I'm using google translator sorry, I had anxiety problems the day after a binge, dizziness, fuzzy thinking, fear, I felt very strange, one day I read an article on the Russians can drink an entire bottle of vodka and not faint of drunken, they eat fat, before and after drinking, I did this test and it really worked for me, it helped me a lot, eat fatty foods before and during consumption alcohol and you'll notice the difference in their levels of anxiety, in my case it worked, I hope it can work for anyone who is suffering with this problem also, hugs Raul