It can cause drowsiness and impair your ability to concentrate and react quickly. Here in the UK, you may be prescribed diazepam for the aforementioned conditions through the NHS. Although in the UK it may come under a different brand name, around the world the most common brand name for diazepam is usually Valium. Benzodiazepines, including Valtoco, can increase intraocular pressure in patients with glaucoma. Valtoco may only be used in patients with open-angle glaucoma only if they are receiving appropriate therapy.
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WHO mentions in its report that women and young people are getting hit the hardest and suffering the worst with anxiety and depression. Unfortunately, all of this has led to the worst year on record in the United States for drug overdoses. With the rise in conditions caused by stress in the world, many people might turn to sedative drugs like Valium to ease their anxiety or alcohol to calm their nerves. As far back as you can think, you likely remember your role model on TV or in movies grabbing for a beer or bottle of liquor to unwind. In severe cases, a person may become unresponsive, fall unconscious, or even slip into a coma.
It becomes challenging to overcome such an addiction on your own, and doing so can sometimes prove life-threatening too. Suppose you or someone you know has been mixing alcohol and valium regularly and can you drink on diazepam cannot stop on their own. In that case, it is time to get help before this dangerous combination further deteriorates the health. Interactions between alcohol and diazepam are dangerous and can be fatal. People will often intentionally mix the two because they presume the combination will intensify the relaxation feeling that alcohol creates.
Is Mixing Valium and Alcohol Dangerous?
Mixing two substances with similar effects, such as diazepam and alcohol, can significantly increase the risk of a possible overdose. Almost a decade ago, a quarter of cases of a benzodiazepine overdose involved alcohol use, and the figure is likely to have increased much more over the years. Many people choose an inpatient detox program to help eliminate drugs and alcohol from their systems entirely the first time.
This timeframe allows enough time for the drug to be metabolized and cleared from your system, minimizing the risk of harmful drug interactions. There’s a risk you will not be able to breathe properly, and you may have difficulty waking up. Because of these threats and the potential for fatal complications, managing your withdrawal under the supervision of professionals is a must. Physicians will prescribe medication to alleviate your uncomfortable symptoms. However, if you were to experience life-threatening complications like seizures, being in the presence of doctors can save you from the unpredictable.
Spending Addiction
Like Valium, it affects the brain’s neurotransmitters and impacts the central nervous system. The waiting period generally applies regardless of the strength of diazepam, as it mainly depends on the time it takes for the drug to be eliminated from your system.10. You can find out more about the side effects of some recreational drugs on the Frank website. Talk to your doctor if you think you might use recreational drugs while taking diazepam.
Because most varieties of beer have alcohol in them, it is crucial to avoid combining it with diazepam to avoid depression of the central nervous system. In extreme circumstances, someone who mixes alcohol with Valium might overdose, risking death. Many people who have been prescribed a benzodiazepine like Valium aren’t aware that it shouldn’t be mixed with alcohol.
What are the Effects of Diazepam and Alcohol: The Risk of Overdose?
No, it is not safe to try quitting diazepam or alcohol on your own, especially if you have been abusing them together for a very long time. Because of these serious threats and the likelihood of fatal complications, managing a withdrawal under professional supervision becomes necessary. A licensed physical can prescribe suitable medication to alleviate these symptoms or prevent them from occurring in the first place. In this article, we’ll explore the potential dangers of mixing diazepam and alcohol. We’ll cover the physical and mental effects that can occur when these substances are mixed, what the typical side effects might look like and how serious those side effects can be. As well as this, we will explain how to recognise the signs of an overdose, and whether mixing alcohol with Valium carries similar dangers.
Many people with diazepam addiction who source this drug illegally get the counterfeit version that often contains other drugs mixed with it, such as fentanyl. These hidden components of counterfeit benzodiazepines make an event of overdose more dangerous and potentially fatal. Similarly, people under the influence of alcohol and diazepam are at an increased risk of acquiring an injury or being in a serious accident. Because the combination increases sedation and decreases mental alertness and reaction times, driving a vehicle can get extremely difficult and life-threatening. Surveys suggest a crash is more than twice as likely if the driver is under alcohol or a benzodiazepine. Of course, it’s not just using multiple substances which puts you at a higher risk for addiction.
- Moreover, even a single incident of combining the two substances can be strong enough to cause an overdose.
- Diazepam, or Valium, is a prescription medication for anxiety disorders, muscle spasms, seizures, and alcohol withdrawal symptoms.
- Many people are unaware that even if you haven’t taken Valium in a few days, you’re still at risk of a fatal overdose because of the half-life.
Sometimes, people mix these two substances because each can reduce anxiety. Diazepam and alcohol do this because they are central nervous system (CNS) depressants, meaning both enhance the effects of GABA, an inhibitory neurotransmitter, in the brain. Learn more about the dangers of mixing Valium and alcohol below, as well as the benefits of a custom-made treatment program for dependency or addiction. Depending on how much Valium you’ve taken and how much alcohol you’ve drunk, you may feel a little more tired than normal. The main thing is to check you don’t develop any concerning symptoms such as dizziness, confusion, or breathing problems.
- You can choose from any number of programs, such as inpatient, outpatient, counseling, therapy, support groups, and medication assistance.
- On average, diazepam has a half-life of approximately 43 hours, which means it can take several days to be completely eliminated from your body.4.
- Therefore, if you are wondering how much alcohol you can drink while taking diazepam, the answer is none.
- Fortunately, those effects don’t last long, but if you keep putting your body through that, eventually, it’ll wear it down.
Alcohol Addiction Center is a free, web-based resource helping to bring education and information to the world of alcohol addiction. It is our hope that with increased awareness, more and more people will get help with their alcohol problems. Individuals who do not seek out professional assistance are far less likely to complete detox successfully and more likely to relapse. You can choose from any number of programs, such as inpatient, outpatient, counseling, therapy, support groups, and medication assistance. This will greatly depend upon your addiction, insurance, program expenses, work schedule, and more. Diazepam relaxes your central nervous system by increasing the neurotransmitter gamma-aminobutyric acid (GABA).
Many people continue to use diazepam with a legit prescription to control an underlying medical illness. A lot of them are not aware of the dangers of drinking alcohol while they are on this medication. If you are one of these people and have drunk alcohol a few times while still taking diazepam, the important thing is to monitor yourself for symptoms immediately.
It’s worth noting that because outpatient treatment is less intensive, it usually goes on for a longer time than in-patient treatments. They calm the central nervous system and this can lead to feeling more relaxed and in some cases happier while taking these substances. The issue with taking them together is they essentially intensify one another.