Author: Charles Frank

Learn the Risks of Combining Ativan and Alcohol

The only exception, currently, involves seizure disorders like epilepsy. However, for anxiety, insomnia, or even alcohol withdrawal, it is unlikely that a person will take Ativan for longer than two weeks. It isn’t always easy to determine why a loved one would use alcohol with prescription medications. Some people use alcohol as a way to cope with life, and when that’s no longer enough they may turn to prescription drugs as well. Knowing the signs and symptoms of alcohol and Ativan can provide the tools to get a person the help they need, and deserve.

1. Our team of experts can guide you through the process of detoxification and addiction treatment to help you achieve lasting sobriety.
2. Benzodiazepine overdose by itself — when not taken in combination with other substances —  is usually not fatal.
3. However, when mixing Ativan and alcohol, your body can experience hypotension or bradycardia.
4. But mixing Ativan and alcohol — two depressants — is extremely dangerous and can lead to several short-term and long-term effects.
5. Every substance has a half-life, which is the amount of time it takes for the body to eliminate half of the substance.

If the prescription is to be taken as needed, then it is important to avoid alcohol for several hours after taking the benzodiazepine. Combining these two substances, even accidentally, amplifies one’s level of intoxication, so the risk of memory lapses, accidents, legal problems from a DUI, and blackouts increases greatly. After all, battling addiction and substance use disorder is a lifelong commitment. When it is ingested, Atavan binds to neurotransmitters in the brain, which affect feelings of anxiety. It reduces those feelings while also slowing breathing and heart rate. The user may feel lightheaded and tired and may find it difficult to concentrate.

Questions About Treatment?

Some of the AddictionLink services are also available in Swedish, English and Russian. Seek treatment at an A-Clinic through the intoxicant abuse services (päihdepalvelut) of your area of residence. You can contact the nearest health and social services centre (sosiaali- ja terveyskeskus) if you have issues with alcohol or drug use. Different wellbeing services counties may use different names for health and social services centre, such as terveysasema, terveyskeskus or hyvinvointiasema.

People often combine these substances because they want to relax more and enhance the effects. But mixing Ativan and alcohol — two depressants — is extremely dangerous and can lead to several short-term and long-term effects. However, when there is not enough, people can suffer from conditions like anxiety and epilepsy (seizure) disorders. Because of this, benzodiazepines have accepted medical use, and it’s the same reason why alcohol withdrawal can cause seizures and death.

Drinking while taking lorazepam can lead to slowed breathing, a potentially deadly consequence. Mixing Ativan and alcohol can intensify the side effects of both and lead to slowed breathing, which can be fatal. A study in 2005 found that levels of alcohol and benzodiazepines were significantly higher in patients who received treatment for violent accidents versus other types of accidents. Both substances can cause “blackouts” or long periods where you have no memory.

Mixing Ativan (Lorazepam) and Alcohol

Lorazepam and other benzos are rarely misused by themselves, and are usually taken with other substances like alcohol to increase its effects. Benzodiazepine overdose by itself — when not taken in combination with other substances —  is usually not fatal. People who overdose on lorazepam are likely to experience depression but with normal vital signs like breathing and heart rate. Long-term, increasing alcohol’s bioavailability intensifies damage to the stomach, liver, heart, and brain. Benzodiazepines, including Ativan, are being referred to as a “shadow epidemic,” because they are found in so many poisoning and overdose reports and deaths.

Visit the following websites to learn about The Recovery Village’s network of rehabilitation facilities. Each center is ready to help people learn how to cope with their Ambien addiction and uncover the root causes for their substance use disorder. Some people may have an extreme allergic reaction to Ativan, leading them to take a drug like Benadryl in an attempt to combat the swelling. However, Benadryl and other antihistamines are tranquilizers that can actually increase the depressant effects of Ativan. Concurrent Ativan and alcohol use does more than just increase the euphoric effect of each drug.

If eligible, we will create a treatment plan tailored to your specific needs. If The Recovery Village is not the right fit for you or your loved one, we will help refer you to a facility that is. Alcoholics Anonymous (Anonyymit Alkoholistit), or AA, is a peer association for men and women to share experiences about alcoholism and to help each other recover. AA groups meet in many different municipalities, and the largest cities also have English-speaking groups.

A-Clinics offer, among other things, outpatient clinic services, substitution treatment and detoxification. Alternatively, outpatient rehab provides counseling and therapy for drug abuse on a “part-time” basis. This program allows patients to meet work, family, and school obligations while attending rehab after these commitments or on the weekends. Ativan increases the effect of gamma-aminobutyric acid (GABA), an inhibitory neurotransmitter. It does so by binding to GABA receptors — specific proteins in the central nervous system that decrease nerve activity and block some brain signals. Meanwhile, alcohol is a central nervous system depressant that has a different mechanism of action, but similar side effects.

Ativan is a rapid onset drug and, like other benzodiazepines, designed for short-term use. If taken for longer than two weeks, even a person who is taking this medication as prescribed risks developing a physical dependence on the substance. It belongs to the same family as other anti-anxiety prescription medications, such as Klonopin, Valium and Xanax. Although it may not be as well-known as some of its cousins, it is still a federally controlled substance with a high risk for abuse and addiction.

Combining these substances can cause minutes or hours where you “black out’ and have no memory of events. You are at a very high risk of accidental injury and death during this time. If a person overdoses on a combination of alcohol and Ativan, it is extremely important to call 911 immediately.

Can You Drink on Ativan?

Contact us today to learn more about addiction treatment programs that can work well for your needs. A person who has overdosed on Ativan and alcohol may be confused and have slurred speech, movement difficulties and slowed breathing. Ativan and alcohol are both central nervous system depressants that cause an increase in GABA (gamma-aminobutyric acid) in the brain.

Muse Treatment Center, an alcohol detox center in Beverly Hills, provides comprehensive treatment programs to address addiction and promote recovery. Our team of experts can guide you through the process of detoxification and addiction treatment to help you achieve lasting sobriety. Don’t hesitate to reach out for support and assistance on your journey to recovery. Mixing alcohol and Ativan can cause the Ativan to have increased and potentially life-threatening side effects. For example, the risk for serious side effects like slowed breathing rises if a person has been drinking while taking Ativan.

Likewise, if someone misuses an Ativan tablet by crushing it up, a larger amount will be absorbed more quickly, posing similar risks. The NIH states that “interactions should be expected from combining alcohol with benzodiazepines” and advises against it. GABA neurotransmitters induce a feeling of sleepiness and reduce anxiety.

What Are the Symptoms From Drinking Alcohol With Ativan?

The results can range from severe drowsiness and breathing problems to coma and even death, which makes treatment critical. Attempting to detox from alcohol withdrawal without proper supervision can be dangerous, and is not recommended. A medically-supervised detoxification (medical detox) is the safest, and most effective way to treat alcohol dependence and withdrawal symptoms. With an estimated 2.5 million years of potential life lost, alcohol alone is responsible for up to 88,000 deaths each year in the United States.

The primary danger of mixing alcohol with Ativan is that they bind to the same receptors, amplifying one another’s effects on the body. Combining Ativan and alcohol is very dangerous because Ativan and alcohol both depress the central nervous system, which means that your heart and breathing rates are lowered. If you or someone you love is struggling with Ativan or alcohol use, help is available at The Recovery Village.