These results should be interpreted in the context of several limitations. As with all observational studies, causality cannot be determined. Additionally, our results may not be generalizable to uninsured populations. We conducted a retrospective, cross-sectional study using electronic health record (EHR)–derived data among adult outpatients screened for alcohol use in KPNC primary care clinics. KPNC is an integrated healthcare delivery system with more than 4 million members that covers approximately 30% of the population in the served geographic areas. We defined the study period as the 12-month period centered around (6 months before and 6 months after) each patient’s clinic visit in which the first AVS screening occurred.
- Mixing the two can be dangerous, because each drug, no matter how potent, is intensified by the other.
- This CME/CE credit opportunity is jointly provided by the Postgraduate Institute for Medicine and NIAAA.
- It provides professional behavioral health interventions, monitoring, and supervision as you go through the recovery process.
- They can make you feel alert, excited, anxious, or energized.
Like alcohol, they can cause respiratory depression, especially when mixed. Misusing Valium and other benzodiazepines can increase your risk of becoming chemically dependent on the drug. Many benzodiazepines can cause dependence and substance use disorders after just a few weeks of regular use. Though it helps many people, this medication may sometimes cause addiction. This risk may be higher if you have a substance use disorder (such as overuse of or addiction to drugs/alcohol).
Inhibitory chemicals slow down activity to make you feel relaxed and at ease. Since alcohol is also a central nervous system depressant, the two drugs have some similar effects. Valium may cause some effects that are similar to alcohol intoxication, lowering inhibitions, making you feel relaxed, and causing impairment of your motor skills, cognition, and memory. Because Valium can cause these effects, it’s sometimes used as a recreational drug. In 2016, a report in the journal called Mental Health Clinician revealed that benzodiazepine misuse had reached significant levels.
Valium – Uses, Side Effects, and More
Diazepam has been used for treating alcohol dependence in alcoholics. Alcoholism weighs down on the brain such that the neurotransmitters are xanax alternatives rewired and the body cannot function without alcohol. This causes severe withdrawal symptoms which can cause harm to the affected party.
Some withdrawal symptoms may last up to 12 months or longer after stopping this medicine suddenly. Tell your doctor if you have ongoing anxiety, depression, problems with memory or thinking, trouble sleeping, ringing in your ears, a burning or prickly feeling, or a crawling sensation under your skin. A depressant overdose may be difficult to notice or manage in yourself. The powerful sedating effects will make it difficult to stay awake, move, or even speak. If you are taking sedatives or opioids and alcohol is involved, never do it alone. If you start to notice that it’s difficult to move, speak, think clearly, or stay awake, try to let someone know that you need help.
STUDY DESIGN:
If you only have a mild chemical dependence, you may be able to taper at home with the help of a doctor. In closing, combining alcohol with certain medications, particularly those with sedative effects, can increase the risk of adverse events, including falls, driving accidents, and fatal overdoses. The more alcohol a patient consumes, the https://rehabliving.net/ greater the risk for alcohol and medication interactions. Universal screening, careful prescribing choices, and patient education can help minimize the risks of combining alcohol with certain medications. Addiction to benzodiazepines can result from past trauma, undertreated anxiety disorders, and also from excessive use of the drug.
Signs of Alcohol and Diazepam Overdose
Many people drink alcohol to help them relax or unwind, and mixing it with Valium can actually intensify those effects—in a negative way. That’s because alcohol is considered a depressant and so is Valium. The Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders (DSM-5) outlines the criteria for the diagnosis of alcohol use disorder.
Alcohol-Medication Interactions: Potentially Dangerous Mixes
Do not increase your dose or use this drug more often or for longer than prescribed. Your condition will not improve any faster, and your risk of side effects will increase. Among patients in an integrated healthcare delivery system who were screened in primary care for unhealthy alcohol use, we examined cross-sectional benzodiazepine use patterns. Older people are at particularly high risk for harmful alcohol–medication interactions. Aging slows the body’s ability to break down alcohol, so alcohol remains in a person’s system longer.
