View Full Version : Combinations - Benzodiazepines and Alcohol
Hi all. Ill be honest. I do have a stresful job but don't really need to take any meds. I do like to chill out very occasionally. Diazepam doesn't really do that much to me unless I take it with a couple of glasses of wine. Being pretty new to this I was wondering what would be a safe dose to take (Ive taken 30mg beforenot on a regular basis) and what health effects would this have on my health?
P.s. Im so impressed with how helpful and friendly you all are from what I have read so far. Thanks a lot!!!http://www.drugs-forum.com/forum/smileys/smiley4.gif
variation
13-06-2005, 16:49
I take 1mg of clonazepam per day, and 6 beers will yeild a level of
intoxication much greater than if not under the influence of previously
mentioned benzo.
There is really no set safe dose, if you can take 30mg and after it feel like you could of done 35-40. You probly can. As with all Benzodiezapines after prolonged regular use, you develop a phisical tolerance to it. So after a wile you may be getting a nice buzz off of what would of killed you 6 months before it. Once you take it dayly for awile you will become phyisicly addicted to it, so if you where to stop taking it suddenly you would go threw withdrawl symptoms. Withdrawl from large doses of Benzodiezapines are said to be harable, worse than heroin withdrawl and you could accually die from the withdrawl itself. Now dont take this the wrong way, it takes awile to build up a tolerance, and you really have to be doing it dayly and in increasing amounts to become phisicly addicted to it. If your doing it just every once in awile then you have nothing to worry about.
Thanks man that was helpful.http://www.drugs-forum.com/forum/smileys/smiley2.gif
BlueMystic
16-06-2005, 19:15
A safe dose is all relative. Depends from person to person. Within reason of course.
In the name of harm reduction. Just know that benzo's (diazepam, alprazolam, clonazepam, etc.) and alcohol are doth CNS (Central Nervous System) depressants. The combination of both can be dangerous as one's breathing canbecome shallowand one can also pass out and become unresponsive. Depending on the dose of each. The combination can be fun, relaxing and recreational. However, it can also be dangerous. Stay safe. =)
I have yet to take Xanax(today being my first) and dont wanna take too
much xanax so decided Mixing it with alcohol would be 2nd best to
upping the dose..whats a good Xanax to Alcohol for a starter..i dont
really want to pass out
GreyApple
15-07-2005, 03:41
Wellmost perscription drug will be magnified greatly from the effects ofalcohol and Ive never done xanax butI think it would be smarter to try a normal recreational dosebefore adding alcohol
BrandonAA
15-07-2005, 05:00
I would say 1.5mg -2.5mg (on an empty stomach, don't eat until hour after dose) and you could drink up to 3 beers, maybe 4 if you drink quite a bit. i personally drink rum and coke and i eat the pills, when i feel them (like 15 mins) start drinking, by drink #2 you will feel the combo and will kinda give you an idea how much more you can go.
when you go over 3mg or 4 drinks, be careful because you feel so good you think more will keep it going but it may leave you with no memory or make you pass out.
When planning on adding Alcohol, one's normal recreational dosage should drop a little bit, but seeing as you haven't tried Xanax before, I'd try for a normal dose with no alcohol.
With no tolerance, it's very easy to become intoxicated with Xanax and alcohol. If you insist on it, then probably no more than 2mg (from my personal experience, anyway) and no more than 3-4 drinks.
You really have to be careful with mixing the two, since a fun night can turn very not fun veryquickly. One night, I went overboard, having ~5mg and a shitload of whisky. I woke up 6 hours later, realizing I had passed out on my computer desk, with lots of pills scattered around, too. ((NOT fun!))
Perhaps with little or no tolerance, even .5-1.5mg might be better with a couple of beers or a couple of shots of something.
Although I'm not as well versed mixing the two, I happen to be right now, and it's not bad, but hardly kicking in. (only 2.5mg and a little bit of whisky, so far)
My advice would be concentrate less on alcohol, but more on the xanax, from what I'd prefer. Too much alcohol gives me a shitty body high, anymore and lights out. (I have an insatiable tolerance for alcohol..i.e. never actually been drunk-only passed out.)
Beware of going overboard with it, though. It really sucks not remembering what you did the previous night.
One a side note, I have found one rather interesting side effect, for me, anyway. I tend to write really long, comprehensive posts, although it's getting harder to type.
Anyway, enjoy whatever you do, as when done right, it can be quite nice. http://www.drugs-forum.com/forum/smileys/smiley1.gif
(Remember: Just as BrandonAA said, it can be easy to keep wanting more, since you'll like the feeling. This will lead to appearing VERY drunk and intoxicated (ruined the Superbowl for me), then you eventually pass out, with no memory whatsoever of the night before [which really does suck, someday, I tell of ALL my mistaken things, but not now, I'm having a nice time] Be careful with what you do while under the influence)
By the time I finished typing all that, it's REALLY kickin' in now. Not bad, but sometimes it sucks being on the computer trying to type things out. Luckily, I spellcheck usually.
So, yeah. enjoy your times, everyone. (hope that was helpful-even though some)
peace out.
kritikal
13-11-2005, 09:10
This is was my first experience with Valium although i have tried Alprozam a fair few times before. It was pretty crazy, i was fucked for days but an enjoyable experience none the less.
I went round to my mates house to have a few drinks and a smoke wtih a few other people. We were all pretty drunk and stoned and i got talking to my friend about thebottle of valium he was prescribed a while back. He got it out and me, him and another person took 6 each. i was the only person who had really done benzo's. My mate had but only on 5mg's a couple of times when prescribed.
After this we crushed up some pills and snorted them down. Buy this time the benzos had kicked in, i cant remember how manywe snortedbut it was at least 18 in total.Myfriend being the only one who had triedcocaine before said it felt a little like that, besides being a depressant and not a stimulant.
I cant remember what happened next, except that an hour passed in what seemed like10 seconds and i had gotten 6 of the pills before i left. But all of a sudden the other friend who had taken the Valium decided to go home. I was going to stay at my friends house, but for some reason asked if i could get a lift back home, she said it was fine, so me, her and another mate who was trashed went with her. On the way back to my house i dont remember what happened. Except when we got near to my house police pulled us over saying she was swerving all over the place she was over the limit at .08 but this isn't drunk enough to be that bad. We got back to my house and dropped the car there, she was taken tothe police station, me and my mate went to bed. Later on, she was dropped back at my place. I was very asleep and my parents couldnt wake me up no matter what they tried. They had to drive her car and and another car to take her back to her place. In the morning i shot out of bed, it had only just hit me right then that my mum was trying to wake me up, i had only heardher 7 hours after she had actually spoke to me.
Well my friend lost her licence for drink driving again, my friend slept till 7pm the next day, and i felt tired and lost and pretty much slept for 2 days straight.
To this day i dont know what i did with the 6 i got off my friend that night. I really wish i did, next time i do this it will definently be in a much lower dose so i know what is actually happening.
That's a weird story.
I've taken up to 80 mg Valium and mixed it with alcohol and never had that effect like you had...
I probably have a high tolerance to this stuff....
thrsdy1203
21-11-2005, 08:45
Yea i said what a night when i woke up in the hospital after taking Kolonipin, Xanax, Thorzein and lots a booze. What a frikin cocktail taht almost ended in death. http://www.drugs-forum.com/forum/smileys/smiley11.gif
meh :-/
darksolovely
22-11-2005, 05:18
It sounded like a rush- Im just turned on by panic-worthy situationshttp://www.drugs-forum.com/forum/smileys/smiley36.gif, but be careful man~
rideburton56
16-02-2006, 03:27
I would have to say the mixing of any pills and alcohol is generally not something to take lightly, pretty much every script you get lately says do not use with alcohol, i think it even said that on my 800 mg asprin that they gave me for my wisdom teeth surgery. I guess its possible that mixing serious downers like that (shots and benzos) could make someone extremely depressed. Either way its not ur fault just throw him in bed next time and continue ur nite.
poison1981
20-08-2007, 17:36
or 6 beer?
SWIM has been doing this a lot recenly and would like to know how safe it is
Mixing benzodiazepines and alcohol can cause death, not recommended.
Abrad isn't kidding.
Mix enough of a benzo with enough alcohol and you'll go into respiratory arrest, your lungs will stop working.
Sure, alcohol potentiates benzos. But if you're going to do it, be damn careful.
jacob x ross
10-09-2007, 02:32
Swim suggests using OTC sleeping aids to enhance effects of benzos instead of alcohol.
anarchyat
10-09-2007, 06:03
Depending on your tolerance SWIM wouldn't go past 2 beers, three max but that could be pushing it. SWIY should exercise lots of caution when it comes to mixing two downers.
JaWill88
10-09-2007, 07:38
swim is pretty sure it would take more than 2mg with what swiy was drinking. but swim could be wrong. regardless... taking any benzo and alcohol is dangerous.
I have yet to take Xanax(today being my first) and dont wanna take too
much xanax so decided Mixing it with alcohol would be 2nd best to
upping the dose..whats a good Xanax to Alcohol for a starter..i dont
really want to pass out
I hav done Xanax a couple times with drinking. Each time I believe I did 1 mg, and chilled on like a nice 6 pack of beer, and that was absolutely perfect. If you are gonna decrease the dose of one and increase the other, its smarter to decrease the benzo and increase the alcohol.
But for me, the slight relaxed buzz of 1 mg was great, even without the alcohol, although thats probably due to a low tolerance. However, 1 mg and sippin on a few good beers is blissful yet very safe, i would suggest that. If you were to bump it up to 2 mg, I would be very careful about the amount of alcohol you drink, but I'm sure that could be done safely as well.
Agree with with Swags and I have 35 years experience.
A few light beers is fine. Just don't drink a whole bottle of scotch
and then pop a few Bago Bars or you will be face down in the river.
OK simple advice. SWIm is 55 and has had them all Tuinal seconal,placydl.
Simple advice if you plan to mix benzo's with liquor.
Take the benzo first and once it comes on 45 min then have a beer ,wine scotch whatever. BUT if you drink a bottle of Scotch first and then take a 2mg Gador
you will wind up like Jimi Hendrix and vomit in your sleep.
Never get drunk and then take benzos. Take the benzos first and then do your thing
a few bowls whatever once the benzos have taken effect.
Hope this saves a few lives.
OK simple advice. SWIm is 55 and has had them all Tuinal seconal,placydl.
Simple advice if you plan to mix benzo's with liquor.
Take the benzo first and once it comes on 45 min then have a beer ,wine scotch whatever. BUT if you drink a bottle of Scotch first and then take a 2mg Gador
you will wind up like Jimi Hendrix and vomit in your sleep.
Never get drunk and then take benzos. Take the benzos first and then do your thing
a few bowls whatever once the benzos have taken effect.
Hope this saves a few lives.
Did not know that. Good info, Steva. You might have just saved someones life. Any reason why taking benzos before would make a difference? Does the alcohol increase the absorbtion rate or something? Obviously it increases the effects of the pharm, but I was unaware that timing mattered. Good stuff.
Just personal experience.
Swim used to have seconal,tuinal,yellow jackets(Nebutol?),
Rorer Quaaludes 714's.In my twenties (1970's)
Now it's it's a few vals and xannies.
Anyway if you take the downers first and WAIT for them to kick in
usually 1hr approx then sip a glass of champagne, a few beers,joint
or cocktail they will blend nicely togethter like smoking a few bowls once the xannies kick in for a nice mellow buzz. However if you drink a bunch of cocktails,get stinking drunk and then pop a few downers then you may passout and vomit in your sleep.
I'm not a doctor just personal experience.
Not sure if Jim Morrison (Doors),Janis Joplin,Jon Bonham(Led Zeppelin),
Hendrix went out that way but it's just my experience.
Let the downers kick in then a slight moderation on the adult beverages
is less risky IMO. Loved Ganja & Seconal!
Posts about downers and alcohol moved to appropriate thread. Seconal, Tuinal and yellow jackets are not benzodiazepines but barbiturates, Quaaludes are Methaqualone.
Please bear in mind that however your axolotl does it: Mixing two downers is potentially dangerous. Oversedation, respiratory depression, reduced gag reflex. As Steva mentioned passing out and vomiting is an all too real possibility
Ganja Joe
19-12-2007, 01:03
SWIM read the thread on Benzo's + alcohol....
Specifically, SWIM wants to know SWIY's experience on Valium + Alcohol....
SWIM has been taking 10mg of Ambien (Zolpidem) each night as prescribed by a doctor for insomnia but finds after a few months now that 15-20mg only works for him now. SWIM talked to the pharmacist who told SWIM that one can develop a tolerance to even Ambien.
SWIM acquired some 5mg Valium pills and was considering having a few drinks with them...
Mind you, 4-5 beers + 10-20mg of Ambien really havent much affect on SWIM... SWIM realizes that Valium is whole other monster than Ambien... none the less, SWIM remembers taking Ambien for the first time, sitting on the couch with 2 beers and 20-30minutes later standing up and reaching for something to hold onto to stand up! Hahahahah... that was a trip! SWIM is lucky he didnt fall asleep on the couch!
What a pleasant "where am I?" experience.
SWIM wants to know if Valium has a similar effect?
Ganja Joe
20-12-2007, 15:28
FWIW,
SWIM took 3 5mb Valium tabs after a couple glasses of wine at 8pm, kinda relaxing for the next two hours (more so due to the alcohol), then about 2am six hours later SWIM woke up with a huge buzz feeling. Restlessness, unable to sleep, almost felt like SWIM had RLS (restless leg syndrome).
What gives? SWIM thought valium was supposed to help you sleep as a sedative?
swim took 8 10mg diazepam and around 15 bottles of beer within 6 hours he also smoked 3-4 joints, he says that it wasent much fun. Swim was in bed for 1.30 he found it incredibly hard to move/communicate
he awoke some 11 hours later still blued out.
OK. I had doubts about this thread from the start
80mg diazepam plus 15 beers is ridiculous, dangerous (potentially fatal) and completely unecessary.
Your marmoset is lucky that they were only unable to move/communicate (as opposed to, say, choking on their own vomit, or stopping breathing and giving themselves hypoxic brain damage)
Seriously folks, I can't stress how dangerous this is. Mixing benzos and alcohol cannot be recommended, and should (in fact) be actively discouraged.
Harm Reduction, boys n girls: Harm Reduction.
how long should swim wait after drinking before taking xanax? he drank 5 beers starting about four hours ago and the last one about 1 1/2 hours ago. would it be safe to take 2mg xanax xr now? i ate a little after the last one.
searchfunction
29-01-2008, 09:01
Alright, SWIM is the benzo monster. SWIM used to take 500mg of diazepam (a benzo) and drink a crate of beers with it for recreation on a regular basis. DO NOT DO THIS. SWIM NATURALLY HAS A BIZARRELY HIGH BENZO TOLERANCE AND WAS ALSO ABUSING THEM ON A REGULAR BASIS, INCREASING THAT NATURAL TOLERANCE. SWIM also didn't care if SWIM died. But I digress...
Look, if SWIY really wants to mix benzos and alcohol, you should note that this has put approximately 15% of people SWIM knows who do it in hospital and almost killed them. It also has a tendency to make some people (including SWIM) do very criminal things without any regard to the consequences which they'd usually have better sense than to do. So be very careful playing with this if SWIY doesn't want to screw up their life. It's not a toy, it's a very, very strong combination. SWIM has played with B, rock etc, this buzz is totally different but STRONGER.
Finally, if SWIY has never played with benzos without alcohol, forget about it. Do not even consider doing this. Nobody should do this at all, but ESPECIALLY NOT people who haven't played with benzos on their own, without alcohol first as some people are very strongly effected by small doses of benzos and SWIY will not know if they are in this category until they try them. If SWIY is and they then mixed it with alcohol, they would definitely die.
Anyhow, I hope I've conveyed the seriousness of doing this - it's hardcore. If SWIY intends to then start small and build up. If SWIY doesn't know how many benzos they can take before they lose the plot and start forgetting things they need to establish this first. Then take 1/3 that amount of benzo and add a drink. SWIY must do this with a friend (who isn't going to be as mashed). If everything is OK in 40 minutes add another. Then another again in 40 minutes. SWIY's friend must be someone who will stop them if it starts going wrong because in SWIM's experience there's roughly a 1/7 chance SWIY will end up in hospital at least once if SWIY insists on mixing these.
After this point SWIY should have a fairly good idea what their benzo + alcohol tolerance is. SWIM would like to re-iterate SWIM is not a doctor and this MAY NOT BE SAFE FOR SWIY, you or anyone else. SWIM is just a lay-person, nobody should do this. It could be very dangerous.
searchfunction
29-01-2008, 09:10
I would like to qualify that above that the SWIM presented in the scenario above was using 500mg of diazepam not something like Xanax which would obviously kill even SWIM (SWIM has the highest benzo tolerance of anyone SWIM has ever met, which sucks because it's expensive).
Also SWIM would have almost zero memory of what SWIM did when in that sort of state, don't be as stupid as SWIM was, keep it to a level where you know what is still going on otherwise what's the point. SWIM would not do this again and would find a happy level using the process above.
Just to reiterate what some posters have said.. most drinkers know what alcohol does to them, and there is a fairly extended period of time for most between drinking to feeling drunk, to out of control or vomiting, to passing out, to alcohol poisoning. Benzos are pretty potent little pills, and mixing with alcohol has known to be fatal. So methinks that the reason one would be safer taking the benzos first and waiting 30-60 minutes is because you take them all at once and gauge the effects. Then, you can drink slowly if you so choose and gauge the effects of that on top of the benzos. Whereas when you are drunk, you have less awareness and control, and if you take a dose of benzos, you generally take it all at once, not like sipping a drink or two slowly over several hours.
That said, if you are taking a dose of either benzos or alcohol that could harm your judgment or memory (and they do potentiate one another) you may still be at risk- taking more pills without being aware you are doing so, or drinking past your limits if you again are not aware. So my advice if you must mix these two is to know how they affect you individually, and then make sure you are aware of your dosing and level of intoxication. Also, do not bring the pills with you- this is inviting disaster- they will get lost or eaten if you black out, and if they are not prescribed to swiy, they can be an extra ticket/charge in case of arrest. Dose once, leave the pills behind. And swim recommends starting low. Of course, benzos vary.. but in general, look at it this way- the pill increments can tell you a lot (unlike opiates, which can range from 30mg codeine to 80 or 160 mg oxycodone, which could easily kill someone without a huge tolerance). Not to say taking one pill is a surefire way to dose.. but for example diazepam/Valium comes in 5's and 10's (edit 2mg in some countries as well I hear). So a usual dose (for therapeutic or occasional use) is generally 5-10 mg (tolerance/daily use aside). Alprazolam/Xanax comes in 0.25, 0.5, 1.0 mg, and 2mg bars max with perforation for splitting them into four half-mg chunks. So an average dose might be around 1/2 mg-1mg for a first time user or therapeutic use. Now on the low end, triazolam comes in 0.125 or 0.25. So while a milligram (mg) may be a normal dose of alprazolam/xanax as described, or a very small dose of diazepam/valium, triazolam is active at a much lower dose. So when discussing benzos, don't just talk "__ mg of benzos;" this tells us nothing and could be unsafe for newbies. Also, be sure you know what mg and type of pills you have, and research them thoroughly. If someone ate say six of the 0.25 mg alprazolam/Xanax, they'd feel it pretty good, but would likely be fine. But if someone ate six of the 2.0mg alprazolam/Xanax, they would probably be passed out or dead, depending on any tolerance and any other drugs in the system. Also, when mixing depressants, dosing changes. Know what the effects are separately- if someone knows they feel pretty good off of _._mg of ______ benzodiazepine, and that they usually drink ___ drinks when they go out, please reduce this. Again, it is easier to reduce the benzo dose (say take half to 2/3 usual dose- not a usual blacking out dose if one is fond of that, but a usual therapeutic dose- feeling the effects, feeling good, but not being knocked out or memory loss) and then gauge the alcohol's effects over time. It is also helpful to have someone who knows what you took, or someone who knows you well and can check in with you and keep an eye on you if you blackout or get physically disoriented or unsteady on your feet (two very real possibilities with this combo). Also- this should go without saying- but have a designated driver or use a cab- drunk driving is no good, but alkie+benzos are not an option for getting behind a wheel.
As a functional example (note, everyone is different, swim was female about 120 lbs at the time, low tolerance) swim was about 19 and used benzos recreationally on rare occasions- say once or twice a month. She took 4 mg clonazepam/Klonopin and drank probably one or two shots (probably more afterwards) and blacked out. Apparently she got home alright (someone else was driving) but she woke up with her room in complete disarray, her cell phone soaked from apparently falling into the lake, her wallet missing, bruises and scrapes all over, and wearing someone else's shirt. Luckily she had friends to watch her and get her home safely, and it could have been much worse, but still.. Moral of the story: start low- especially when mixing synergistic substances, but as a general rule too- you can always take more, but you cannot undo an overdose or regain memories of a night blacked out. And don't underestimate the power of these two substances- gauge your own reactions and tolerance and be safe; plan ahead.
searchfunction
29-01-2008, 14:57
So when discussing benzos, don't just talk "__ mg of benzos;" this tells us nothing and could be unsafe for newbies.
If I could edit the post, I would. Hopefully everyone will see the short post immediately after for exactly this reason.
If I could edit the post, I would. Hopefully everyone will see the short post immediately after for exactly this reason.
No worries.. didn't mean you specifically, it's just a trend I've noticed in both online forums/experiences, and among friends and other people talking about their experiences. I did see your post right away afterwards- thank you for amending that. It also seemed your post was intended not to brag or make light, but to convey the strength and serious nature of this combo- always appreciated when discussing these things, especially from those with personal experience. No hard feelings :) I just wanted to expand on that with some info on specific benzos and their dosage so that anyone reading this thread might either reconsider taking unknown "benzos" before investigating dosage, or might at least have a little specific knowledge of how to dose the more common ones if this is the only research they choose to do on the combo. Thanks~
ironmics
01-02-2008, 18:30
10mg of Valium+what was supposed to be only a few glasses of wine, but turned into about 750ml=waking up on the floor and pissing swims self. Made him stop drinking for 3 months.
ok. thanks. this is something that swim will avoid in the future.
Orchid_Suspiria
27-08-2008, 11:33
Alcohol and benzodiazepines is really not such a good idea.Swim found this the hard way lastnight with lorazepam,wine,and whiskey.Swim was fucked up alright,as in stumbling into every wall possible on a tour through the house.Then swim made the worst mistake and got in the shower.Things got really horrid and swim had to vomit.Well after vomiting swim decided it would be a good idea to get in the shower.Bad move!Swim sort of collapsed to the floor of the shower and began vomiting uncontrollably.After that it is all abit of a blur. Atleast it appears swim did have the good sense to get in bed.
wintrojan2k
09-09-2008, 22:26
SWIM finds alprazolam to be the most potent benzo for me. When SWIM was younger anything over 2mg would cause blackouts combined with a few beers/shots. Now SWIM drinks about 10-12 oz of vodka a night along with .5mg of xanax, and then .5 at bed time. SWIM can take 3-4mg at once and it will just increase the sedation with the alcohol, won't knock SWIM out. These two drugs together can shutdown the respritory system so be careful