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ANXIETY AND HANGOVERS (ALCOHOL)

Kylie, I too have anxiety and have had for years. Are you on medication? I am not now but had tried different things over the years. Drinking does not mix well with any drug used to treat anxiety. Even after I got off the drugs I could not have more than a glass of wine because of the panic attacks. Recently I have discovered the best peace I have had in years from serious anxiety. I think it might be a cure. I have dicovered God. I have put it all in God's hands. I wrote my years of serious panic attacks off as God calling me. I read a poem and in it I read this. "God ruthlessly perfects who he royally elects". I thought it fit me well. Grab a bible, go to church, talk to your local pastor.

You might be allergic to alcohol. You probably have generalized anxiety disorder. The body has to detox the alcohol, therefore your body could be reacting to that.

Alcohol is a toxin and toxins put a lot of stress on the body. My guess is that over time you aren't physically able to recover from ingesting toxins as you used to be able to. It takes a toll. Alcohol is a depressant. It is not a relaxant in truth but depresses so if you are experiencing difficulties nowadays and seek out alcohol as a means of escape or relaxation, the fall into the depressant component of alcohol is going to make you feel depressed and anxious. Being hung over is suffering the side effects of the toxin intake. Your body may not be able to filter out the toxins like it used to. You can continue to drink. That's always your choice to make regardless of what your state of health or mind is in. You just can't drink and endanger someone else's life by driving with alcohol in your system.

- Claire

Hi Kylie, I can relate totally. We go clubbing about 1x month, as a rule, just to get out and have fun together. That's the only time that I really drink (few beers) anything. It's the kiss of death for me the next day though. It always makes me shaky and axiouse ALL DAY! I've had this reaction for years. I make sure I eat something and drink a lot of water before going to bed and when I wake up I eat a healthy light breakfast with B-Complex and multi vitamin. It helps! I know when I'm tired or don't feel well I have a lot more axiety and it's harder to control. A hangover is bound to kick an anxiety attack in. I'm certainly not a doctor...just sharing my experiences. Healthy living certainly has it's advantages. lol

~Sportsmsg~

Kylie my experience has been similar, a little different not as intense. I would wake up in the middle of the night after drinking and walk to floors, with Anxiety X10. You feel like your dying! Stop drinking for a while even if its for a week. If you enjoy alcoholic beverages as I do, you have to immediately start monitoring your intake! like have only a couple beverages a night. LIMIT yourself- Highly Recommended.

My friend also has Anxiety, she has had to stop drinking completely do the same issues as I.

PS I think it may be the sugar in the alcohol that sparks the Anxiety....?Not sure*

You were wondering if anybody else has had the same sort of issue, so I'd like to tell you yes. I have also had anxiety for years including trips to the ER. I started drinking with friends a couple years ago and that soon progressed into pretty much alcoholism and for as long as I could remember I've never been horribly anxious whilst hung over (apart from a couple times of which I consumed much too much), until I experienced my first panic attack a couple months ago (happened while I was hung over mind you). Since that panic attack I've been CONSTANTLY thinking that I'm going to have another, and therefore, incredibly anxious (more than I've ever been) all of the time. What I have noticed is that when I've not had a drink (or no more than three per night) for a couple of days I feel basically normal. I do still have racing thoughts and episodes of moderate anxiety while NOT hung over, but that's normal for me. What's changed is intense anxiety for no real reason has gone away and I dont feel feel like I'm dying.

So little/no alcohol=less anxiety... not to say that I've been following that regimen since my intense episodes of anxiety happen when I'm trying to fall asleep (alcohol puts me right to sleep).... BUT the days when I've had little to no alcohol I've been happy (until I try to relax to go to sleep, but thats another story lol). Oh, and also having a daily routine and a steady sleep schedule with getting at least 8 hours (7 seems to work for me...) helps greatly.

Anxiety seems to be a normal response to alcohol ingestion for me. It typically occurs when I wake after a few hours of sleep after drinking too much. My symptoms were sweating, vomiting, feelings of impending doom, tremor, muscle ache, etc. (I say were because I no longer consume alcohol as the effects are quite uncomfortable to me and I would rather just kick back and read a good book.) The symptoms were so overwhelming at times that it felt as if I would lose my mind. You are not alone by any means. Think twice before drinking. If you do decide to drink, my God, don't get behind the wheel of a car.

Best Regards-

Guys I have been reading posts and I feel like that right now! And yes it is due to chemical imbalances in the brain. I have usually been fine but I had my first painck attack the day after a festival about 2 months ago and ever since I have had tinges of it. I felt so bad. The usual symptoms..... sweaty palms, panicking, felt like I was going to die. I have found there is nothing you can do apart from sit it out. Or if you are brave and have a strong gut (lol) drink some vodka or sumfin. If you get pissed again it helps the feeling go away. Something strong does the trick. I know as a nutrionist that is really bad for you but anything to ease the anxiety really helps. It just calms the nerves. And you can sleep without wierd thoughts. Appart from that method i havnt founf anything else that helps appart from not drinking. During the week i dont drink at all and i dont get any problems. I hope this helps post helps because i know how bad it feels being in that state. Oh and another trick..... bananas....... they are full of the chemicals needed to replenish the lost chemicals in your brain and therefore will help with the anxiety. Eat them as soon as you wake up. Well, its good to know your not alone with this feeling.

I am stunned that other people get this also. recently i have been getting these panic/anxiety attacks that are so scary and I never had them before untill the last couple months. It seems that they are getting worse but I don't have insurance to see a doctor. After drinking heavily at night, the next couple days I have these attack, usually about 1 every day. I feel like I am going to seriously die. I have read everything about this problem and I fit all descriptions. Sometimes I feel like it isn't an attack and I actually do have something else wrong with me but I guess I won't know untill I see a doctor. Nice to know I'm not the only one. oh yea and im 22 yrs old .

YES I completely understand where you are coming from. I like to go out and have fun with my friends and yes DRINK. But it's getting to the point where I don't do much of that anymore due to horrid anxiety and panic the next day. I feel very dizzy and unbalanced after drinking. I enjoy having drinks, but it it worth the nightmare I have to endure the next day??? I find taking a bubble bath and taking xanax helps a bit.

have only had anxiety for a few months it was sparked by my ABUSE of marijuana one day i took a hoot and thought i was having a heart attack but im getting side tracked this actually happend to me today and i really thought i was going to die drank a 26 of white rum last night and got up today and went to a burger joint. when i was waiting in line i got a really bad headache and got so dizzy and a weird feeling in my body i thought i was going to die i had to go outside and smoke a cigarette ( that usually help me) and evreything was fine

for me i have couple solutions

1. i drink beer instead of hard alcohol. it is like night and day wiht the hangover and it is managable where as with hard liquor it is not

2. sleep whne i start getting really bad anxiety attacks i try to go to sleep ( and i know its easier said than done ) and when i wake up my hang over is gone and im my regular me.

know these solutions are custom to me but try them see if they work

Hi Kylie,

I go through the exact same thing. I have had anxiety for several years, it started when I was in college. Fortunately I've gotten over the anxiety after seeing a really good psychologist, and I don't get panic attacks anymore really.

However, that all goes out the window if I drink alot. Like you, the next day I almost always have terrible anxiety. Ever since my anxiety started, this has been an issue. I have talked to the doctors about it, but I have not found the answer either. I'm not sure that there is a solution other than not drinking alot ... and I'm not preaching by any means, this is just the reality of it. I still go out and have a few too many sometimes, even though I know better, but I pay for it the next day with the anxiety. Sucks, I know.

There is one thing you might want to look into. Have you ever had your blood sugar tested? I am not diabetic, but I do have hypoglycemia (low blood sugar) ... not a big deal really, just control it with diet. However, alcohol complicates things. One of the reasons that people have hangovers is that your blood sugar level is usually low when you first get up after a night of heavy drinking. Alcohol is processed by the body directly into sugar. So when you are drinking alot, your sugar levels are constantly going up and down. One of the symptoms of low blood sugar is anxiety.

Hope this helps ... let me know if you have any questions!

Jeff

I don't know but I think the coming back to reality is panic-inducing. It sounds similar to how some people, who haven't been drinking, wake up in a state of panic. I think it is a return to awareness, reality and all the things that trigger the panic firing off all at once and it becomes overwhelming.

Kylie-

I just wanted to thank you for posting your question. The symptoms that you said you have when you're hungover are exactly what I get. And its really scary! None of my friends have ever had any of those symptoms when they are hungover and I felt like it was just me and there was something really wrong with me, I would feel like I was dying! I've been taking anxiety medicine for about 2 years and I started getting these really bad hangovers about 2 and a half years ago. I still get hangovers but I've found that waiting like an hour before going to bed after I've stopped drinking helps and drinking water and eating saltines! It has helped me A LOT. Hearing that other people experience this same this is comforting. I know I'm not going to change my habits because I love going out with my friends and drinking (I AM in college after all) but now that I know it's a result of anxiety and not that I'm actually dying, I feel a lot better about it. Thanks so much again!!!!!!!!

hi my name is hector..............ive been to the hospital over 4 times getting my blood sugar checked, high blood pressure checked, heart checked, oxygen level checked etc...this year .....i have had those same feelings and experience about 4 times now.............ive been trying to find out whats wrong..........so is it anxiety? and do you feel sometimes like your drunk even when not drinking?kinda spacey feeling ? thats how if been feeling on and off.......i havent been drinking since ive been feeling like this.............so i dont believe alcohol is a factor .......

Hi Kylie,

You are not alone in this. and i have heard more and more people are having bad anxiety to the point they isolate themselves from others. I am 44 and have had some tramatic things in my life, but about 5 years ago I began having panic attacks so severe I thought I was dying.. I had gotten on antidepressants and medication for about a year and got off because I am just not a big person to want to take medication. I thought I had gotten better, and not sure if it my age and also some female things going on at 44, but I began having them again mostly at night.. I wake up feeling this bone chilling cold going from my head to my feet and extremely dizzy and faint and I eventually have a bad upset stomach.my heart is like flickering instead of beating and at times it beats so loud I hear it in my head. My breathing gets slower and its almost where you feel as though your body is shutting down.. I have called 911 twice. You feel stupid after but during it feels like you are dying. I have never been a big drinker... and and definatly a lightweight.. I get joked by my friends that they say I am no fun because I dont drink much.. But I have never been the type to need alchohol to have fun.. but I have noticed that when I do drink that I have extreem anxiety and now those cold faint feeling throughout the day... I wondered if it is all in my head and make myself calm down, breath deep but it just seems to be getting worse and thorughout the day.. I just wonder is there something in our environment, food, etc sparking our nervous systems to react in such a way? I have always been a "tough" girl and I have been through more than most people read about in their lifetime... just want it to go away and enjoy the rest of my life..I am a christian and pray alot and trust God, and do so in the midst of a panic attack.. but for some reason I still get them.. and I am not to shallow and I do beleive that God gave man the wisdom and knowledge and we have doctors to also help in treating and healing us.. I just want to figure this out so it will go away. So anyone with any suggestions I would welcome them.

Dear Kylie. It's the alcohol stupid. Quit drinking and you'll quit having those mean anxiety attacks. It's that simple.

Dear rocket, I think you are rude and lack empathy. those of us who have been there know better than to judge others, that includes calling them "stupid."

yes yes i get this same exact thing. i really hate it too. it doesnt happen everytime jus sometimes and i feel better when i down some water before i go to bed so i'll have some kinda rehydration back. but i think it is related with when your brain gets dehydrated as well as the rest of your body. i dont know if u know but ima say anyway that of course when u are dehdrated your organs can not function at ease they are all goin into overdrive and stressed and then that makes absolutely everything else in your body screw up. all the signals to your brain to signal things in the body to help put everything in overdrive. does this make sense? anyway therefore everything is stressed and causes anxiety times a million especially when u already have anxiety bc i know i do and i dont take anything for it bc i feel like i can handle it myself and i do well. but the night before when u are drinkin try downin some water between drinks even its a little bit and then before bed and make sure u dont start drinkin on an empty stomach. jus try that out and see bc it helps me.

Hello Kylie yes I gotreally hungover in tahoe last weekend and started to feel dizzy sweaty palms hard to breathe. Felt like passing out. What freaks me out my stomach hurts amd upset so when I checked the symptoms it says brain tumor so pretty scared. I'm back home and still have stomach issues and heartburn. Now today I feel like I have one and loosing my mind. I had this same feeling a year and a half ago

YES! every morning after i drink i get panic attacks!!!!

Hi Kylie, I suffer from extreme anxiety disorder and panic attacks, I used to drink (have not had a drink in three years), but when I used to drink, I would experience the same symptoms that you have explained in your blog. I thought I was going to die, I would have severe chest pains, my legs, arms and chest would go numb and I would get all tingly, I thought I was having a heart attack,and these symptoms would last for days and then I started to see a Psychiatrist and begin doing research on the effects of alcohol and anxiety disorder and panic attacks, and what I found out is that drinking is one of the worse things that you can do for this disorder, so I stopped drinking all together, (and it sounds like you have cut back) and my anxiety and panic attacks got better, I still suffer from them and am on treatment, but my suggestion is to try and stop drinking for a while and see if you notice a difference. I don't have the answer on why this happens, or if it happens to everyone or just some of us. But I know I that when I drank, my hangover's were really bad and could not shake it for days and I would be miserable for days sometimes weeks, and I suffered all the symptoms that you described. I hope this helped a little bit. I would like to be there for you and try and help, as I understand.

Kylie, I started having these symptoms a couple months ago! I am a 22 year old college student and have been drinkin for about 3 or 4 years! When i was in high school i went to doctors because of anxiety and they told me it was because my adreno (spelling) gland doesnt work therefore my body freaks out when i should be having an adrenaline rush! I got it under control in high school with a mild steroid that the doctors prescibed (only took it for 2 years)! Now all of a sudden its back and I can normally control it most of the time except after I drink! Drink gatorade or pedialite it helps with your electrolites!!! TONS of water and eat salty food which helps hold the water in your system! It is not a cure but it helps a little bit!

Be Well,be careful,and cut back a little,The sugars in alcohol and the soda or tonic or other mixers in drinks I read vcan be part of the problem.Can send a person right into an out brake real easy .Remember to stop and breath .

Kylie,

I have been experiencing these symptoms for a few years now. Anxiety runs in my family, and I never really had an issue with it until a few years ago. I had lost my job and was having trouble finding a new one. I was afraid I couldn't pay the rent. I felt out of control and I was drinking more than usual. I have been a beer drinker for over 10 years, mind you. I never had an anxiety issue about being hung over, or sober, before this stressful period. Thankfully, I got a job and it worked out. A few months later, I visited a doctor and cried in the office explaining how I was scared that something's wrong. He ran a physical and I was fine, he said my liver was alright too. I thought this would help ease my fear. Not entirely. So, I went to a Psychiatrist and she explained to me, that anxiety attacks kind of snowball over time, unless you control them. Once you start to have them you are programming the fear into your own head. We addict ourselves to it, even though it scares the hell out of us! A lot of people think that they are having a heart attack, and go to the E.R.. She taught me an exercize to handle it. Put your palms on your belly, fingers laced, and think of a nice relaxing place, then, inhale and hold for 10 seconds and release and exhale slowly. This breathing exercise will also help to calm you down. Similar to Yoga, which could help too. Try to take control of the situation. You are very capable of scaring the crap out of yourself, if you are trying to. The mind is very powerful and underestimated. Go the other way with it and focus on empowering yourself by not allowing this little terrorist into your head! Just remember that this will pass, you are fine. So, you had a bit too much fun. It's okay. I have also cut back on my drinking since, and it helps.

You are not alone! I have the same occurance after only 2 drinks and no hangover. It gets to the point where I get stressed out just thinking about having a drink! All I can tell you is the more drinks you have the worse off you are. Try to limit the amount of drinks you have and drink only when you are able to be home the following day this way you won't subject yourself to the horrors of your co-workers seeing you in full blown attack mode which only makes matters worse (I know from experience how upsetting this can be.) Just know that you are not alone in this and that there are PLENTY of other people out there going through the same thing. Take care Luisamarie