How long after drinking can I take an ativan?

In this blog post, we are going to answer the question, “How long after drinking can I take an ativan?”. Ativan is a benzodiazepine which is used to treat anxiety and insomnia. 

This medication is associated with a number of side effects which can become much worse if you pair this med with alcohol. This blog will cover the dangers of using ativan with alcohol and what is the best time to drink alcohol, if you can at all.

How long after drinking can I take an ativan?

After drinking, you have to wait for alcohol to completely wash out of your system before you take an ativan. It is not advised to have these two together in your system even in minute quantities. Both ativan and alcohol have numbing effects on the brain.

Many experts have come forward over the years and have described the harmful effects of the concomitant use of alcohol and benzodiazepines. It can not only enhance the side effects of one another, but the combination can give rise to a number of unusual effects. 

People who are already living with some underlying health conditions can suffer significantly from this combination and it can even lead to life threatening complications. 

Several studies have indicated that benzodiazepines play an important role in alcohol cessation.the drug can be used to help control alcohol withdrawal symptoms. This indicates that both ativan and alcohol produce the same kinds of effects to some extent.

Make sure you cut back on alcohol as much as you can while you are being treated with ativan or any other benzodiazepine. If you have accidentally consumed these two together, immediately seek medical attention.

What are the dangers associated with the concomitant use of alcohol and ativan?

Both ativan and alcohol can be quite disturbing if used together and can give rise to a number of complications, some of which include:

• Depression and suicidal behaviour
• Blackouts
• Sensory and motor coordination impairment
• Ativan and alcohol toxicity
• Life-threatening respiratory depression
• Coma and death

Depression and suicidal behaviour

The most common and first to appear side effect of the concomitant use of alcohol and ativan is depression. As stated earlier, both ativan and alcohol are mind numbing. 

They both act on the inhibitory system which is controlled by inhibitory neurotransmitters and can cause depression. Depression is a condition associated with hopelessness, worthlessness, and sadness. 

This condition impairs your normal brain function and slows it down. Alcohol produces the same kind of effects. It suppresses your brain and your thinking capability. In short, alcohol enhances the symptoms associated with depression and gives rise to a life threatening mental health condition.

Alcohol tends to accelerate depression induced heart-sinking feelings, along with hopelessness, worthlessness, and a will to give up on everything. 

Ativan, on the other hand, enhances the action of GABA, which results in numbing the effects of excitatory or ‘happy’ chemicals in your system. 

When these two chemicals are consumed together, they completely mess up your system. 

The mental depression caused by this combination is much more pronounced than depression caused by these two individually. 

Various studies suggest that ativan and alcohol overdose have resulted in a number of people trying to take their life. This effect is much more pronounced in people who are addicted either to alcohol or ativan or both. 

Blackouts

Both alcohol and ativan have tiredness, fatigue, dizziness and drowsiness as common symptoms. When these two are taken excessively together, they cause extreme sedation, which could result in blackouts or unconsciousness. 

The blackout could last for hours and it dangerously slows your heart rate, blood pressure, breathing, and every other metabolic function in your body. 

Sensory and motor coordination impairment

Alcohol and ativan work almost in the same ways, the difference is just in the parts of the brain these two act on. Alcohol acts as a central nervous system suppressant and dulls down your brain. It clouds your thinking, judgement, decision making ability, speech and a couple of other functions. 

Ativan, on the other hand, works on enhancing the inhibitory effects of gamma aminobutyric acid (GABA), which is an inhibitory neurotransmitter and controls the excessive neuronal firing in your brain. 

When these two are taken together, this creates a number of sensory and motor disturbances, including impaired senses, impaired ability to identify threats, abnormal jerks, tremors, and inability to maintain balance. 

Ativan and Alcohol toxicity

The overdose of ativan and alcohol can have a drastic effect on your liver, an organ chiefly responsible for performing metabolic activities. 

It converts harmful active substances into their harmless inactive metabolites. Liver damage results in accumulation of these chemicals in your body which causes toxicity.

Life-threatening respiratory depression

Another complication associated with the concomitant use of ativan and alcohol is respiratory depression. Ativan and other benzodiazepines are well known for causing respiratory depression. 

This is exactly why these meds are contraindicated to be used in patients who are living with asthma or chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD). 

Alcohol, on the other hand, also causes respiratory depression which depends on how much you have drank it. Now, you can imagine how this combination can increase the chances of respiratory depression. 

This condition can become life-threatening for people who already have compromised respiratory functions. This is exactly why it is extremely important not to use alcohol with your prescription medications. Nothing good has ever come out of drinking and nothing ever will. 

Coma and death

The last stage of ativan and alcohol hangover is coma and death. These two together can slow down your brain up to the point where you can actually go into a coma or paralysis.

Experts suggest that once a patient slips into a coma following alcohol and benzodiazepine hangover, it is extremely difficult for him or her to come out of it. 

Several people have gone through that stage which resulted in brain death. Once your brain dies, your entire body, including your heart, begins to stop functioning. 

How to treat alcoholism?

Excessive use of alcohol is pretty common now-a days. No matter the age, people love to drink all kinds of alcoholic beverages while neglecting terrible side effects that come with it. Here, we are going to discuss a few methods that might help you cut back on alcohol. These include:

Detoxification 

Detoxification is just a technique to completely remove the effects of alcohol from your system. It is not a treatment plan, just a way to detoxify your system. 

Make sure you drink plenty of water during this time and seek help from the hospital as you might suffer from alcohol withdrawal symptoms when you try to cut back. 

Medications for alcohol cessation 

There are a few medications which are used to help cut back on alcohol, usually antagonists which help to counteract the effects of alcohol. These include:

• Naltrexone
• Topiramate
• Disulfiram
• Gabapentin
• Acamprosate

Counselling 

Counselling helps to mentally prepare you to stop drinking. Psychologists lay down all the side effects and consequences associated with alcoholism.

This can help you understand how it can ruin your life and is capable of taking you to the point of no return. Many people have gained beneficial effects from counselling. 

Support groups

If you suffer from alcoholism, you can try to be a part of a support group. Such groups provide a platform for people to come out in the open. You can listen to other people’s stories and can realise how alcoholism has been ruining lives for decades now. It could become a turning point for you. 

Find a reason not to drink

Look for a reason to be mentally aware. Look where you are needed and what responsibilities you’re leaving behind. You’re needed by your parents, your partner, your friends, your children (if any) and most importantly you, yourself. 

You are a reason enough to stop drinking and opt for a better lifestyle. You need yourself the most. Is it worth wasting your life like that? It is something for you to think about. 

Conclusion 

In this blog post, we have discussed the dangers of the concomitant use of alcohol and ativan. After drinking, you have to wait for alcohol to completely wash out of your system before you take an ativan. It is not advised to have these two together in your system even in minute quantities. 

Both ativan and alcohol have numbing effects on the brain. Ativan and alcohol together can cause extreme sedation which can slow down your heart rate, breathing rate, blood pressure and your several other metabolic functions. Make sure you try to cut back on alcohol and avoid using it with your anti-anxiety medication. 

FAQs: how long after drinking can i take ativan

Can I take Ativan the day after drinking?

After drinking, you have to wait for alcohol to completely wash out of your system before you take an ativan. It is not advised to have these two together in your system even in minute quantities. Both ativan and alcohol have numbing effects on the brain.

Many experts have come forward over the years and have described the harmful effects of the concomitant use of alcohol and benzodiazepines. It can not only enhance the side effects of one another, but the combination can give rise to a number of unusual effects. 

Can I drink 12 hours after taking Ativan?

It is not recommended to drink alcohol at all when you’re being treated with benzodiazepines. Both ativan and alcohol can be quite disturbing if used together and can give rise to a number of complications. Make sure you cut back on alcohol as much as you can while you are being treated with ativan. If you have accidentally consumed these two together, immediately seek medical attention.

How long till alcohol is out of system?

Alcohol has a half life of about 4 to 6 hours. It means that the concentration of alcohol is reduced to half after this time period. The remaining amount is further reduced to half in the next 4 to 6 hours. This process keeps on ongoing until the alcohol is completely washed out from your body. 

How long does 1mg Ativan last?

Ativan is a short acting benzodiazepine and it starts working as soon as 20 to 30 minutes. However, it does not last that long in the body and this is exactly why it is more likely to cause an addiction. The effects of this drug starts to wear off in about 5 to 7 hours and you again feel the urge to take another ativan tablet because of the way it makes you feel all calm and relaxed. 

What are the side effects of alcohol? 

The most common side effects of alcohol include:

• Drowsiness 
• Nausea
• Vomiting
• Euphoria
• Impaired judgement
• Loss of appetite 
• Inability to make decisions 
• Inability to speak or walk properly 
• Blackouts 
• Motor impairment 
• Dizziness
• Tremors
• Severe headache

References 

• L E Hollister. Recent Dev Alcohol. (1990) – Interactions between alcohol and benzodiazepines https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/1970665/
• A W Chan. Drug Alcohol Depend. (1984) – Effects of combined alcohol and benzodiazepine: a review https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/6148224/
• National University hospital – lorazepam https://www.nhs.uk/medicines/lorazepam/ 
• Ativan and Alcohol – Dangers of Mixing The Two Substances https://americanaddictioncenters.org/ativan-treatment/mixing-alcohol