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Alcohol hangover and medication

Tue, 02/09/2010 - 19:24

Hi. I have had two grand mal seizures in my life. One when I was 18 and another, a year ago, when I was 22.  Now I am 23. Both of these seizures happened after a night of very heavy drinking. Those two times were the worst hangovers I have ever suffered in my life. After the first one when I was 18, I had an EEG done and it showed no abnormalities. I continued partying and drinking heavily on the weekends for over four years and nothing bad happened until last year when I had my second seizure. I had an EEG done again and this time it showed abnormalities. My doctor sayd that i should go on medication. But i refused and told her that we should see what happens in the next months. Now almost a year has passed and I have had no seizures. I do not consider myself an epileptic. Rather a low seizure threshold maybe? For a long time I did not drink a drop of alcohol, but during the last few months I have started to drink again... I have tried to avoid hangovers by drinking a lot of water and taking magnesium and multivitamins and getting a good long sleep after drinking alcohol. But still, even when I feel almost no hangover the next day, I still take xanax or diazepam a couple of times during the day but they work like tranquillizers and make me feel very sleepy and tired for the whole day. My question is: what AED would be good for me to take during the next day after drinking? What would be a good choice to take for just one day since i don't need medication normally, I am not having any seizures. But for the hangovers... I need some drug to make me feel safe. I know... i probably shoud not drink, but with my personality, the neuroticism and anxiety, I sometimes NEED to get drunk on a weekend...

So, what drug would you recommend for that kind of occasional use? I have been doing some reading and it seems that pregabalin would be good to raise GABA levels in the brain after drinking. I am quite sure that hangover seizures are a result of low GABA levels after drinking (that is why I take xanax or diazepam, to raise my gaba levels, to feel safe and not be afraid of a seizure).

English is not my native language, I hope everything I wrote is understandable.

Comments

Re: Alcohol hangover and medication

Submitted by Pamus on Tue, 2010-02-09 - 23:05

Darlin', the best thing you can do for yourself is to stop drinking any alcohol at all.

Truly. 

Alcohol damages the brain.  Add it to daily drug intake and you're self-destructing, like C-3P0 short circuiting.

 Shit. Xanaz and diazepam.  Get help, Darlin'. Get help.  You will do SO MUCH BETTER when you get off that shit.

 Wishing you the best!

 from the Heart of Texas

Darlin', the best thing you can do for yourself is to stop drinking any alcohol at all.

Truly. 

Alcohol damages the brain.  Add it to daily drug intake and you're self-destructing, like C-3P0 short circuiting.

 Shit. Xanaz and diazepam.  Get help, Darlin'. Get help.  You will do SO MUCH BETTER when you get off that shit.

 Wishing you the best!

 from the Heart of Texas

Re: Alcohol hangover and medication

Submitted by digitalbath on Wed, 2010-02-10 - 06:42
Seems like I didn't express myself clearly. I am not "on diazepam". I only take xanax or diazepam a couple of times a month, the day after drinking to raise GABA levels in my brain so I could feel safe and not be afraid of a seizure. My question was: what kind of an antiepileptic drug would be good for such occasional use? My guess was maybe pregabalin? I would be very thankful if someone would give me a good suggestion.

Re: Alcohol hangover and medication

Submitted by bduris on Fri, 2010-02-12 - 22:56
What I hear you saying is that you are always afraid of seizures , particulary when drinking, so you try and control a possible seizure after drinking by doing more drugs. Why do you drink in the first place, you say neurotic..what is that, it is an old catch all label for something that is not recognized in the medical field today. So it is probably at term that is a catch all in the public sector. Sounds like an excuse to drink, there are other ways to lessen your "neurotic" smptoms that are used as a reson to drink. There is no magic drug like you want and the alcohol is more destructive and addictive, than more simplistic ways to treat anxiety or fear as it is really called.  Your dealing with what will or will not make you in the future.  Rely on Neurologist not your biased, irrational thinking., as all of your drugs are addictive.  Ask someone who has comes off of diazepam after years of use.... not a pretty sight or experience.   Fix your anxiety response

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