Alcohol potentiates the effects of benzos to an insane degree- benzos are not water soluble, so when taken without booze you get very little of the drug into your system.
But if you wash it down with a beer or vodka, it causes the drug to "separate" more and get into your bloodstream, along with the alcohol.
Interestingly, grapefruit and omeprazole (an anti-heartburn medication, over the counter) also potentiate benzodiazapines. There's a warning on the prescription bottle to not take with grapefruit juice.
I have always wondered about the grapefruit juice warning with medications, but I have been to lazy to actually read why it's dangerous.
There's some kind of enzyme that increases the effect of a multitude of drugs, including blood pressure and cholesterol medications.
I first learned this when caring for my elderly grandmother, doling out her daily medications. She always liked to eat half a grapefruit with breakfast, and I told her to stop until we could clear it with her doctor.
For that particular medication at that dosage, and with my grandmother specifically, it was okay to eat half a grapefruit a day for her. It might not be the same for everyone.
That exact scenario played through my mind and made me shudder. It's one thing if you're drinking and taking it, you know you're getting fucked up big time. Someone eating a grapefruit is prime for a potential sneak attack. Scary thought
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