Good god he's lucky he didn't die. Years ago, I took one or two of those blue footballs and drank a big beer and was completely wrecked to the point I couldn't stand and walk. It took me 30 minutes to get a cup of water. I got learnt real quick not to do that again.
I have also seen coworkers completely change from abusing xanax, that shit is insidious.
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.
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