Valerian is produced in the form of tablets from compressed rhizomes of a plant or tinctures for alcohol. The compatibility of valerian and alcohol is often of interest to those people who suffer from insomnia, neurosis and irritability, and at the same time have the need for drinking strong drinks. The inability to refuse the compatibility of this drug and alcohol warns about the possible serious consequences for human health. Alcohol and valerian while taking it can provoke a fairly strong toxic effect on almost all body systems.
Talk about the use of this drug
Regardless of the form of release, the extract or the crushed leaves of the plant, the medicine has a pronounced sedative effect. Valerian in tablets or in alcohol tincture is an over-the-counter drug that can be purchased at any pharmacy at a relatively low cost. A package with 20 tablets will cost about a hundred rubles. On sale there are also options for valerian mixed with motherwort, St. John's wort and other herbs that can affect the nervous system and psyche. Tincture of valerian on alcohol (a 50 ml vial) will cost about fifty rubles. If other herbs are added to the infusion, the cost may be higher.
Valerian is most often taken by people aged both men and women. This tool is very popular among those who suffer from sleep problems, but for some personal reasons cannot get an appointment with a neurologist or somnologist in order to get a prescription for a more powerful drug. It is in such cases that the question often arises: is it possible to drink valerian with alcohol? In attempts to fight for a healthy sleep, people often mix more powerful sedatives with alcohol.
Can I drink valerian with alcohol or not? The answer to this question is strictly negative. The effects of strong drinks and valerian on the liver, nervous system, kidneys and psyche are described in detail below, both individually and when taken together.
Indications for use of valerian
The instructions for tincture and tablets say that this drug can be used in case of:
- insomnia and problems with changing phases of sleep (early awakening and every two to three hours, etc.);
- irritability;
- anxiety conditions;
- panic attacks of moderate severity;
- vegetovascular dystonia;
- bouts of unmotivated aggression.
Valerian infusion is a therapeutic drug. Depending on the dosage, it is characterized by a weak or moderate sedative effect on the human body, due to the effects of the essential oil included in the drops, a significant part of which is borneol ester.
Hotenin and valerin are present in the composition - these are alkaloids that have a moderate sedative effect. With regular admission, a person becomes calmer, acquires a more flexible psyche, responds easier to stimuli. Psychiatrists and neuropathologists can prescribe Valerian if the patient has not found any serious deviations and pathologies, but he is eager to take some pharmaceutical drugs in order to somehow establish a dream and problems with his emotional state.
The effect of alcohol on the nervous system and the body as a whole
Ethyl alcohol, which is part of any alcoholic beverage, is a powerful depressant. It and similar substances have an inhibitory effect on the central nervous system. And when using large doses, they cause relaxation of tension and inhibition. At the same time, for a short time, a person can become cheerful and cheerful. If he drinks a little alcohol and goes to sleep, then, of course, the toxic effect on the body will be less and almost imperceptible.
If a person regularly drinks alcohol, then we can safely say that his nervous system is not in order. Very often, at the first stage of alcoholism (and most patients deny its presence at home), sleep problems develop, not motivated aggression and irritability appear. A man tries to drown these manifestations by taking valerian, and alcohol continues to be present in his life. In the event of a complete rejection of alcohol, both the psyche and the nervous system would return to normal within a few months.
Stages of alcoholism
A healthy person will not have problems refusing to drink while taking medication, but it is he who has the question whether valerian can be drunk with alcohol, because he takes care of his health. What can not be said about people with alcohol addiction. So:
- Most patients in the first stage deny the presence of a problem. They consider themselves moderately drinkers, but at the same time they are not able to refuse to drink alcohol. Such people do not think, but you can mix valerian with alcohol or not. Of course, such a negligent attitude to taking medications is unacceptable, and can lead to poisoning, and as a result, the diagnosis of toxic hepatitis and problems with the cardiovascular system.
- In the second stage of alcoholism, almost every patient understands that he has serious problems. If you turn to a narcologist and start treatment, there is certainly a chance of recovery, which implies a complete rejection of alcohol. During the recovery period, it is recommended to take valerian with any other herbs, sometimes the narcologist can prescribe more serious prescription drugs to stabilize the emotional background.
- The third stage involves the incorporation of ethyl alcohol into the metabolism. A person already boldly mixes any drugs with alcohol in order to alleviate his condition. At this stage, irreversible damage to the internal organs that leads to death develops. A person dies from pancreatic necrosis, cirrhosis, hepatitis of alcoholic etiology, strokes and heart attacks are frequent, due to mental disorders due to the constant toxic effect of ethyl alcohol, people often resort to suicide.
Think about whether alcohol abuse is worth your life! Let us return to our topic on the compatibility of alcohol and valerian.
Talk about the negative effects
Many people often ask whether it is possible to drink alcohol after valerian or not, and not from scratch. A person with a healthy emotional background and a stable nervous system is unlikely to have such questions, since if he has some neurological diagnoses, he does not feel the need for alcohol. But there are all sorts of cases, for example, an unforeseen feast. He will not have any problems saying that there is no solid at the festive table in response to an offer to drink, but what if a little alcohol does not harm?
In our country, not all people are informed about the effect of alcohol on the body. Most believe that it only affects the liver. In fact, the cardiovascular and nervous systems suffer no less. A person thinks that irritability and anger appeared out of the blue and begins to take valerian. After alcohol, this action can provoke a deterioration in well-being and the so-called alcoholic coma. The double sedative effect of ethyl alcohol and hotenin leads to an excessive inhibitory effect, as a result, many neurons die off, and a person experiences even more intoxication (the nervous system is excessively depressed).
Contraindications to the combined use of alcohol and valerian
It is strictly forbidden to mix even in small doses to people who have the following diseases:
- Pyelonephritis and other inflammatory processes in the kidneys.
- Toxic hepatitis.
- Cirrhosis of the liver.
- Cardiovascular diseases.
- Digestive system disorders.
- Psychiatric ailments.
Double sedation makes taking impossible. People who are wondering if valerian can be drunk after alcohol, and do so, risk serious harm to their health. Liver cells, in addition, fight the metabolites of the breakdown of ethyl alcohol, and the effect of valerian exacerbates this process.
The effect of co-administration on the liver, pancreas and kidneys
Valerian stimulates the formation of gastric juice, alcohol also has such an effect. With the simultaneous penetration into the stomach of these substances, the synthesis of hydrochloric acid is greatly enhanced, which helps to increase the production of secretin, which begins its work in the duodenum.
As a result, chronic diseases are aggravated: pancreatitis, hepatitis, gastritis, and ulcerative pathologies. If a person is completely healthy, then the combined use of valerian and alcohol will contribute to the formation of the initial stages of these diseases, of course, they will develop over time, and not immediately.
The kidneys and bladder are also forced to wear out in this situation. After the metabolites of ethyl alcohol are neutralized by the liver, they still need to somehow leave the body of the unlucky patient of a narcologist, about 90% is excreted by the kidneys. This paired organ especially suffers if beer or wine was mixed with valerian.
The effect of unwanted tandem on the nervous system and psyche
Most people believe that alcohol primarily damages the tissues of internal organs. This is a true opinion, but do not forget about its extreme toxicity to the nervous system. With the regular use of alcohol, a person becomes nervous, anxious. Communication with him for loved ones turns into a real nightmare.
A person tries to drown out problems with the nervous system by taking valerian and other sedative herbs, drugs, and drinks. He overlooks the main problem, if you do not give up regular drinking, all attempts to stabilize the emotional state will be in vain. In the end, he simply spends time on futile attempts to improve his condition. When mixing alcohol with valerian, you can reduce intoxication, but the sedative effect increases many times. At high dosages of alcohol and valerian, a person falls into an alcoholic coma, that is, a deep, restless sleep for 10-14 hours.
First aid for people with alcohol and medicine poisoning
Consider the main symptoms of pathology. These include:
- Severe vomiting.
- Loss of coordination.
- Auditory and visual hallucinations.
- Inappropriate behavior.
- A person does not recognize his loved ones.
- A sound rest sound sleep.
- Severe pain in the epigastric region.
Drink as much water as possible and induce vomiting in order to cleanse the stomach as much as possible. If the medicine was taken a few hours ago and had time to assimilate, then you can not try to wash the stomach, it is useless. It is better to eat light food, take a bath, adhere to bed rest. Exclude physical activity, as this can provoke a heart attack or a jump in blood pressure.
If the pain in the epigastric region is unbearable, there is blood in the vomit, the patient suffers from hallucinations, then an ambulance should be called immediately. Qualified medical intervention is necessary, otherwise such conditions can result in death for the patient.
Medications for recovering from a toxic shock
If a person has ignored all the advice, and decided that it is possible to drink alcohol after valerian, then in the morning he will almost certainly suffer from the effects of intoxication.
There are a number of effective drugs that will help alleviate the condition and normalize the work of internal organs in a relatively short time:
- Regidron will help restore water-salt balance. This is a powder that should be diluted without residue in a glass of clean water and drunk every three to four hours after poisoning.
- “Essential” is a hepatoprotector that will help restore liver cells and establish its healthy functioning. Hepatoprotectors should be taken for a long time, for two to three months. The liver recovers long after intoxication.
- Cerucal can be taken if vomiting continues for more than ten minutes. This is a very dangerous condition, since the esophagus is exposed to stress, the veins and arteries in the tissues may not withstand and internal bleeding will begin. Therefore, it is better to stop bouts of vomiting.
- If a person suffers from anxiety, cannot fall asleep, and he is chased by panic attacks, a tranquilizer should be taken. These are prescription drugs, and to buy them you will have to visit a narcologist or psychiatrist, a neurologist to get a prescription. After mixing valerian or other drugs with alcohol, the psyche suffers very much, so do not be surprised that in the morning the emotional state will be extremely negative.
- If the stomach has stopped, then you can take a pill with enzymes - "Pancreatin", "Festal". The next morning after intoxication, you should eat light foods, avoid fatty and heavy foods.
So, in our article we learned about the possible negative consequences of combining taking valerian and alcoholic beverages. As you can see, they are serious, so do not tempt fate.