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Alcohol & Benzodiazepines Use

The following recommendations may be helpful to extend or improve the results of mental health treatments provided by Wells Medicine and may be helpful on their own. These supplementary resources and advice are not exhaustive and do not serve as medical advice or substitute for medical care.

Alcohol and benzodiazepines (often called benzos) use appear to make low-dose ketamine treatments less effective. Benzos like Xanax, Ativan, Ambien, Valium, Klonopin, and others are commonly prescribed as anti-anxiety medications and sleeping pills. Neither alcohol nor benzos are good for treating the root causes of symptoms – instead they generally mask the symptoms so that you are less likely to notice or care about the symptoms, and possibly the enjoyable things in life as well. 

In general, the less alcohol or benzodiazepines a patient can realistically take, the better for their health and for improving the results of low-dose ketamine treatments for mood disorders. The following are resources for learning more about how alcohol and benzodiazepines work and accessing help for decreasing or stopping use.

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Consider asking your doctor about these medications that may be helpful for managing alcohol consumption and withdrawal symptoms

  • Ozempic (semaglutide), Tirzepatide, or Acamprosate to curb alcohol cravings.
  • A low dosage of Naltrexone to curb alcohol craving by reducing ‘reward’ of drinking.
  • B3 vitamins or NAD Therapy to decrease withdrawal symptoms.
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