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Dr. Bob is Robert Hsiung, MD,
bob@dr-bob.orgShown: posts 1 to 11 of 11. This is the beginning of the thread.
Posted by panic_attack on January 28, 2004, at 11:54:19
I am starting to worry. I drink pretty often, and I also take medication. I have been taking medication for years and I have been drinking for years! I take Lexapro 5 mg and Risperdal .5 mg a day. I drink 2-3 times a week. I take my Lexapro in the morning, then I go out late at night and drink. What could happen? Am I killing myself slowly?
I wish I could get off medication. It's so hard. Im starting to think of trying natural stuff but I don't think that stuff works. I have anxiety and panic attacks... anyone know of natural remedies that work WONDERS? So I can get off all this damn medication. Thanks Guys :)
Posted by helenag on January 28, 2004, at 13:59:58
In reply to ALCOHOL with MediCaTioN??, posted by panic_attack on January 28, 2004, at 11:54:19
Dear Panic: You don't say how much you drink, but that you drink you up to three times a week. It's not really a good idea to drink when you are taking psych meds. Alcohol gets in there and competes with the neurotransmitters. It's my understanding that booze undermines the effects of the drugs.
After all, alcohol is a depressant.On a personal note, I've never felt better when drinking and taking meds at the same time. Maybe I thought I would feel better with the booze, but it never happened. The meds on their own did a better job in helping my emotional state.
As for natural substances, I have no knowledge. Dr. Bob has an alternative med site on this web page that you can click on. I am sure someone will direct you to it. You could try cutting the booze out for a month and seeing if your meds work for you.
Am not sure if you have two troubles here: the meds and the alcohol or wanting off the meds to a "natural" product while still drinking. Do you need to clarify just what you want?
Helen.
Posted by panic_attack on January 28, 2004, at 14:37:12
In reply to Re: ALCOHOL with MediCaTioN?? » panic_attack, posted by helenag on January 28, 2004, at 13:59:58
Right now I just want to get off my my medication. I am gaining too much weight and because I like to drink. Im a musician and every time we have a show, I drink and I only drink beer. I would say 6 beers x 2 times a week. I want to try natural solutions and see if they are as effective as an SSRI. I am tired of being fat! Thanks for your response :)
Posted by ditzypixy on January 28, 2004, at 16:26:38
In reply to ALCOHOL with MediCaTioN??, posted by panic_attack on January 28, 2004, at 11:54:19
alcahol and tranks is totally mental. i usually end up having blackouts and doing crazy stuff,like the time i ended up on a flight to iceland with a packet of m n ms.
Posted by helenag on January 29, 2004, at 17:20:04
In reply to Re: ALCOHOL with MediCaTioN??, posted by panic_attack on January 28, 2004, at 14:37:12
Who prescribed the meds for you? Do you see the doctor from time to time to check on your progress? Meds react differently with everyone; however, I am a bit surprised that the combination you are on should be putting that much weight on you. I would suspect the beer calories first before the meds, actually. But, like I said, you may be responding to the meds in a way that has caused this; ask the doctor or a pharmacist.
Sounds to me like you need a good check up with a good pdoc (psychiatrist). Tell him or her your concerns and that you want to try a natural alternative. Also let him or her know the weight gain trouble you are having with your current drugs.
If, as you said in your previous post, (if I recall correctly) you have been on these meds for a long time, it's best not to take yourself off of them cold turkey or without some medical guidance, especially the Lexapro.
Good luck to you....helen.
Posted by omegon on January 29, 2004, at 23:39:23
In reply to Re: ALCOHOL with MediCaTioN??, posted by ditzypixy on January 28, 2004, at 16:26:38
> alcahol and tranks is totally mental. i usually end up having blackouts and doing crazy stuff,like the time i ended up on a flight to iceland with a packet of m n ms.
Yikes. Maybe I shouldn't worry quite so much about the various weird and wacky effects that paroxetine, efexor and fluoxetine have had on me - when combined with alcohol - over the last few months. (At least, that's what I'm blaming.)
After all, I've only been dropping bits of paper out my 22nd floor window, burning stuff, turning off the water to other floors in my apartment block, stealing traffic cones, and so forth. Seems relatively harmless by comparison.
I don't have any m&m's, so I can't possibly go to Iceland. Nevertheless, it's nice to have a sort of reference point for my more "interesting" behaviour, since I seem to have got away with it so far, aside from the dent in the car and the £450 parking fines. Maybe I should just walk. Oh, and the above confession. Oops.
Posted by francesco on January 30, 2004, at 17:32:02
In reply to Re: ALCOHOL with MediCaTioN??, posted by ditzypixy on January 28, 2004, at 16:26:38
> alcahol and tranks is totally mental. i usually end up having blackouts and doing crazy stuff,like the time i ended up on a flight to iceland with a packet of m n ms.
One of the best stories I have ever heard : D
I was on Wellbutrin ten days and I got drank every day ... One evening I made sex on a scooter ... I mean, I was driving the scooter ... and I drived for half an hour ... It all ended up in a public street with an old lady who threatened to call the police ... and I just didn't care
I made a crash with the scooter in those days, against a low wall ... mmm ... there was no one else in the street, let aside the wall, so I think it was my fault ... or the scooter was cursed ... but by caution I quit the wellbutrin ;-) but I was sober when I crashed !
Posted by francesco on January 30, 2004, at 17:45:29
In reply to ALCOHOL with MediCaTioN??, posted by panic_attack on January 28, 2004, at 11:54:19
> I am starting to worry. I drink pretty often, and I also take medication. I have been taking medication for years and I have been drinking for years! I take Lexapro 5 mg and Risperdal .5 mg a day. I drink 2-3 times a week. I take my Lexapro in the morning, then I go out late at night and drink. What could happen? Am I killing myself slowly?
I don't think you're killing you slowly. I did the same thingh for years with Anafranil. The more you think about it the more you'll drink. The problem is: why are you drinking so much ? maybe social anxiety ? maybe your therapy isn't working as expected ? could you drink one or two glasses instead of three or four ?
I mean everyone knows that you should not drink with meds but obsessing about it, and I did it too, is worse. Just avoiding driving and consider that you can get drunk more easily. If you start to think you *can* drink if you want, I suspect you'll drink less ;-)
Posted by dragonfly25 on January 30, 2004, at 18:51:28
In reply to Re: ALCOHOL with MediCaTioN?? » panic_attack, posted by francesco on January 30, 2004, at 17:45:29
they say you shouldn't drink, but is it really a big deal? i have always wondered if it was just an overly cautious warning...anyone know how bad it is?
Posted by helenag on January 31, 2004, at 14:56:04
In reply to is drinking really that bad?, posted by dragonfly25 on January 30, 2004, at 18:51:28
Drinking while on pysch meds is never advisable. It is always best to ask one's doctor for advise on whether or not one can drink and if so, how much and how often.
That said, (the ideal) many of us have not followed the warnings on the little stickers stuck to the vials of our prescriptions, have we??
It's been my bitter experience that alcohol interferes with SSRI's, atypical antipyschotics, and depakote and topamax to some degree. However, this was heavy, sustained drinking.
Alcohol is a natural depressant. If you are taking a med for depression, then drinking booze, you are, it seems, canceling the effect of the medication.
The thing is that a lot of folks with mood disorders use alcohol to help alleviate some of those mood problems. It is a hard crutch to move away from, even after taking meds.
Anyone else care to comment??
Posted by theo on January 31, 2004, at 16:38:39
In reply to is drinking really that bad?, posted by dragonfly25 on January 30, 2004, at 18:51:28
I've been sober for about 9 months and YES, drinking is bad with AD's. First of all, I've had completely better, more positive experience with them sober then when I was drinking and taking them. Also if you drink on a regular basis your liver is obviously working overtime and meds don't clear well. I had a big scare when I was drinking and taking Paxil. I had my cholesteral checked and liver enzymes and my doc thought I had liver cancer or permanent liver damage, which is one of the reasons I stopped drinking. When I was drinking without meds, liver enzymes were elevated, when drinking with meds, they were off the charts. After two months of not drinking and continuing Paxil, my enzymes were normal, I was very relieved and decided from then on to stick with my meds and stop drinking alchohol. It was tuff because I'm single, socially active and 39 but it can be done.
This is the end of the thread.
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