Alcohol and Meds

I'm fairly new here and I've been surprised at how many people say that they drink while taking meds. Since I'm more frequently depressed than hypomanic I find that alcohol just makes me feel that much worse being a depressant itself. And hangovers suck big time! No escape.
How does it help you? And aren't you afraid of interactions? No judgements ~ just curious.

I drink every Friday night with my hubby. I only have a couple drinks and I have not had any bad reactions from it. But it is different for everyone so dont take this as advise. Its just what works for me.

No, I'm a recovering alcohol/addict so I never pick up no matter what. I was just remembering the awful things I've done in the past. Pretty out of control.

On mirtazapine I drank daily because the mood swings were every few hours and I just couldn't handle it. I tried seroquel added to the mirt. in between but made me too tired so I went back to alcohol. I never had any hangovers but I only drank straight whiskey. Ending up in the drunk tank a few times after blacking out was probably worse anyway though. First time I smashed my husbands truck window because he wouldnt let me jump out and second time the cops brought me right into mental health at the hospital in my ratty pjs the next morning and I was so messed that it didn't even bother me I just wanted to go drink again. Luckily I have a husband who loves me and a good therapist so I got help instead.

On wellbutrin I will have a few sips and absolutely no more I do not want to risk getting depressed again. I love feeling happy

I don't drink every week and when I do drink I have maybe 5 drinks then that's it. I drink at special occasion's like Christmas, Weddings, my Birthday, Summer BBQ's which are rare in Scotland lol! and that's roughly about it. As long as its not in excess then its cool. I have spoken to my mental health team and they agree too. Never have had a bad reaction to a med ever and I can't take anti-depressants so no worry there either

I have an occasional beer in the afternoon. When I go to New Orleans to visit family I drink ... more . Been ok so far.

Moderate drinking (1-2/day) shouldn't do much to affect a psych med regimen - generally speaking. But if it goes beyond that, or if you're on a certain few medications, much caution should be exercised.

I had a conversation about this with a previous (very good) psychiatrist. He wasn't so much concerned about specific med interactions. The thing that concerned him more was the potential for mood instability brought on by the alcohol use. If you throw yet another mood-altering variable in the mix while trying to find a stable mood regimen, it just confounds the ability for the psychiatrist to find a point of med-based stability.

Just my $0.02. Take it for what it's worth. Like you I'm in sobriety, so I don't mess with alcohol or other substances. That's probably the ideal state for someone trying to find stability, especially early in the process.

I used to drink every weekend, sometimes multiple times a weekend. I didn't really care about interactions. I wasn't on any sedating meds so whatever. It didn't affect my mood and I didn't get a hangover so it was fine.

I had to stop because I started depakote, which is processed through the liver. Now I'm not saying I will never drink again but I haven't in a month. I can't think of any special occasions coming up that I would drink for. I don't really miss it.

Well, my last bad spell I was abusing adderall. I had convinced my primary that I required more than I needed and it had to be immediate release. I would use it to feel better when depressed, sometimes even triggering hypomania. Then at night, I had trazadone for sleep but even 150 mg wouldn't bring me down far enough unless I added alcohol. This was not a healthy cycle and finally spooked me enough (was starting to see a junkie in the mirror) to come clean with my primary.

Before that, I would drink when depressed because it would let me stop thinking about all the stuff in my life that isn't as good as I would like it. I drank and watched Netflix or Amazon and all my attention was on the screen. It's like it put my subconscious mind to sleep. Zombies have no regrets.

Staying sober right now. Closing on 3 months. I have tried to quit 4 or 5 times and got stupid again each time after 6 to 18 months. I would convince myself I had proved I could handle it now.

Since I have been on meds I have stopped self medicating with alcohol. I don't miss it at all. My new addiction is diet mountain dew.

I was always very open about my alcohol use with my doctors. I told my psychiatrist and he wrote down "possible alcohol abuse" and my regular physician told me it was good I drink because new research was coming out saying people with my health conditions do better when they drink? I don't know what research he was reading but it was true I did better when drinking. I was attacked when young which started a PTSD response of agoraphobia and intense social phobia. If I drank, I could go out to dinner or the movies or the mall or to a party or function.....without drinking I cannot. I drank about 8-10 drinks one day a week typically.......I told my doctor and psychiatrist how important that day of drinking was for me.....to de-stress and let loose. I drank around 50 times a year. Once or twice something bad would happen but the other 48, I was living life more fully while also taking care of my responsibilities. I was a functional alcoholic if I was one. The reason I stopped was I got tired of the bad stuff and also my stomach is just too sick to handle it most of the time.

For many with bipolar, risk taking is part of the condition and for many, substance abuse is too. I was never told not to drink with my meds but some had warnings that alcohol could increase risks of things. I drank while taking the meds sometimes and my doctors knew this and didn't say anything. Every time we get on the freeway here where I live there are tons of cars flying down the road going 80 miles an hour in a death machine. It's very risky to be on the road.....one blown tire or swerve could kill many.....yet most of us get on that highway because the benefits outweigh the potential risks. It does not surprise me to hear people take a risk with meds and alcohol.......meds alone can cause bad reactions and are risky. Most people I know do something risky, they would be better served to not do. Of course we should not drink with our meds.....it's not a very smart decision but people are human, flawed and not always as self serving as we should be.

Good word, UpDownAround! I got tired of being STUPID!

I straight up asked my pdoc if I can drink alcohol on my meds. He's fine with it as long as I don't overdo it, which I don't.

Alcohol is a depressant hence why most Pdocs are against it and there are some meds that are true interactions.

I seldom drink , just not my thing.