[SingDanceRunLife]

How many of you guys are on meds but still drink?

I've been on meds consistently for about a year and a half now, and I'll be honest -- I've definitely gone out and drank.

I'm not a big drinker -- I usually have 2-3 drinks about once a month, or the occasional glass of wine, but it's not like I avoid alcohol altogether. I mean, I am a college student, and I enjoy the taste of some drinks.

I just discovered though that I really can't drink anymore. Last night, I had 1 drink (a Mike's Hard Lemonade -- so not even anything with a lot of alcohol, they have 5% alcohol), and I took my meds...and then, it hit me. I started feeling like I had more drinks than I did and feeling super sick. Lesson learned. Don't drink when you take Seroquel (IR). I was fine drinking when I was on XR, but that was then and this is now.

I'm a little hesitant to answer this but I will with a caveat... we're all different and we take different meds so your mileage may vary.
I don't drink now but there was a time when I had one or two drinks 4 to 5 nights a week. I worked in clubs and it was free so... at any rate it didn't affect my condition, my work, or impair my driving.
But like I said... we're all different.

[SingDanceRunLife]

Originally Posted by George H.

I'm a little hesitant to answer this but I will with a caveat... we're all different and we take different meds so your mileage may vary.
I don't drink now but there was a time when I had one or two drinks 4 to 5 nights a week. I worked in clubs and it was free so... at any rate it didn't affect my condition, my work, or impair my driving.
But like I said... we're all different.

I wasn't asking for advice or whether or not I can drink. I was just asking if others drink while on meds.

As I said, I apparently can't drink anymore.

Originally Posted by SingDanceRunLife

I wasn't asking for advice or whether or not I can drink...

I understand that and I didn't offer you any advice I just want to make sure nobody else who may read this thread thinks that just because I did it that they can too.

[NOS-NOS]

For me I have found in the past that I could drink almost normally, but if I do so within a certain time period of a dosage change the effects are magnified (as if my brain can't handle adjusting to a new level of medication and inebriation simultaneously). BTW I'm on risperdal, 6mg now. I haven't drank recently because I only upped the dosage less than a month ago. That said, I am considering staying away from alcohol completely, out of fear of symptom return or of saying something dumb or otherwise having lack of control over my words and actions. It seems this time around the meds aren't as effective as they once were, perhaps because I've been lowering and upping, lowering and upping, e.t.c. trying to get off this stuff but to no avail.

[Odee]

I have never drank while I wasn't on meds, lol!

This summer was my first experience drinking and I was on a convuluted combo of Remeron, Effexor, and Wellbutrin. I got really goofy after 5 drinks and lost it after a couple more -- panic attacks, mostly. (Spend a night crying because the cemetery across the street scared me, and then cried over that my BF's dog was sad and lonely left at his house outside.) Made me really conclude that I might not be 'well' enough to be messing with alcohol. I learned that 3-4 drinks and then 5 after a while was maybe the best drunk zone for me -- giggly and cheerful for no apparent reason. :P

However, I think since starting Lamictal (all I'm on now) drinking has become awfully boring-- I feel that I'm drunk and clumsy, but no happiness or mirth, or giggly or anything...I drank maybe 9 or 10 the other night and there wasn't much of a change at all. But no anxiety at least!! And I haven't been getting hang overs at all. My BF says I'm bored because I only ever drink with him; my experience with drinking with other people has been hell. They get completely trashed and act like jackasses. So, perhaps I'll be bored until I find some good drinking buddies.

I also set myself to drinking once a week. However, like I said, it's gotten boring enough lately that all I want is 2 drinks on a Friday night after work...

[-jimi-]

The blunt truth. I drink on my antidepressant, and on my benzos. Yup.

It works well. Maybe because I drink fairly little (never drink to get drunk). Also I should say this is not a habit, it is a now and then thing.

This is just me and others might have BAD reactions.

[Miss Laura]

Ye I still drink but like you I am not a big drinker so I personally don't think it's an issue for me to drink as well it is once in a blue moon. I take Sereqol XR and I find it makes no difference??

It's your choice to drink or not obviously Doctor's and other professionals tell us not to but well, we are all human

[-jimi-]

My doc never told me anything and there is just a warning for the benzo med, not for the other one.

[LadyShadow]

I told my T I have the occasional drink when im out with friends. What I failed to mention is that I would occasional pick up a whole bottle and drink it. I would wait for the high and the slight hangover to go away then take my meds and go to sleep.

This is not smart I dont think, but I did it anyway.

At this point I got out of my funk and no longer need the alcohol. Im on a health kick where I am trying to lose weight and I dont want to put on the calories.

Plus I think it isnt a good idea, and eventually mixing the meds (especially the ambien) with the alcohol was going to catch up with me.

Good luck to you, and just be smart about it, but like someone said we are all human, sometimes we just want to unwind.

[Gretchen]

Funny thing.... I was always able to handle drinking with all the illicit drugs I did and drugs not prescribed for me (yes I know stupid) but NOW after my legal nightly pill cocktail of an anti-psychotic, anti-convulsant, and two (2) anti-depressants... ONE beer kicks my ***

*cough* ...of course I am much older too *cough*

[Odee]

Gretchen: Yes, my boyfriend was on Lexapro for a short time and he said he only needed one drink to feel drunk while he was on it. Considering that alcohol acts like serotonin in your system, then maybe it makes sense that ADs and other meds amplify it so much.

Originally Posted by jimrat

My doc never told me anything and there is just a warning for the benzo med, not for the other one.

My psych just told me to keep it in the two drink range. Which isn't much fun at all, really.

Also, lamictal only has a warning about alcohol intensifying effects, not a big "DO NOT TAKE ALCOHOL WHILE TAKING THIS MEDICATION" warning on ADs and the like.

[cherpear]

I wished I could stop drinking after just one or two.. Don't know if it's my new meds (Viibryd) but I have had two horrible nights this week. Total blackouts. I hate it. My husbands hates it worse. The cycle of shame, embarrassment, and swearing to never do it again start back up. Major Failure!

[Umbral_Seraph]

Yeah, I've done that a couple of times, and with meds that actually said to not drink. Hahaha Despite that I could still down eight...

[sugahorse1]

I haven't made any changes to my drinking habits since I started on meds. And I do drink close to 5 days a week, even if it is only 1 glass of wine.
But I definitely have noticed that I can't drink as much as I used to (when we go out with friends or have more than 1 drink).

[nicoleb2]

I don't drink that often, but when I do, I have a pretty high tolerance for alcohol. I also have a very high tolerance for meds, so it's probably just the way my body metabolizes everything

[-jimi-]

I've had a very high tolerance to alcohol and benzos, even before I started using them. Born that way. Low tolerance to most other meds and super low tolerance to antihistamines. Luckily I now take Luvox which actually makes my reaction to benzos fairly normal.

[hamster-bamster]

I have never been drunk in my life. Alcohol does absolutely nothing to me at all. When I do drink, socially, my meds are just as effective.

I am thinking of starting to drink one glass of red wine a day for health protection reasons, and my GP agrees that it would be a good idea but I will run it by my p-doc first.

[Hellion]

I have recently gotten on meds, still trying to get the proper dosage and work out how early I should call in for a re-fill so I don't end up having to wait a week like the last time. But yeah I am prescribed Clonazepam and Mirtazapine and I still drink not exactly regularly.

But yeah the clonazepam seems to lower my alcohol tolerance for sure not so sure how the other effects that but on the bottle it says drinking can increase drowsiness so it could factor in to. But yeah I used to regularly drink and actually kind of recently cut down to maybe once or twice a week if that and with the meds I drink less....can't handle as much as I normally would be able to.

[Atlantis]

I've experimented with alcohol on every psych med I've taken. Alcohol gives me a sense of peace, but it also majorly messes with my motivation, I've found recently. Paroxetine and alcohol has been the most effective combination, but I now binge once a week and then function better the following few days. I've tried not drinking for over a month in hope I would be prescribed bupropion again as it was working in the past, but alas. I find ziprasidone helps assuage my cravings, but nothing like benzodiazepines do. I just need to keep myself occupied and hope my mind agrees.

[Odee]

Gotta say, I've been a hell of a lot better drinker with mirtazapine and wellbutrin no longer in my system -- just lamictal. No panic attacks or odd behavior. Just good and drunk.