[thelostone0409]

I am trying to get a psychologist because I am dealing with depression and severe anxiety. I have been on many anti depressants and anti anxiety medications in the past but am hoping for something a bit stronger.

I have been drinking quite a bit lately (I plan to stop when I get the medication) but am worried if I tell my new psychologist this they will not give me any medication.

Can this happen? Will they actually not give me medication because of this? Even if I say I will stop? I do drink quite a bit, not just a little but again plan to stop once I get the medicine.

[pinkflower17]

Originally Posted by thelostone0409

I am trying to get a psychologist because I am dealing with depression and severe anxiety. I have been on many anti depressants and anti anxiety medications in the past but am hoping for something a bit stronger.

I have been drinking quite a bit lately (I plan to stop when I get the medication) but am worried if I tell my new psychologist this they will not give me any medication.

Can this happen? Will they actually not give me medication because of this? Even if I say I will stop? I do drink quite a bit, not just a little but again plan to stop once I get the medicine.

There's a real possibility they may not give you like a benzo if you're drinking, even if you tell them you plan on stopping once you get meds. I don't see that preventing them from prescribing something like an SSRI. They're relatively, relatively safe with alcohol. Don't let that prevent you from telling your prescriber you drink however. a) stopping drinking suddenly is dangerous and should be done under a doctor's supervision and b) the combo of benzos and alcohol is dangerous and can be lethal. They need to know. Be honest so you can get the help you need.

[fruitbat22]

Honestly, they are probably going to have you slowly reduce your alcohol consumption. Sometimes I drink and it hits me so hard. It does NOT sit well with my antidepressants and I get out of my mind pretty fast. I have a friend who practically downs a bottle of Bacardi with her SSRI though and it doesn't seem to affect her that much. I guess its person to person. But definitely be honest with your doctor.

[kiwi33]

In a pharmacological sense alcohol is depressant.

In my opinion, having two drugs in your body at the same time (alcohol and an antidepressant) which "fight each other" is not a good plan.

[Danny Leary]

Yes, telling them you drink will more than likely limit the types of medications they will be willing to give you. As someone already pointed out, drinking on certain meds is relatively safe, with others it can be fatal.

I know it's not completely relevant, just a bit of a peeve; while alcohol is a depressant, it's a depressant in the sense that it slows down the central nervous system - I know it sounds like the opposite of "antidepressant," but the term depressant is not referring to clinical depression. That being said, alcohol does indeed often stop antidepressants from working properly.