Alcohol and lithium

[MaryPoppins]

My husband works out of town and while out he picked up my very favorite wine. I'd love to have a glass or two but I have no idea how it works in conjunction with Lithium. Does anyone have any thoughts? I'm on other meds, and know how they operate in my system personally when I have a glass or two of wine, but the lithium has definitely scared the shit out of me. Any input would be oh so appreciated. Thanks guys!

[Mindful Momma]

probably not the best idea to combine the two. just my two cents.

[AirMarshall]

Being MI it's ideal not to drink at all.

There isn't any wildly dangerous interaction between etoh and lithium. However note that a common side effect of lithium is balance problems. alcohol on top of that can be problematic.

A common rule of thumb is to try to limit any drinking to 1 or 2 glasses a week. All things in moderation.

Cheers, a.m. (oops pun intended).

[raining]

I am no problems drinking on Lithium, though if I down my lith pills with a gin&tonic, I'll most likely puke them up.

I'm not a pharmacologist, but in my experience, moderate drinking plus lithium is tolerable; but then, some people cannot tolerate lithium solo at all, so I guess it all varies.

r.

[Penny Century]

the three meds that have messed the most with my drinking were effexor (made me drink more), lyrica (gave me 0 tolerance and hangovers) and lithium. lithium makes me MOODY when i drink and gives me wicked hangovers. that said, my doctor says a glass of wine at night is ok on lithium. he said that in regards to me, of course, knowing that usually i can drink quite a bit for my size with few consequences.

when in doubt, take it slow and be honest and just ask your doctor. they're usually fairly honest about the drinking issue as most understand that few people can just cut alcohol right out of their lives.

[crazynotstupid]

This is always one of those YMMV things--my doc says a drink or two is OK, for your body with the lith you can't know till you try. The only problem I ever really had was if I drank 8 or so beers the night before I was in the bathromm all the next day. (I know, I know, ONE or TWO drinks is okay...)

As long as you're not driving or operating heavy machinery i say give it a shot.

[Silver]

I would stick with one 4 oz glass for now; see how that goes.

The main issues for most people are additive sedation, gastric irritation, and dehydration. If you are newish to the lithium, the last two can be problematic anyway... so chase that wine with a big glass of water, take your lithium on a full stomach, and be aware that the combo may hit you hard.

The usual caveats of alcohol and any mental interestingness apply.

If you are going to high altitude - taking your wine on an exciting trip to Vail - that might not be a great fun time. Lithium plus high altitude (for lowlanders) is a problem, and lithium plus booze plus altitude can really leave a girl fun ducked up.

On a purely trivial note, I find that lithium gives me some weird dysgeusia/taste perversion, and dry red wines taste off to me. I'm OK with fruitier reds, and dry whites are OK. ??? Litihiated family members never had this problem, although one said that he didn't like Laphroaig any longer, switched over to Oban... you get the idea.

[Guest Guest]

blah blah blah. i take 1200mg of lithium and drink heavily every night. don't worry about it.

[Silver]

Blah blah blah indeed. You get there eventually. She asked because she was concerned. Some of us like to check things out first, dear anonymous guest. Starting at one and assessing response is prudent.

Part of that commitment to getting better thing.

[Guest Guest]

"Some of us like to check things out first, dear anonymous guest."

experimenting is always the best way to learn. sorry if that rubs you folks the wrong way.

*sigh*

[cynic]

While I was on lithium about a year ago the doctor said no alcohol whatsoever, as in NONE at all.

But then again, he was concerned I might drink too much. I don't see how 1 glass of wine can hurt, provided that you don't take them too close to each other.

But you should call your doctor or a pharmacist just to make sure.

[nalgas]

"Some of us like to check things out first, dear anonymous guest."

experimenting is always the best way to learn. sorry if that rubs you folks the wrong way.

*sigh*

There's a difference between experimenting and being a frickin' dumbass. Trying a small glass of wine and seeing how you react to that is an experiment (kind of by definition, even), and then you can base future "experiments" on the results of that. Quaffing the entire bottle just to see what happens when you haven't done it before on a new med is squarely in the latter category. Do you people even look at the words you're typing and figure out what they mean before hitting the button to submit your posts? You'd think common sense would be more...common, given its name.

[papertrees]

I had no problems drinking on lithium.... For what it's worth. I was drinking heavily on lithium and risperdal, lithium and lexapro, lithium and surmontil...

[Silver]

I had no problems drinking on lithium.... For what it's worth. I was drinking heavily on lithium and risperdal, lithium and lexapro, lithium and surmontil...

Um... I don't think I'd chalk that up as a success for the alcohol. Look at the constant there (drinking heavily.) Then look at the number of med trials.

You had problems drinking on lithium from what you describe. They may not have solely been secondary to that combination. Still, mixing booze and lithium didn't help the scene. You weren't seizing/blacking out/ [insert Erowid horror story of choice here.] But going through that many trials suggests that things weren't improving much.

[crazynotstupid]

blah blah blah. i take 1200mg of lithium and drink heavily every night. don't worry about it.

Funny how I mentioned drinking heavily and you ignored it--my point being, it can be done; my other point--don't do it just cuz I can. that woud be stupid

And one wonders how much better I'd feel if I'd just quit drinking...

[papertrees]

you have a point there... but i was switching meds because of psychotic episodes.. still, okay, sound advice would be don't drink on lithium.. that would be better, I guess.

[Ophelia]

you have a point there... but i was switching meds because of psychotic episodes.. still, okay, sound advice would be don't drink on lithium.. that would be better, I guess.

ever think drinking could have contributed a little?

[Spanophile]

It's hard to judge people for drinking if they are in middle of an episode. Now if they aren't and they complain that they are tired of being depressed, cycling, etc. yet continue to drink that's one thing. But I know, I'm not really a drinker (a beer every once in a great while) but if I'm manic I will drink a lot. Yes it makes it worse, but at that point, I'm not thinking clearly about anything at all!

[MaryPoppins]

Thanks for posting, all...I did call my pharmacist and he said it wasn't contraindicated with Lithium so I should be able to drink in moderation. So I had two glasses and called it good. It WAS good, by the way. LOL! Anyhow, thanks for your responses, I totally appreciate it.

[papertrees]

you have a point there... but i was switching meds because of psychotic episodes.. still, okay, sound advice would be don't drink on lithium.. that would be better, I guess.

ever think drinking could have contributed a little?

Maybe, a little bit.. So no, don't drink on lithium.

[Maychild]

I quit drinking altogether when I was initially on Lithium because it scared the hell out of me. Now I know that I could have a glass or two of wine and be fine. Bourbon, on the other hand, for as much as I miss it, I don't know... anyone drink hard liquor on Lithium? Or is it just a beer/ wine sort of thing?

[Silver]

Ethanol is ethanol.

It's just easier to drink more faster of the spirits. If that makes sense.

Measure your pours and keep an eye on it.

[Guest Rigwe]

Nothig from u idiots helped

[Guest]

Nothig from u idiots helped

neither did your face.

[Guest Carly Carmichael]

I've been on lithium, seroquel, and propranolol for about 2 years. I'm bipolar. I'm currently taking 300mg of seroquel and 900mg of lithium every day. I have a drug problem, and I started drinking about a month ago. I've been drinking daily since, smoking pot, and taking other drugs. I haven't noticed any negative mental or physical health effects that I wouldn't attribute to using drugs and alcohol in this way without being on lithium and seroquel. I've actually had very few problems besides a couple hangovers. I feel healthy (I work outside and have a very active lifestyle, and I'm 22 years old) and I do not feel manic or depressed. But I would assume mixing lithium with alcohol is bad for the liver, etc. :-D

[Guest]

I've been on lithium, seroquel, and propranolol for about 2 years. I'm bipolar. I'm currently taking 300mg of seroquel and 900mg of lithium every day. I have a drug problem, and I started drinking about a month ago. I've been drinking daily since, smoking pot, and taking other drugs. I haven't noticed any negative mental or physical health effects that I wouldn't attribute to using drugs and alcohol in this way without being on lithium and seroquel. I've actually had very few problems besides a couple hangovers. I feel healthy (I work outside and have a very active lifestyle, and I'm 22 years old) and I do not feel manic or depressed. But I would assume mixing lithium with alcohol is bad for the liver, etc. :-D

One is liver one is kidneys, The main thing is due to dehydration, if you don't drink enough water you can damage your kidneys.

[Guest Brianxx]

I had one pint of guiness last night and it kicked my butt. then woke up with hangover. from one beer plus lithium. sure it didn't kill me, but it wasn't worth it either.

[nibblerd]

I had one pint of guiness last night and it kicked my butt. then woke up with hangover. from one beer plus lithium. sure it didn't kill me, but it wasn't worth it either.

When I am not medicated, alcohol affects me oddly (in comparison to other young drinkers) depending on my mood and reason for drinking. When I am depressed, trying to "cut loose" and have a good time, it does not help at all. Instead, it has a sort-of psychedelic effect on me where I would just sit and watch everyone else, not able to join in. So I had another drink. And another. At the end of the night, all I'd done was drank 10 beers and sat in silence.

When I am elated, one beer makes me tipsy, two and I have having trouble walking, three+ and I am blacked out, acting ridiculous. It felt SO GOOD, but the people I was drinking with were rather.. worried, and a friend made me go home. I couldn't find my shoes, so I walked barefoot. He was telling me "You shouldn't ever drink, you are a bad drunk" and that just peeved me off, because I wanted to keep having fun, but he told me to go to sleep. Well, I got out of bed and started rolling around on the floor doing the "inch worm" as he puts it. Next morning I woke up with rather inexplicable rugburns on my forehead -- at least, until I ran into my roommates..

So because of those kinds of experiences, I just decided alcohol was definitely not for me. LSD and pot, however.. different story.

On lithium I had two beers and did not like it at all. It felt like a hellacious mixed episode. I wouldn't recommend combining non-prescribed psychoactive substances with mood stabilizers because it just doesn't work well.. If you feel the desire to drink, perhaps you are not stable yet.

[SashaSue]

I had one pint of guiness last night and it kicked my butt. then woke up with hangover. from one beer plus lithium. sure it didn't kill me, but it wasn't worth it either.

When I am not medicated, alcohol affects me oddly (in comparison to other young drinkers) depending on my mood and reason for drinking. When I am depressed, trying to "cut loose" and have a good time, it does not help at all. Instead, it has a sort-of psychedelic effect on me where I would just sit and watch everyone else, not able to join in. So I had another drink. And another. At the end of the night, all I'd done was drank 10 beers and sat in silence.

When I am elated, one beer makes me tipsy, two and I have having trouble walking, three+ and I am blacked out, acting ridiculous. It felt SO GOOD, but the people I was drinking with were rather.. worried, and a friend made me go home. I couldn't find my shoes, so I walked barefoot. He was telling me "You shouldn't ever drink, you are a bad drunk" and that just peeved me off, because I wanted to keep having fun, but he told me to go to sleep. Well, I got out of bed and started rolling around on the floor doing the "inch worm" as he puts it. Next morning I woke up with rather inexplicable rugburns on my forehead -- at least, until I ran into my roommates..

So because of those kinds of experiences, I just decided alcohol was definitely not for me. LSD and pot, however.. different story.

On lithium I had two beers and did not like it at all. It felt like a hellacious mixed episode. I wouldn't recommend combining non-prescribed psychoactive substances with mood stabilizers because it just doesn't work well.. If you feel the desire to drink, perhaps you are not stable yet.

Advising against, "combining non-prescribed psychoactive substances with mood stabilizers," whilst still smoking pot and taking LSD yourself? Hypocrite much?

[nibblerd]

I had one pint of guiness last night and it kicked my butt. then woke up with hangover. from one beer plus lithium. sure it didn't kill me, but it wasn't worth it either.

When I am not medicated, alcohol affects me oddly (in comparison to other young drinkers) depending on my mood and reason for drinking. When I am depressed, trying to "cut loose" and have a good time, it does not help at all. Instead, it has a sort-of psychedelic effect on me where I would just sit and watch everyone else, not able to join in. So I had another drink. And another. At the end of the night, all I'd done was drank 10 beers and sat in silence.

When I am elated, one beer makes me tipsy, two and I have having trouble walking, three+ and I am blacked out, acting ridiculous. It felt SO GOOD, but the people I was drinking with were rather.. worried, and a friend made me go home. I couldn't find my shoes, so I walked barefoot. He was telling me "You shouldn't ever drink, you are a bad drunk" and that just peeved me off, because I wanted to keep having fun, but he told me to go to sleep. Well, I got out of bed and started rolling around on the floor doing the "inch worm" as he puts it. Next morning I woke up with rather inexplicable rugburns on my forehead -- at least, until I ran into my roommates..

So because of those kinds of experiences, I just decided alcohol was definitely not for me. LSD and pot, however.. different story.

On lithium I had two beers and did not like it at all. It felt like a hellacious mixed episode. I wouldn't recommend combining non-prescribed psychoactive substances with mood stabilizers because it just doesn't work well.. If you feel the desire to drink, perhaps you are not stable yet.

Advising against, "combining non-prescribed psychoactive substances with mood stabilizers," whilst still smoking pot and taking LSD yourself? Hypocrite much?

I have a licence for marijuana and I don't consume LSD. It would kill someone on lithium. Don't be so "all up in my grill".

[SashaSue]

From what you said in your post, it was reasonable to assume you were still taking LSD. License or not, marijuana is a psychoactive substance, which you're taking with with mood stabilizers, whilst advising against drinking. Sorry, still strikes me as hypocritical.

And really, I didn't think people said, "all up in my grill," anymore. I haven't missed it, personally.

[crazynotstupid]

So if you're smoking weed, even with a license, I'm hoping you're letting your pdoc know? Anything that messes with the brain can mess with treatment, y'know.