persephonelawson Posted October 29, 2011 Share Posted October 29, 2011 hi there, I'm currently on (as my signature says( 250mgs of lamictal and 100mgs of topamax. I take the lamictal in the morning and the topamax at night before bed, I really would like a drink : I've been looking all over the place and the standard answer is - drinking will potencialize (spell???) the effect of the medicine...oh duh but what does that actually mean????? Is it dangerous ? I know mixing alcohol and meds is always pottencially dangerously but I am not driving or operating heavy machinery,,,dont plan on getting f**** drunk...just would really like a beer or a homemade vodka and orange juice... so...anyone as any input from experience? a) don't drink b)skip tonights dosage and drink c) drink first and then take tonights dosage after the acohol effect has tapered off d) take the medicine first and then drink e) none of the above sorry , excuse my awful spelling/grammar - topamax thanks again P Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
hallowedink Posted October 29, 2011 Share Posted October 29, 2011 Hmm... my personal opinion would be to not drink, but that's because I don't think alcohol + MI is a good idea. I don't know how it would interact with your meds. I imagine having one drink would be fine, but don't drink in excess. N Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Anna Posted October 29, 2011 Share Posted October 29, 2011 I think step one would be 1) discuss with pdoc and get his opinion 2) discuss with good pharmacist (if yours is, and get his opinion) 3) if given the go ahead and you don't have an addiction problem then try a drink and see what happens 4) personally, I'm not a big believer in skipping meds, period. That really just messes things up and drinking makes it worse. Your pdoc may suggest a management plan with you where you wait a specified period of time for this drink to clear from your system if given the go ahead to drink, and how to do so, e.g. wait a few hours until the ETOH is out of your system, and etc. Then take meds. Or whatnot or whatever. Also, have a nice, safe person with you at the time if you try this, and you have a bad reaction, so they can help you or whatever. That said, ACs and one alcoholic beverage are often NOT contraindicated and your pdoc may say this is just fine for you, depending on his approach. I don't drink, but I'm a recovering alcoholic and additionally I'm on a huge amount of meds, including AAPs which are really a no-no, and depakote which is really hard on the liver. But seriously, just talk to your health providers before you make any kind of decision one way or another. It really is the most rational thing to do. As a recovering alcoholic, I can also tell you that lots of people can and do have a drink or two on pmeds and do just fine. I'm not really all that much of a nazi about it. IF it works for you and you do fine, I don't see it as a huge deal. For some people it is destabilizing, for others it just isn't, all that much. It really depends on you, your body chemistry, and whatnot. Potentiating your meds means that one drink may affect you differently than pre meds. And they will still be in your system regardless of whether you take them that day or not. So not taking them really isn't.... that big a deal, other than it likely might destabilize you really. It might mean you feel a bit weird when drinking, or totally not. One drink may just not make that much of a difference. Anna Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Cattitude Posted October 31, 2011 Share Posted October 31, 2011 Topamax: don't drink. When I was on it, I drank a couple of glasses of wine and next thing I knew I was waking up in the ER. I had blacked out and during the blackout I drank the rest of the bottle of wine and then half the bottle of Topamax. In general most psychoactive drugs react with alcohol, even one drink. The effects are unpredictable but usually they increase the effect of the booze. You can ask your pdoc for particular meds, or google them and look up the side effects, warnings and drug interactions. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
treklexa Posted November 1, 2011 Share Posted November 1, 2011 I have had alcoholic beverages while taking Lamictal and Topamax together. I'm not trying to be dangerous or crazy. I just happen to find myself in situations where I will take meds but then end up having a social drink or two with friends. I've actually never had a huge problem with blacking out or anything extreme. There have been a few times where I seem to be intoxicated much quicker than usual. Other than that, I've never had a problem. I would still suggest talking about it with your pdoc. Bottom line, just be responsible about it. Potentiating means to make powerful/increase power. For example, if you take Ambien and then drink alcohol, you will fall asleep much faster. The effects of Ambien will be more powerful due to potentiation. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
crtclms Posted November 1, 2011 Share Posted November 1, 2011 Yeah, I don't know if that happens to everyone, but when my husband was on Topomax, he got super drunk, super fast, it was actually alarming. That said, when I was on Lamictal and Depakote, and wasn't having migraines constantly, I did drink moderately. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Recommended Posts
Archived
This topic is now archived and is closed to further replies.