dancesintherain Posted April 26, 2015 Share Posted April 26, 2015 So...yesterday a friend had a barbecue and I went over to her house w/ my girlfriend. While there, I had maybe one total glass of wine (two technically, but quite small, so I think they're probably about one drink total). I felt okay at the barbecue, but when I was home--about 1.5 hours later and after I had taken my nightly lithium dose--I got really, really nauseous. I probably would have thrown up, but for the fact that my girlfriend had zofran hanging around and I'd previously checked with my pdoc and gotten the okay to take it. The thought was I would take it if I had the nausea while starting up on the lithium but fortunately I haven't had that. So is this a lithium plus alcohol = bad sort of thing? I can't think of what else it would be. Or is this something my body will adjust to, so that I'll be able to drink again without getting nauseous? Any experiences one way or the other? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jarn Posted April 26, 2015 Share Posted April 26, 2015 I wasn't stable on lithium monotherapy, so I drank a lot - A LOT - and discovered that I never got hung over on Lithium. Which freed me to drink more. But everyone is different. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jt07 Posted April 26, 2015 Share Posted April 26, 2015 It wouldn't surprise me that alcohol would play with your lithium levels because alcohol acts like a diuretic. This is why drinking a cold beer is not recommended when one is dehydrated. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
crtclms Posted April 26, 2015 Share Posted April 26, 2015 I have to admit, I drink now and then without problem. Unless I wake up with a migraine, but I have so many of those it is hard to even blame the alcohol for sure. I have between 2-4 drinks a month, usually one drink at a time, but occasionally if I don't feel migraine-y at all, two. My pnurse, who is Mormon (so she doesn't drink alcohol), thinks that is a reasonable amount. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Hester Posted April 26, 2015 Share Posted April 26, 2015 I drink on Lithium, and I can't say I've had this reaction. It's best NOT to though, I think. Maybe try just one more time, at home, with a little bit, just to see if it was a one-off? Do a test? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
dancesintherain Posted April 27, 2015 Author Share Posted April 27, 2015 thanks everyone. so if it's potentially the fact that alcohol dehydrates me, thus making my lithium level more concentrated than normal....which seems like a plausible explanation...i'd think the cure would be to drink more water than normal to prevent the dehydration effect? it's good to know that some can drink in moderation while on lithium. I'm hoping I'll get there. And yes, I'll definitely do some trial runs at home now--I hadn't thought about it before my friend's party. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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