Alcohol

[aura]

Last week I made the rookie mistake of getting drunk on a Sunday night. I didn't miss any meds, but I was hungover the next day. This started off a week of hallucinations, delusional thinking and emotional instability. I've been abstaining since then.

I don't really drink all that often (which is why I got drunk probably... didn't know when to stop) but I wonder if I shouldn't stop completely. Can alcohol cause or jumpstart maybe these symptoms? Do you find that you have mood instability or psychosis after a night of drinking?

Also, not sure this is in the right place. Feel free to move.

[Teh Gaben]

A psych nurse who I had when I was last IP said that drinking in excess will stop the meds from working so well for a few days. I can't verify the veracity of that statement, but it does sort of make sense based on my own experiences.

[getouttamyway.exe]

Yeah it fucks me up for a good week.

[rainyday107]

Aura, I had to quit drinking alcohol because it makes my bipolar disorder and anxiety worse, especially the next day. I hope you feel better. Hang in there. 

[aura]

Seems I'm not alone. I wonder if I can just stick to wine and beer? Low alcohol content? Or maybe I should just try none at all.

[jacques]

My pdoc, on our first meeting, asked me if I drank and when I said no, she said something like how that was a good thing because alcohol would fuck with the meds I was on. I've never personally drank while on meds, but I'd imagine her words would be of value for this.

[Gearhead]

Well, you were doing pretty well, and now you're had a shit week. If you didn't miss your meds, and the getting drunk part was the only thing you changed, maybe you should consider that a possible factor.

Worth it?

[survivingbp]

I personally find the none at all works best for me, and I'm doing it long enough that no one really expects me to drink anymore. My mood used to really suffer for days after drinking.

[mcjimjam]

I am not too sensitive to alcohol. I can get drunk on occasion without any MI repercussions. Daily moderate drinking (1 or 2 glasses of wine, for example is okay. However if I drink more than that for a few nights in a row my mood plummets and I feel very depressed and anhedonic.

[Rabbity9]

Alcohol actually helps me feel more stable, which I know is bad.  I was self medicating with it a lot before getting diagnosed and starting proper meds.  When that happened, I kinda magically started drinking a lot less.  I thought I might have alcoholism because I was drinking enough to feel sedated most nights, but it was so easy to cut back once I started seroquel that I know I was just using it to get to a point where I could sleep.

[Blahblah]

On 5/6/2017 at 7:12 PM, aura said:

I  don't really drink all that often (which is why I got drunk probably... didn't know when to stop) but I wonder if I shouldn't stop completely. Can alcohol cause or jumpstart maybe these symptoms? Do you find that you have mood instability or psychosis after a night of drinking?

Yes, everytime i drink more than 2 beers I feel really "off" the next day. Mind you, I only drink beer only these days. I've had to almost completely cut it out. Hard liquor makes me black out. Since I'm on meds, wine gives me terrible hangovers & depression for days. It's not worth it anymore I don't even get a buzz since I'm on meds.

[dtac]

Most psych meds (except notably lithium) are metabolized by your liver, just like alcohol. The effects can vary greatly, which is why it's a bad idea to drink on psych meds. It's definitely tougher on your liver, and you have the added bonus of not knowing how in the world your body is going to react when you mix the two (or three, or five) together. Maybe it will inhibit the absorption of your psych meds, and it might just enhance some of the nasty side effects too. It's just generally a bad idea.

This is just on a pharmacokinetic level, not to mention the screwy effects on anxiety, depression, and other MI issues.

 

[dragonfly23]

When I initially became serious and committed to try to get stable via meds I was drinking heavily and abusing pain pills. (my own meds)   I slowly drank less and less.  I no longer take pain pills.  

My drinking made a mess.   Over the time period I was trying to quit I found a direct connection to my drinking and my moods.  It easily would take me a week to level off. Primarily it was the pit of depression, suicidal depression.  

Hope things get back to "better" for you.

[Lorelion]

Drinking definitely destabilizes me, especially if I'm already not doing the best. I just went out Saturday night and got trashed for the first time in a long time. I felt freaking awesome that night, but the next day I felt way worse than I had before. I've been pretty unbalanced since e.g. suicidal thoughts, mild papranoia. Alcohol + mental illness and psych meds is a bad combination. Not drinking at all is probably the best option, but that can be easier said than done. Hope you are feeling better. 

[Blahblah]

On 5/6/2017 at 7:12 PM, aura said:

Last week I made the rookie mistake of getting drunk on a Sunday night. I didn't miss any meds, but I was hungover the next day. This started off a week of hallucinations, delusional thinking and emotional instability. I've been abstaining since then.

I don't really drink all that often (which is why I got drunk probably... didn't know when to stop) but I wonder if I shouldn't stop completely. Can alcohol cause or jumpstart maybe these symptoms? Do you find that you have mood instability or psychosis after a night of drinking?

Also, not sure this is in the right place. Feel free to move.

Made this mistake too and boy do I gigantically regret it and feel like a complete idiot. Nope, I don't get psychosis, but I black out. This time I fell directly on my face on the pavement, and majorly injured myself around my forehead & eye. Luckily, I did not need stitches, no broken bones, no cracked skull....but will say once again here, meds really screw up your reaction to alcohol. It will not only make your mood symptoms & depression worse (possibly for a week later) you could seriously injure yourself or be assaulted by someone else. Watch out.

[sugarsugar]

I tried so many workarounds. Only beer or wine; no more than a certain number drinks; eating with any alcohol; having a glass of water between drinks, and all the other tricks. It just didn't work. I loved drinking but at some point I had to make a decision and I chose to stop. Did it fix me?  No but it quit making things worse. It let me move on. And once I quit debating over each drink, it was easier to just say no thanks, I don't drink. I'm happy with my decision. It wasn't worth it to keep drinking. However yes the first many weeks were tough, but that passed. Getting through those weeks and holding firm was well worth it.