Danica Posted February 19, 2006 Share Posted February 19, 2006 So I know I'm not supposed to drink while on the wellbutrin...but seeing as how I'm in college it can't be completely avoided. I'm just wondering if anyone (after drinking while on wellbutrin) has..the day after, experienced kind of a hazy feeling? Different than a hangover. More tired than usual..and just sort of a mental "blah"? I'm not so much......depressed.....I'm just not what I normally feel like while on the wellbutrin...and I don't know why. All I can think of is it's possibly related to my excessive (for my tolerance) drinking last night... Anyone? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Atropis42 Posted February 21, 2006 Share Posted February 21, 2006 Alcohol can cancel out the anti-depressant part of some things. So maybe like that to a small degree? I will say that I'm in college, and do miss a drink here and there, but seizures aren't something I wanna fuck with. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
LunaRufina Posted February 21, 2006 Share Posted February 21, 2006 So I know I'm not supposed to drink while on the wellbutrin... It's good that you know that, and it's a start, but you need to be aware of why. The risk of seizures, though small, increases at 300mg and 450mg. Drinking alcohol in excess could increase that risk further- in all fairness, however, some information on Wellbutrin specifically says alcohol consumption should be minimized, some says not to consume alcohol. Plus the whole dehydrating effects of both and the work that your liver has to do. And there is always the possibility that you may not be able to judge accurately how the medication will interact will the alcohol every time. but seeing as how I'm in college it can't be completely avoided. I have to say something about this. It can be avoided. No one makes the decision for you. I'm not going to lie and say that I have never drank on my medication. I don't nessesarily think it's a good idea. It can be more difficult in school to avoid alcohol, but it can be avoided. But it's a choice that everyone needs to and does make for themselves. And if you choose to drink, I hope you do so in moderation. I always discourage drinking on medications. And the way you felt today is probably indicative of your body telling you that you need to not do this. That's what a hang over is. And if you are concerned about how you are feeling and assume it's related to your medication and your alcohol use, it probably is. Think about the damage you could be doing. Honestly, if you are going out every or even most weekends, it is probably a lot more than you realize. A lot of times at school, you don't realize how much and how often you really are drinking. When you take medication you need to be particularly aware. It's just one of those things that goes with the meds. http://www.drugs.com/wellbutrin.html ~navy~ Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
hollywoodfreaks Posted February 22, 2006 Share Posted February 22, 2006 Yeah I would say that binge drinking is probably not a good idea while on the Wellbutrin. Have you asked your pdoc (hopefully a psychiatrist) directly if it's ok to drink and if so how much? I'm on Wellbutrin and Lexapro and he thought it would be ok for me to have a maximum of 2 drinks spaced at least an hour apart. It would be good to get those kind of details from him/her. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Danica Posted February 22, 2006 Author Share Posted February 22, 2006 Well... I should qualify that by my "excessive drinking" I'm referring to basically 3 drinks over the course of a party. That gets me pretty drunk enough nowadays. I don't think that quantifies as a seizure risk. When my pdoc and I spoke before starting the wellbutrin he okayed what I'm doing now as long as I'm not doing it that often and I don't have any majorly bad effects from it. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Greenyflower Posted February 22, 2006 Share Posted February 22, 2006 Hi, Danica, I'm also on Wellbutrin and know the effect you describe. I think it's from a combination of things, including dehydration, a possible reaction between the WB and alcohol, and just the fact that alcohol IS, after all, a depressant. Small but effective measures include adding ice to your drinks until they're just about water. Follow a drink with soda water and a wedge of lime (so it looks like a vodka tonic and shitfaced partiers don't keep refilling your glass or giving you crap for minimizing alcohol consumption. I enjoy a drink with friends. But I hated feeling so low and not-all-there the next day. These solutions have been rigorously tested over the past year. It helps. Greeny Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
null0trooper Posted February 22, 2006 Share Posted February 22, 2006 So I know I'm not supposed to drink while on the wellbutrin...but seeing as how I'm in college it can't be completely avoided. I'm just wondering if anyone (after drinking while on wellbutrin) has..the day after, experienced kind of a hazy feeling? Different than a hangover. More tired than usual..and just sort of a mental "blah"? I'm not so much......depressed.....I'm just not what I normally feel like while on the wellbutrin...and I don't know why. All I can think of is it's possibly related to my excessive (for my tolerance) drinking last night... Anyone? <{POST_SNAPBACK}> It could be far worse. On the neurochemistry side, alcohol straight up screws with GABA receptors. This in turn screws with your seizure threshold (everybody has one), which makes the alcohol/WB combo somewhat dangerous. Also this screws with nearly every neurochemical system in your brain via feedback between GABA/dopamine, dopamine/serotonin, serotonin/HPA axis, and so forth (No wonder each person is characteristically different when drunk from himself and from other drunks) On TOP of that, alcohol is metabolized by your liver. Luckily it is not metabolized by the specific P450 isoenzyme that WB inhibits or you would already be in the hospital or the morgue. Instead, your liver has to expend what energy it has to deal with both the WB and the ethanol before cleaning out anything else or helping with digestion. And if THAT isn't bad enough, an industrial-strength, trained-at-a-party-school (yours may not be, mine WAS) liver that can handle all that is going to be able to chew up the WB faster than normal and make it harder to stabilize circulating blood levels. So, what to do and still get some social use out of not being depressed? 1. Learn to dance. Cool People of the Appropriate Gender really dig people who can actually dance. It's a mammalian sexual display behavior for all genders. Add alcohol-fueled dyscoordination and loutishness, and you've just flashed "Not Worth Mating With - Use, then Lose" instead of "I'm Worthy - Are You?". (Staying on the sidelines : "Not In Play") 2. Watch everyone else get plowed. This can sometimes be amusing. It can also give you advance notice of Incoming Trouble. 3. Take notes. Blackmail can be lucrative How to get around all the cheap beer being offered? "No thanks, that harshes the buzz I'm working on" (limited utility) "Thanks. But I can't - my medication doesn't mix with alcohol." (If asked what the meds are for and you don't want to say... Lie! "It's like this wierd case of chronic scrofula...") Fake it. There isn't a bartender around who can't take the "I'll have a tonic and tonic" cue. Tip him/her anyway, and things just go smoother. Nurse the drink a sip at a time. No one really keeps track except losers trying to get an easy lay. Kidding aside, anyone who continues to push after being told "Not with the medication I'm on" or pushes for what your Problem is is someone to avoid like the plague. Maybe even "grab a friend and call a cab" Avoid Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Penny Century Posted February 22, 2006 Share Posted February 22, 2006 And if THAT isn't bad enough, an industrial-strength, trained-at-a-party-school (yours may not be, mine WAS) liver that can handle all that is going to be able to chew up the WB faster than normal and make it harder to stabilize circulating blood levels. null, (this will sound silly but...) for reals? do meds fly thru my system like they're running a race because i used to put away a fifth every night while on WB/effexor/klonopin? i'd never though of this. crap. i'd thought of other things that drinkng like that have done to me, but not the liver processing thing... and now a public service announcement from the century of penny: I DO NOT RECCOMEND THIS. I WAS A STUPID, SUICIDAL, SELF DESTRUCTIVE MORON AND HAD I KNOW HOW FUCKING FUCKED UP MY BODY WOULD BE NOW, I NEVER EVER WOULD HAVE DONE THAT. I'M SERIOUS. CHRONIG FATIGUE AND CHRONIC PAIN SUCK ASS. i do not KNOW why i have CFS and crippling pain, but the crap i did to my body CERTAINLY did not help. and YES, my HPA axis is FUCKED and you do not want to know what it is like to have adrenal gland problems. you want your adrenals. you want happy balance of chemicals. ok lecture over. sorry. i just didn't want to "glorify" how stupid i used to be Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
null0trooper Posted February 22, 2006 Share Posted February 22, 2006 And if THAT isn't bad enough, an industrial-strength, trained-at-a-party-school (yours may not be, mine WAS) Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
hollywoodfreaks Posted February 23, 2006 Share Posted February 23, 2006 Well... I should qualify that by my "excessive drinking" I'm referring to basically 3 drinks over the course of a party. That gets me pretty drunk enough nowadays. I don't think that quantifies as a seizure risk. When my pdoc and I spoke before starting the wellbutrin he okayed what I'm doing now as long as I'm not doing it that often and I don't have any majorly bad effects from it. <{POST_SNAPBACK}> Good. Perhaps you should call your doctor if you're worried? It sounds like your body was just telling you that 3 drinks is too much for you on this medication. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Danica Posted February 23, 2006 Author Share Posted February 23, 2006 I wasn't really worried about it....I was more curious. I wanted to know if it the feelings I was experiencing were in fact due to the collision of WB and alchyhol. It's a little bit more comforting to know that I was feeling that way mostly due to some chemical reactions in my vital organs than because of real stimuli... At least I don't drink the way I did last year... [while not on WB] ... I have a feeling 14 drinks in 1.5 hours now would probably kill me. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
LunaRufina Posted February 23, 2006 Share Posted February 23, 2006 It's a little bit more comforting to know that I was feeling that way mostly due to some chemical reactions in my vital organs than because of real stimuli... I don't know why it is more comforting to know that you are damaging yourself with chemicals rather than just overtired or stressed out. At least I don't drink the way I did last year... [while not on WB]... I have a feeling 14 drinks in 1.5 hours now would probably kill me. <{POST_SNAPBACK}> Actually, I can say with certainty that it would. ... I do want to add I'm not pulling a 'scare you straight' or anything. I do take into consideration how shitty you felt the other night and your meds.] ... It would only take a few minutes to look up what happens when you have 14 drinks in 90 minutes; you should invest the time. [here] Your body did something weird as a result of an interaction between something you are prescribed and something you consume recreationally. It's good to know the sideeffects of both of them. pretty non-obnoxious site ~navy~ Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Danica Posted February 23, 2006 Author Share Posted February 23, 2006 There's a reason why I don't drink like that anymore, and it's not because of the WB, heh. I had one too many bad experiences and have calmed down considerably since then... Edit: And the comforting part is because if the alcohol had nothing to do with what happened then it would mean that the WB is starting to lose effectiveness...which I don't want. If it really is an alcohol thing, then the WB is still working perfectly and I know I can avoid those things in the future if I choose to. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
LikeMinded Posted February 24, 2006 Share Posted February 24, 2006 There's like at least 4 meds I'm on that they tell me I shouldn't drink while on =D That hasn't stopped me, though! That said, and I know I'm preaching, hypocritically no less, I'm sure your pdoc has lectured you on the potential seizure risk of WB+alkie... so be careful... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Danica Posted February 24, 2006 Author Share Posted February 24, 2006 Actually, I'm not sure I heard of the seizure risk before....or I did and don't remember Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
LikeMinded Posted February 24, 2006 Share Posted February 24, 2006 Actually, I'm not sure I heard of the seizure risk before....or I did and don't remember <{POST_SNAPBACK}> I hunted this down in the Warnings/Precautions section of Wellbutrin's prescribing information/PI sheet: Clinical situations: Circumstances associated with an increased seizure risk include, among others, excessive use of alcohol or sedatives (including benzodiazepines); addiction to opiates, cocaine, or stimulants; use of over-the counter stimulants and anorectics; and diabetes treated with oral hypoglycemics or insulin. Maybe it's just a minor risk, but that's the one that was always pushed on me back in 2004, when I was put on it to offset the big Z's drowsiness (which, in retrospect, was an entirely stupid idea. Check with your common sense first before listening to a physician). Funny thing is that back then, I hardly drank at all!!! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Bianca Posted February 24, 2006 Share Posted February 24, 2006 I think its a very minor risk for individuals who have never had seizures. Different risk for individuals who have. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Penny Century Posted February 24, 2006 Share Posted February 24, 2006 Actually, I'm not sure I heard of the seizure risk before....or I did and don't remember it's even in the commercial with those happy rich looking people frolicking around with thier LOW RISK OF SEXUAL SIDE EFFECTS! i know one girl (like in person, not off the board) who had 0 history and dropped into a 3 minute tonic clonic on a marble floor. chipped her two front teeth and messed up her nose. things that make the risk worse are not eating (fucking up your electrolite balance) and drinking (which also fucks up your electrolites, and lotsa other stuff.) i wouldn't run around in a paranoia about it, but there are real reasons why they don't put people with eating disorders or who drink on wellbutrin. i think in america the drinking warnings on medications tend to be more severe because we americans seem to have absolutley no idea how to drink in moderation. omg it's friday! must have a six pack/ pitcher of margaritas/ bottle of wine! drinking on meds is super ill advised because it's hard to figure out what is too much. because it will not be what was too much before meds. and for some people any drinking is too much. and the best place to figure out if you are someone who can have one drink (or maybe maybe two spaced out) or no drinks at all is probably not a college party.... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ophelia Posted February 25, 2006 Share Posted February 25, 2006 i think in america the drinking warnings on medications tend to be more severe because we americans seem to have absolutley no idea how to drink in moderation. omg it's friday! must have a six pack/ pitcher of margaritas/ bottle of wine! drinking on meds is super ill advised because it's hard to figure out what is too much. because it will not be what was too much before meds. and for some people any drinking is too much. and the best place to figure out if you are someone who can have one drink (or maybe maybe two spaced out) or no drinks at all is probably not a college party.... <{POST_SNAPBACK}> i agree with what you say.... granted, i am kinda being hypocritical, but still.... i am one of those bad examples. my tolerance has become shit and i will sometimes just not listen to myself/my body, and will keep going.... a week ago at the cast party for the show i was in, i lost track of how much i had.... all i know is that i never said no to doing a shot with someone...... well....when that happens you do stupid things, dont remember how you got home, throw up like hell, and sleep forever. I'll drink at a party and get drunk on less than others, not pay attention and...well...sometimes do things i regret. oh, and i cant forget the best one.... i was hospitalized last year..... alcohol... yeah... take it from me, it is not a good idea to mess with..... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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