Posted by chemist on August 1, 2004, at 23:13:13
In reply to Re: Alcohol, celexa, lamitcal -- bad news? chemis » chemist, posted by AMD on August 1, 2004, at 22:06:35
> > > Folks,
> > >
> > > I've been on Celexa 80mg and Lamictal 200 mg for about two weeks now, and have for the first time started to feel a return to normal.
> > >
> > > Last night I went to a bar and had a couple sips (maybe a fourth) of glass of vodka and Coke. I also smoked on cigarette.
> > >
> > > Today I am very depressed. I feel guilty about fooling with my medicines in this way, and especially bad that I completely brought this on myself.
> > >
> > > Can alcohol, even a relatively small amount, interact with the medicines in such a way to bring one back into a depression. Can I expect, by abstaining, to return to feeling back to normal, or will these permanently screw up my body's response to the medication? Why am I feeling a bit depressed now?
> > >
> > > Thanks,
> > > a
> >
> > hello amd, chemist here...i think your post will generate a lot of responses....my personal take is that your guilt and feeling that you may have ``undone'' some good by ingesting (very small) amounts of things on the ``forbidden'' list is at work here. if you drank a quarter of a standard u.s.-poured vodka/coke at a bar, you're talking about roughly 0.5 oz of alcohol, which i do not think would derail your course of medication. a cigarette is what you'd get in secondhand smoke from being in a bar for a few hours: smoking one, along with a bit of spiced-up caffeinated sugar water, ought not trigger a relapse, in my opinion...you don't have a hangover, didn't wreck the car, or end up in the hospital or in a brawl: you had a smoke and a sip of a drink. if you skipped the drink and had a few slugs of OTC cough syrup instead, you'd be in a similar (if not worse) situation. not what the doctor orders or recommends, but you didn't really push the envelope. i think you've got a case of the ``guilts'' and by tomorrow you'll be fine. by not having any benzos or other sedatives on-board, you're more in the clear, as a little booze can go a long way with those drugs. again, in my opinion, you've got a mild case of remorse. be well, and all the best, chemist
>
> -------------------------------
>
> Chemist,
>
> Thanks for your erudite advice. Once again your sensibilities come to my rescue.
>
> Guilt certainly has a lot to do with it -- and I suppose the depression I'm feeling today is at least a little in part due to the guilt I feel. Every time I drink I feel this way, and yet I continue to believe a small amount of alcohol won't have a detramental effect. On the contrary, its effect is disproptionate to the amount of alcohol I've consumed. Clearly, I should not now, nor perhaps ever, drink again. Part of this will mean tightening my circle of "friends," and avoiding situations and places that make me feel comfortable about drinking. (And yes, an AA meeting now and then would further help.)
>
> Nonetheless, I do feel a bit 'out of it' today, perhaps as a side effect of alcohol-induced depression but more likely because I'm obsessing that I have alcohol-induced depression. But you're right -- the tiny amount I had I wouldn't expect to have such a huge mental effect. I think it's a cognitive thing: I think I'm "slowed," thinking I'm slowed makes me feel slowed.
>
> So, I will have to put up with this for a few days until I go through some mental exercise that reconfirms my mental acuity. Happens every time.
>
> I think I'll hit the sack earlier tonight and hope the Celexa and Lamictal continue to do their job.
>
> a
hello again....i am not the wise sage of the world, remember, and although i think this time the punishment does not fit the crime - and you appear to concur upon hindsight - it is a good idea to keep the meds away from the booze, at the very least. you'll get to where you need to be sooner than later, and your true friends will stick with you regardless. as you note, you just stuck your toe in the water, so to speak, and you clearly know what to do if your social circle interferes with your mental/physical/emotional wellbeing: you head is in the right place, from my perspective, although this perspective has been shown to be stilted on more than one occasion! in any event, be well, i look forward to an update...all the best, chemist
poster:chemist
thread:372959
URL: http://www.dr-bob.org/babble/20040730/msgs/373015.html