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Dr. Bob is Robert Hsiung, MD,
bob@dr-bob.orgShown: posts 1 to 12 of 12. This is the beginning of the thread.
Posted by englishman006 on December 28, 2008, at 16:25:13
Can anyone enlighten me as to why alcohol which usually makes people more social is having the opposite effect on me! One drink and i'm as flat as a pancake...? If i go out for an evening i have to drink water whilst everyone else parties! I've never been a regular drinker but going out with friends and not being able to have even one sucks. I know one of my meds is responsible but i can't fathom which.. Any ideas or can anyone relate?
Thanks
Shaun.Current regimen: Prozac 20mg
Lamotrigine 200mg
Dexamphetamine 60mg
Memantine 20mg
Amisulpride 50mg
Posted by Phillipa on December 28, 2008, at 17:43:59
In reply to Can't touch alcohol! : (, posted by englishman006 on December 28, 2008, at 16:25:13
Wierd reaction don't know what would happen with me as no alchohol in 14 years. Phillipa
Posted by JayBTV2 on December 28, 2008, at 21:24:04
In reply to Can't touch alcohol! : (, posted by englishman006 on December 28, 2008, at 16:25:13
>
> Current regimen: Prozac 20mg
> Lamotrigine 200mg
> Dexamphetamine 60mg
> Memantine 20mg
> Amisulpride 50mg
>I've been on the first three (actually I'm still on Lamictal 100mg). I'm a pretty regular beer drinker and never had issues w/ Prozac, Lamictal, or Dexedrine changing the effects of a few beers. If anything stimulants like Ritalin dexedrine just gave me more of a tolerance (and occationally euphoria).
Of course any doctor you talk to is going to tell you not to drink at all on medication but as far as your question is concerned the first three never caused beer to make me flat or anything....
Honestly I've been on a ton of medications but I'm not familiar w/ the last two you mentioned....
Please don't flame me for posting my experiences - we all do what we do.
Cheers,
-Jay
Posted by manic666 on December 29, 2008, at 5:03:29
In reply to Can't touch alcohol! : (, posted by englishman006 on December 28, 2008, at 16:25:13
you have a low tolorance for booze, as well as taking meds theres your answer. me i could an did take 10 lorazepam drink a bottle of brandy an still feel sober im not a cheap date.the kids nowdays have found 2mg of loz an a night on the beer in england is the new extasy.me now take 4 loz a day an drink 2 pints of stella a day but that just to get me out an circulate an where better than the pub. i may be crazy but if i stayed in i would be a basket case .
Posted by englishman006 on December 29, 2008, at 5:19:30
In reply to Can't touch alcohol! : (, posted by englishman006 on December 28, 2008, at 16:25:13
Interesting, thankyou. I have a sneaking suspician memantine maybe playing a role as it has been studied as a treatment for alcoholism!!
Posted by manic666 on December 29, 2008, at 5:49:00
In reply to Re: Can't touch alcohol! : (, posted by englishman006 on December 29, 2008, at 5:19:30
you may be right ,i dont no the med, but someone hear will tell you more. at least you wont get the beer belly blues.be safe
Posted by jms600 on December 29, 2008, at 15:27:53
In reply to Can't touch alcohol! : (, posted by englishman006 on December 28, 2008, at 16:25:13
I reckon too that it could be the memantine. I was on it a few years ago as part of an unrelated drug study programme. I remember that it made me feel a bit 'odd' sometimes (especially at high doses) - but not after just one glass of beer. It could be that you just have a low tolerance to the memantine..? Have you asked you doctor to lower the dosage of it - maybe to 10mg?
Out of your list, I've also tried Prozac (60mg) and Amisulpride (can't remember the dosage for that) - and I can't recall having any such effects with alcohol while on these.
Please don't think I'm being nosey, but what is the memantine being prescribed for?
> Can anyone enlighten me as to why alcohol which usually makes people more social is having the opposite effect on me! One drink and i'm as flat as a pancake...? If i go out for an evening i have to drink water whilst everyone else parties! I've never been a regular drinker but going out with friends and not being able to have even one sucks. I know one of my meds is responsible but i can't fathom which.. Any ideas or can anyone relate?
> Thanks
> Shaun.
>
> Current regimen: Prozac 20mg
> Lamotrigine 200mg
> Dexamphetamine 60mg
> Memantine 20mg
> Amisulpride 50mg
>
Posted by raisinb on December 29, 2008, at 16:33:04
In reply to Can't touch alcohol! : (, posted by englishman006 on December 28, 2008, at 16:25:13
Often, SSRIs in particular but psych meds in general lower your tolerance to alcohol. Ever since I have been on Lexapro I can't drink that much. After two drinks I feel drunk and hungover at the same time! Not to mention the hideous headaches for 24 hours after I drink. If your meds are working, just count your blessings and go easy on the booze, alcohol can have some incredibly destructive effects (I am living proof! :)) if you drink a lot.
Posted by Phillipa on December 29, 2008, at 19:01:58
In reply to Re: Can't touch alcohol! : ( » englishman006, posted by raisinb on December 29, 2008, at 16:33:04
It never bothered me but beer or wine and now haven't had a drink in 14 years. Phillipa
Posted by Reggie BoStar on December 31, 2008, at 5:19:21
In reply to Can't touch alcohol! : (, posted by englishman006 on December 28, 2008, at 16:25:13
I'm a hard-core alcoholic and can't touch the stuff because one drink triggers a binge that puts me in the hospital every time.
However I was still drinking when I first started combinations of SSRIs, SNRIs, Wellbutrin, Buspar, Neurontin, and various other add-ons that have come and gone.
My experience with alcohol and whatever mix of those drugs I was also taking is that the alcohol completely erased the effects of the anti-depressants. That was all, but that was enough.
It's possible that my history of heavy drinking gave me a higher tolerance to alcohol, and that this tolerance prevented other effects such as the sudden exhaustion and dehydration you report.
The binges and eventual hospitalization had nothing to do with whatever meds I was taking. The alcohol did that by itself.
I should point out that I have never been prescribed anything in the Benzodiazepine class of drugs. Those are the anti-stress and sedating drugs such as Ativan, Librium, etc. For me they are highly addicting. Also, given my heavy binge drinking, I probably would not be here now. Benzos and alcohol are a deadly mix. I'm not familiar with the drugs you're taking; but if any of them are in a class of drug similar in effect to the Benzos, you could be risking your life by mixing booze with them.
The fact that you become horizontal after only a few drinks could indicate that dangerous levels of sedation are in store if you drink much more than that.
You really should fess up and tell your doctor what you're doing. At least find out whether or not you're risking your life.
One of the things a recovering alcoholic like myself first learns is that old social contacts involving alcohol must go away. That usually means finding a whole new set of friends who either don't drink or drink sparingly.
As you said, it's a real pain to be out with friends who drink when you can't have any. For me, it's more than a pain - it's deadly. The old drinking buddies had to go. If you can't get a handle on what you're doing with the booze and the meds, you may have to make a similar change.
Sorry if that sounds harsh. When I first quit drinking, I thought it sounded harsh too. Then I had to make it happen.
Take care and good luck,
Reggie BoStar
Posted by mbluett on December 31, 2008, at 22:05:26
In reply to Can't touch alcohol! : (, posted by englishman006 on December 28, 2008, at 16:25:13
We drink to change the way we feel, so what is the point of drinking if you're on a cocktail of meds and feeling good and stable.
I understand what you mean that you feel 'left out' when you can't drink with your mates, but maybe this a good time to give up a really old and destructive drug.
It just means that you you will need to draw more of your character from within without the need for 'extra' external peception 'enhancers;.
Good luck.
Posted by Neal on January 19, 2009, at 22:45:27
In reply to Can't touch alcohol! : (, posted by englishman006 on December 28, 2008, at 16:25:13
Drinking is (I believe) a lot more approved of in England than it is here in the States. Going to the pub is not a tradition here, at least not as much of one. We've got those Puritan roots you know. I wouldn't worry so much about not being able to drink. It happens. Your body is trying to tell you something.
Just think about all the things you'll be missing: Blurting out rude/inappropriate remarks. Crashing your car/getting a drunk driving ticket. Barfing on the bathroom floor. Waking up in strange places. Laying on the bed while the room spins - just to name a few.
This is the end of the thread.
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