Drinking problem

[larry138]

No, not drinking too much.

About two months ago I started taking psychiatric medicine. The medicines are Seroquel (an anti-psychotic which I'm prescribed for sleeping problems) and Prozac (anti-depressant). I'm also taking Levothyroxine (for a low activity thyroid).

The problem is when I drink nowadays I don't get that "good" feeling, like one you have after a couple of drinks. Odd thing is, when I become drunk I have all the effects of it such as slurred speech, unsteadiness, slight vision distortion, etc. No good feeling, though.

I enjoy drinking once in a while, but this current issue makes it impossible to do so. It's not really worth it to drink at this point except maybe to enjoy the taste of a beer.

I've tried researching the interaction between the above listed drugs and alcohol but haven't found anything about what I'm experiencing.

Anyone know what the deal is? Thanks for any help in advance.

[wortchillergoal]

Have you talked to your doctor about drinking while using these meds you are on? I would guess that you are supposed to avoid alcohol.

As for the good feeling. Many of us that belong to this community drink for taste and not to achieve the good feeling. I myself often only one or two beers at a setting. Yes, once in awhile it does happen, but that is not the intent when I and many others here start to enjoy a beer.

Good luck with your health and I hope you can get off those keds ASAP.

[larry138]

I asked him and the only thing I was told was to avoid taking the Seroquel the night of drinking. Nothing aside from that.

I figured the feeling isn't the desired goal for most people on this site, but I thought here was the best place out of any to ask after having no luck elsewhere.

[wortchillergoal]

Have you asked your doctor this question? We are a curious group and would enjoy learning this answer just as you.

There is a thread on the board about if you would still drink beer same taste but no affect of alcohol.

[Stahlsturm]

You are advised to AVOID alcohol when you take either medication. It also says so in the packaging info.

[hockeynut]

The reason that you are not getting the "Good Feeling" after a couple of drinks is because of the way the medications are interacting with your neural receptors and the neural transmitters.

I will try to keep this from being a technical dissertation:

You are taking these medications because your Doctor has found that your symptoms indicate that there is a decrease in the "good feeling" chemical that allows your neurons to fire and say that you are happy. This is also related to the chemicals that are released in your brain when you get a buzz from a couple of drinks. Prozac has a way of blocking that effect, just as it tends in some people to block other pleasant sensations.

The Seroquel will also have an effect on your "buzz" in that being an antipsychotic it will have a tranquilizing effect and will also intensify the effects of alcohol on your system.

I would highly recommend that you don't mix alcohol with your medications! Not only will it continue to block the "buzz" but it can be very dangerous. It also has the potential for preventing the medications from doing the job that they were prescribed for and thus will have you taking more than you may need or cause you to get frustrated with your progress and give up before you can get a true reading on how it is effecting your mood and symptoms.

Sorry for the technical babble, you can't take the social worker out of someone. ~Now back to our regularly scheduled programing.~

[wortchillergoal]

Originally posted by hockeynut
The reason that you are not getting the "Good Feeling" after a couple of drinks is because of the way the medications are interacting with your neural receptors and the neural transmitters.

I will try to keep this from being a technical dissertation:

You are taking these medications because your Doctor has found that your symptoms indicate that there is a decrease in the "good feeling" chemical that allows your neurons to fire and say that you are happy. This is also related to the chemicals that are released in your brain when you get a buzz from a couple of drinks. Prozac has a way of blocking that effect, just as it tends in some people to block other pleasant sensations.

The Seroquel will also have an effect on your "buzz" in that being an antipsychotic it will have a tranquilizing effect and will also intensify the effects of alcohol on your system.

I would highly recommend that you don't mix alcohol with your medications! Not only will it continue to block the "buzz" but it can be very dangerous. It also has the potential for preventing the medications from doing the job that they were prescribed for and thus will have you taking more than you may need or cause you to get frustrated with your progress and give up before you can get a true reading on how it is effecting your mood and symptoms.

Sorry for the technical babble, you can't take the social worker out of someone. ~Now back to our regularly scheduled programing.~

Well, he got his answer. Plus, I found it hard to believe that his Dr. gave the green light to alcohol.

[newportstorm]

Talk to your doctor....or find a new one.

Oh, and read the packaging on your meds. For example:

"Seroquel
General Precautions:

-Dizziness or lightheadedness can be a side effect of SEROQUEL when you start taking it or when your dosage changes
-Be sure to drink plenty of water to avoid becoming dehydrated or overheated
-You should avoid consuming alcoholic beverages"

[Carl762]

I've seen many people who take Prozac who do much better when they're off the crap.

Much much better. Years ago, I was on a light regiment of anti-depressants. They screwed things up for me, and I was much better when I got off them. Everything improved. It's all in the attitude/mind, as far as I'm concerned.

Self-medicate with beer. I drink beer for both the taste, and the slight buzz, relaxing effect.

C

[dparsons]

Originally posted by Carl762
I've seen many people who take Prozac who do much better when they're off the crap.

Much much better. Years ago, I was on a light regiment of anti-depressants. They screwed things up for me, and I was much better when I got off them. Everything improved. It's all in the attitude/mind, as far as I'm concerned.

I looked into this a few years ago. I came up with a different perspective on anti-depressants than seems common.

The current set of anti-depressents are reuptake inhibitors. They block the uptake of feel-good chemicals in the brain. Seratonin, dopamine, adrenaline. Different drugs, different brain chemicals blocked, different feel-good amplification.

The phychiatric industry has an impressive array of anti-depressant drugs that have worked by reuptake inhibition and have been prescribed over the last century or so. Cocaine was subscribed starting int he 1800s. It blocks the reuptake of seratonin, dopamine, and adrenaline. Cocaine is addictive. The brain responds to the blocking by reducing production and will never function normally after having been altered substantially. The psychiatric industry stopped pushing the drug in response to outside pressure.

Methamphetamines work by way of reuptake inhibition. They are more balanced toward the adrenaline side. They were prescribed by the psychatric industry until outside pressure came about because the drugs are addictive.

Other drugs that have been prescribed as anti-depressants include barbituates and tranquilizers (that I can remember). The tranquilizers are the only ones that are not reuptake inhibitors.

Currently, when someone has been on modern anti-depressants for a period and they stop taking them but go back into feeling depressed, the psychatric industry claims that this is proof that that persons brain functions abnormally and they need the drugs permanently. They do not agree with the logic that the persons brain has responded to the lack of reuptake of neurotransmitters by reducing production as has been observed with the chain of addictive prescription drugs that goes back for over a century. They deny that the drugs are addictive. In addition to the large number of people who have become permanent users, anyone who does go off of the anti-depressants goes through withdrawals and is generally weaned off the drugs. But the industry denies the term dependency applies.

In my opinion current anti-depressants are addictive drugs that have had their associated responses re-defined to blame the person instead of the drug. The industry makes millions and thousands of people "need" the drugs permanently.


FYI, the expression "Shiny, Happy People" comes from psychatric literature in reference to the dream of what prozac and its cousins can do for people to build a utopian society.

[hockeynut]

I will agree with you that some of the modern day practices of psychiatry are questionable at best, I have seen many people have their lives changed, for the better by prescribing practices of psychiatrists.

What we as a society have done is transformed ourselves into the "take a pill" generation. This has occured because of the major marketing pushes done by the pharmaceutical community in order to keep the competition alive and increase the bottom line on profits. Unfortunately it has caused most of society today to view any sort of malady as something that needs to be medicated immediately.

I don't condone or promote the prescribing of medications to every person that feels that they need them. The problem is that if a person goes to a psychiatrist and reports some sort of "depressive or not quite right feeling" the Dr. will prescribe rather than suggest that the patient do some more evaluation of the symptoms. Is this a right way to do it? I don't think so, but with competition and malpractice rates at an all time high, it is better to try and take them off later than to risk being sued if one is missed.

I have had the opportunity of seeing peoples lives change dramatically for the better through the use of psychotropic medications and see that there is a place for these medications. Yes, some of the medications are reuptake inhibitors which causes the build up of levels in the brain of serotonin, dopamine, ect. with extened use (years) the brain will, with some individuals, reduce the amout of production of these neurotransmitters. The problem is that if the person was truely depressed to begin with, there was a lack of neurotransmitters to begin with.

As for Cocaine, it is not a neuro blocker or reuptake inhibitor but rather the opposite. Cocaine causes the neurotransmitters to rush to the receptor sites and flood them, thus the high. The problem with this is that with repeated use, the brain becomes depleted of these chemicials and causes the "cocaine crash" where the person can't get high no matter how much they use.

I could go on for quite a while about all of this, but I guess it is best if we just agree that we have different perspectives and agree to disagree.

[Carl762]

Ya, I agree that modern psychiatry likes to stick a label on somebody's malady, and medicate it.

I forget which one it was I was on at the time, but it reduced me to the couch one evening with a wild palpitating heart beat. Oh what a feeling that was, all evening. Went to the doc the next day and they took me off it and put me on another.

Shortly thereafter, I cut it off completely. I just felt joyless and neutrual, walking dead. There was no happiness, like the drugs took that away too.

I deal with life's problems myself now and feel happy most days. That's the idea, right?

Beer adds to life's joys as well as my other hobbies, like guns, guitar, cooking, reading, music in general. Brewing beer takes center stage though.

[Mill Rat]

Originally posted by hockeynut
The problem is that if a person goes to a psychiatrist and reports some sort of "depressive or not quite right feeling" the Dr. will prescribe rather than suggest that the patient do some more evaluation of the symptoms.
The wife of one of my college friends was prescribed a fairly common antidepressant because she was, indeed, quite depressed. She had not previously had any mental health problems. The doctor told her said that this was a classic case of a cheating husband, and that he would prescribe this stuff for her to get her through until the proverbial s--t hit the fan. She told that to us at a party and we all just laughed it off. About a year later, we found out that the doc was right. A few months after that, she was off the anti-ds.

[dparsons]

I agree that pills are given too easy when other measures are in order, and that meds do help when really needed. I have read that cocaine does inhibit re-uptake (example, http://www.aapsj.org/view.asp?art=aapsj070374 ). If cocaine also promotes a neurotransmitter release, the combination would be powerful. Note the above reference lists "cocaine and amphetamine and the tricyclic and SSRI classes of antidepressants" as "interfering with synaptic uptake."