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Dr. Bob is Robert Hsiung, MD,
bob@dr-bob.orgShown: posts 1 to 9 of 9. This is the beginning of the thread.
Posted by TopCat on October 5, 2001, at 10:06:41
Hi, I've been taking Paxil for about 3 months but noticed right from the start that it seemed to increase my urge to drink. I drink about 7 - 10 units a day. I desperately want to give up the alcohol but I feel unable to control it. My doctor has switched me to Effexor today but I have been a bit alarmed reading some of the messages, particularly related to coming off it. Surely it is hard to come of any anti-d not just Effexor.
Any advice or tips?
Posted by kid_A on October 5, 2001, at 18:07:49
In reply to Alcohol and anti-depressants, posted by TopCat on October 5, 2001, at 10:06:41
Not only is it difficult to come off most ssri's (without slow tapering)... (For some people, god knows there must be someone out there who quit cold turkey, but I haven't met them)... but AD's and alcohol are a crazy mix at the start... Be carefull w/ your alcohol intake + effexor... It can have some unwanted results...that is, one, you get completely trashed, and two, you may suffer from agressive feelings... I've had both, and I have seen other posts which make similar clais... YMMV, but these things are not w/ out those who have experienced them firsthand...
Posted by Gracie2 on October 5, 2001, at 23:41:05
In reply to Re: Alcohol and anti-depressants, posted by kid_A on October 5, 2001, at 18:07:49
This is an unusual suggestion and I don't know if your doctor would go along with it but hey, if you're desperate...
I used to be a heavy drinker. I never drank enough to pass out or black out but I drank almost every day, usually a whole bottle of wine and more on the weekends.
When I started taking Ultram, I completely lost interest in drinking. In fact, any kind of alcohol became distasteful to me. It didn't make me sick, like Antabuse - I just had no taste for booze at all. With MY history of drinking, this was a miracle.
I know of Ultram's use as a non-narcotic painkiller but I understand that it is now being used for pyschiatric purposes. Prehaps you could give it a try. I cannot tell you what a relief it is not waking up with a hangover on a regular basis.
Best wishes-
Gracie
Posted by MB on October 6, 2001, at 19:12:52
In reply to Alcohol and anti-depressants, posted by TopCat on October 5, 2001, at 10:06:41
Do you think you are an alcoholic? If you are an alcoholic, perhaps a combination of treatments would be your best bet: a) treatment for your depression, and b) treatment for your alcoholism. A lot of people (myself included) start medicating depression with alcohol, and, if certain genetic factors are in place, succumb to it. If you could get help in getting sober, maybe the antidepressants would work better for you.
< cut >
> I desperately want to give up the alcohol but I feel unable to control it.< cut >
Posted by MM on October 13, 2001, at 8:57:29
In reply to Re: Alcohol and anti-depressants » TopCat, posted by MB on October 6, 2001, at 19:12:52
Hey TopCat,
When I'm on SSRI's I get strong urges to drink alcohol too. When I'm off of them, I'll be up for drinking (moderately, and not all the time, any time, which isn't the same as craving it), but I KNOW it's the SSRI's because while I was on serzone I got pretty bad (wanting it excessively, blacking out, doing STUUUUPPPIIIDDD things), then I quit the serzone (cold turkey BTW, which is pretty much how I've quit all SSRI's because I just ran out of them) and my urge to drink disappeared. When I went back on paxil about a month and a half ago along with depakote, the urge came back, tho not as strong (probably because I'm only on 10mg paxil). I've actually read about this side-effect on the web somewhere (sorry, no idea where). Anyway, just saying I've had this effect too, and you MIGHT want to try stopping the SSRI you're on for a while (tapering) and see if this SE goes away (but I'm not saying you should as I am not your Pdoc and you should talk to him/her before you do). HTH
Posted by vicky on October 13, 2001, at 15:10:13
In reply to Re: Alcohol and anti-depressants, posted by Gracie2 on October 5, 2001, at 23:41:05
> re: I used to be a heavy drinker (a six-twelve pack a day for 17 years)
and would wash down my prozac, perphenazine and buspar with them)
now I've quit for 6 months, feel fantastic, and the meds
have a chance to work like they aught to. Don't drink and drug!!!vicky
how do I post a response to a thread without inserting my paragraph in
into the other posts. thanks
> This is an unusual suggestion and I don't know if your doctor would go along with it but hey, if you're desperate...
> I used to be a heavy drinker. I never drank enough to pass out or black out but I drank almost every day, usually a whole bottle of wine and more on the weekends.
> When I started taking Ultram, I completely lost interest in drinking. In fact, any kind of alcohol became distasteful to me. It didn't make me sick, like Antabuse - I just had no taste for booze at all. With MY history of drinking, this was a miracle.
> I know of Ultram's use as a non-narcotic painkiller but I understand that it is now being used for pyschiatric purposes. Prehaps you could give it a try. I cannot tell you what a relief it is not waking up with a hangover on a regular basis.
> Best wishes-
> Gracie
Posted by Mitch on October 13, 2001, at 15:37:58
In reply to Re: Alcohol and anti-depressants--TopCat, posted by MM on October 13, 2001, at 8:57:29
> Hey TopCat,
> When I'm on SSRI's I get strong urges to drink alcohol too. When I'm off of them, I'll be up for drinking (moderately, and not all the time, any time, which isn't the same as craving it), but I KNOW it's the SSRI's because while I was on serzone I got pretty bad (wanting it excessively, blacking out, doing STUUUUPPPIIIDDD things), then I quit the serzone (cold turkey BTW, which is pretty much how I've quit all SSRI's because I just ran out of them) and my urge to drink disappeared. When I went back on paxil about a month and a half ago along with depakote, the urge came back, tho not as strong (probably because I'm only on 10mg paxil). I've actually read about this side-effect on the web somewhere (sorry, no idea where). Anyway, just saying I've had this effect too, and you MIGHT want to try stopping the SSRI you're on for a while (tapering) and see if this SE goes away (but I'm not saying you should as I am not your Pdoc and you should talk to him/her before you do). HTHYes, I have heard that too here on this board. I wished I could remember who posted it-but they mentioned that thier pdoc didn't like SSRi's because they interfered with dopamine and that interference triggered the alcohol cravings. FWIW, here is a list of all the AD's that I have tried that *reduced* alcohol cravings:
1) Desipramine (the most by far)
2) Wellbutrin
3) Adderall
4) Effexor (may have had more to do with its nauseating qualities!)
Posted by Gracie2 on October 14, 2001, at 13:57:33
In reply to Re: Alcohol and anti-depressants--TopCat, posted by Mitch on October 13, 2001, at 15:37:58
Keep your drugs where your kids can't get at them.
A friend of my son's swiped a bunch of his mom's Ativan, split them with his friends, and they all spent the night drinking. One of these kids aspirated in his sleep and was dead when they found him. Even "good" kids will experiment with drugs out of curiosity or peer pressure, so don't give 'em the chance.
-Gracie
Posted by Christina on October 22, 2001, at 20:02:10
In reply to While we're on the subject..., posted by Gracie2 on October 14, 2001, at 13:57:33
Gracie. that is a tragic story.
>
> Keep your drugs where your kids can't get at them.
> A friend of my son's swiped a bunch of his mom's Ativan, split them with his friends, and they all spent the night drinking. One of these kids aspirated in his sleep and was dead when they found him. Even "good" kids will experiment with drugs out of curiosity or peer pressure, so don't give 'em the chance.
> -Gracie
This is the end of the thread.
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