Antidepressants With Alcohol - Dependence Or Not?
Jun 26, 2007
I have always enjoyed my drink and have used it to enhance many a social occasions in the past. However in the last two years a number of life events have gradually led me into depression and through this, have increased my alcohol intake. I know I have developed an dependance on alcohol and my biggest concern is reading experiences of other people and the development this can lead too, which obviously can be a tremendous loss., when involving family, job and friends. Although I think
I am at risk of going this far, I believe that I enjoy alcohol for its taste, I am still particular in what I drink!!!! and that I am able to control to a degree, my limit. However Iam also on antidepressants and mixed with alcohol has led me into a harmful disposition with myself., many a time. The problem I have is if you go to the doctor to receive help then this is on your record and job wise this can be very detrimental. can anyone give me their thoughts on any of the above matter.
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I'm on day 2 of naltrexone after over 10 years of alcohol dependence and abuse (so early days i know) and feel really positive....last night i only had/needed 3 pints instead of my usual 6 plus wine. i've agreed with the counsellor i'll use naltrexone to cut down and then start a detox when i finish my exams in a month's time, but i'm worried how i'll manage. if i still need a couple of pints when i'm on naltrexone, how will i ever manage to make the switch to abstinence?
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How long will you be able to develop xanax dependence?been taking xanax .25mg twice a day for two-three days and independently increased it with .5mg once a day and then 2 mg or 2.5mg per day just needed due to insomnia. i able to consume 30 tabs for two weeks i think. will i develop dependence? how to detox it? help please. want to quit it.just felt weird after had not taken xanax for 2 days now.am feeling confused and i dont think i am having anxiety right now. also taking zolpidem 30 mg yesterday . is this related to xanax or zolpidem?
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I don't know all the reasons why Doctors won't just tell a patient the truth about dependency, but, my best guess is fear of the unknown. In my opinion they are scared of Lawsuits. Scared of what this person may do. If you are trying to stop taking Oxycodone like I was in 2011 then you probably felt like no one was giving you a roadmap to success. You felt like you had somehow acquired a PHD in chemistry and the medical field with all of the knowledge you had obtained through the internet. You asked and pleaded for help to stop taking these drugs. I read everything. I felt as if no one cared. I felt like my doctors were pawning me off to pain management doctors and no one was simply saying the obvious...Stop taking them! That is it.
I suffered a back injury, had spinal fusion, was given Oxycodone during recovery and was taking them for a year. As I felt my back injury and recovery or healing process of that surgery was over. I started weaning off the meds. Lowering my dosages. I did everything any normal person would do. I asked doctors, everyone, how? How to I stop taking this drug? The back injury and surgery was no longer my issue, the issue now was this feeling that I was a drug addict and it had to stop, in order to fully heal. In retrospect I would have gladly suffered the pains of the surgery, because, that was to be expected. After surgery it is going to hurt. You can expect to be in pain from that. What I didn't expect was becoming dependant on the drugs and being shunned by my own doctors who prescribed me the medications. Surgeons perform surgery. Mine didn't have any concerns with anything afterwards. I tried slowly weaning off the meds. I felt like c**p! I learned as much as I could from every media I could. I asked everyone How to stop taking these drugs. I asked all the questions one would ask? Will I die if I just stop taking them, How do I stop taking them? Is there someone who can give me a list of what to take and slowly taper them off of me? Nothing worked! Nothing....worked. After reading everyone's experiences and seeing everyone go through the same things I had been going through. I came across one post...one person...simply said "You people are stupid"....Stop taking the drugs. This was on a site where I had been reviewing probably fifty cases of people begging for relief, begging for answers on how to slowly wean off these meds. No one wants to feel pain. It's that simple, but, here's the reality....It's going to suck! You will feel terrible. Go to CVS and buy some circulatory leggings ( stocking to help bad circulation) They are tight fitting socks that go up to your crotch, put them on! Find your favorite pillow or large stuffed animal and get in bed, have plenty of Gatorade, pedialyte, anything to replenish the fluids and vitamins, you are going to need to keep drinking these fluids as much as possible! Tell your family to bear with you and forgive anything they hear come from your room. I screamed, I cursed, I cried and after a couple of days the worst was over. It was two Hard days. It was a hard week following, but the days get better, the weeks get better and the good news is...You will no longer be dependant or addicted to this ridiculous drug. I'm not a Doctor. I don't claim to be a drug Guru. I was a patient suffering from an injury and thrown away. My recovery process was just as important to me as my surgery. That was not the sentiment my surgeon shared. he performed surgery, that's his job and that's how he saw it. Oh , you're having difficulty with the medications? well here is a doctor who specializes in that, go away! The pain management doctor wanted to substitute my addiction, dependancy? (whatever) with other drugs? Methadone, you name it, and told me he was there to give me whatever I wanted for as long as I wanted. I can call that guy right now and get drugs if I wanted! Stop taking them! That's no life. The pains you are experiencing on a daily basis regardless of whatever injury or illness you have are increased by these pain medications. They tell your brain this doesn't hurt ...but, now you have this pain...these doctors have no idea, what you are going through. They will give you drugs, they will perform surgeries, but, they are not going to hold your hand and suffer with you, this horrible suffering... you are going to have to overcome. Check with your doctors first, tell them your plan, get their opinions and make a choice.
Ask your doctor this one question...Am I going to die if I quit taking these medications right now?
Once the drugs were no longer in my system (and I mean months, If not a year to fully regain my sanity of overcoming this) I was able to get my life back.
Do not flush your meds in the toilet! I do not want to drink from my tap water and worry about ingesting your meds. Empty the contents of your prescription bottles in the trash can and then dispense of the bottles themselves. I finally threw all my drugs away about a year AFTER I completely withdrew from my addiction...I was not in my right frame of mind to part with them. I honestly kept them as a backup to end my suffering, but, one day the clouds separated and my eyes were finally opened enough and were clear enough, not to need them anymore.
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I've been taking between .25-.75 mg of xanax per day for about 6 months, and occasionally i would take klonopin. It all started with methadone withdrawal early last year (2013) and benzos helped a lot. It got to the point where i was completely sober and feeling great but I would slowly begin taking xanax to help alleviate the lingering anxiety after my long battle with methadone withdrawal. And here I am. i'm tapering and taking less, i'm trying to take as little as possible and skip days if i can. I have weed, ketamine HCL, valerian root, magnesium glycinate, and melatonin on stand by to help me sleep. I also invested in fish oil, and L-theanine. i DO have access to opiates but i doubt those will help. I also here GABA drugs help.
so my general question, what should i expect? and how long will this last if go cold turkey now? i'm aware xanax has a very short half life unlike methadone. Methadone withdrawal was HELL, and i know i haven't been taking large doses of xanax but i do admit that i am afraid because i'm well aware of the dangers of withdrawals from benzos.
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Ok well I'm sat up as I'm typing this, I've been a heavy cocaine user for the past 2 years. Put been using for 15 years. Sat here now my eye is weeping water I've bad headache side of my face is in sore.
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I have for a year been taking Norco 10/325. 3 pills a day and 2 of them I take half at a time. I had a serious injury years ago with my left foot. Accident broke 3 bones, fractured 2, shattered 1 and dislocated it. Than over the last year have had many surgeries on my jaws. So I have a legitimit reason for taking them with chronic pain now. My Dr keeps a close watch on my body and last test showed no dangers in my liver. A few months ago I found myself taking 5 a day. Caught myself and dropped back to 3 max a day. The last 3 weeks I have been waking up feeling so scared and depressed and even fear and anxiety. And of course the bathroom part which starts only 12 hours after the half I take before sleep. However, things that never bothered me before all come to light in the mornings. Things like world problems. The election, North Korea, terrorism and so on. These things never bothered me up until a few weeks ago. Now I find myself scared of even dying with the world problems. I realized today that its because of the Norco. I don't take much though. I take a half in the morning a couple hours after I wake up and I feel better and realize the things I was worrying about I dont worry as much about after I take it. I was at the same time trying to get off Paxil and I thought that was the problem and ended up going back on the Paxil which did not help me at all. That's when I realized this morning it has to be from the Norco. I go right back to taking it as prescribed because it helps me think better and clearly and get through the days. I also lost my appetite and sleep very badly. I HATE the feeling but I know now what has happened. Seems when I started backing off the 5 a day is when I started feeling this way. I will not take any more than 3 though a day. I can limit myself to what it says to take. Half a pill each dose helps get through the day. But than again I start feeling the pain. I want to test my theory just once to see if I am correct. I will wake up early in the morning and take a half and see how I feel when I wake up. When today I realized why I am feeling so bad, I felt a little better knowing that the problem is not with me. Its the medication. Does this to anyone sound like withdrawal from Norco? From what I have read, this is exactly what I am feeling.
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I was on anti depressants for over 20 years with mixed reaction. Last year my doctor said to try doing without. It took me 10 months to withdraw from Effexor so I did not get any withdrawal symptoms. And that worked. Just over a year on I am beginning to feel depressed again. After all that effort to withdraw I am loathe to go back on medication.
Over the years I have tried stopping, but the depression always comes back. I would like people's views on whether they manage without anti depressants, or think that we do need them?
I am a retired lady and am also on the anxiety forum. I get stressed about every silly little thing, although they do not seem small or silly to me.
Medication or not? I know this is really a personal choice. Do people here feel better with or without antidepressants?
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I am trying to deal with my depression and anxiety as best as I can. I have never thought that something like this could happen to me, I was always a calm person. But ever since my husband died two years ago I cannot get a hold of myself. It started like a regular depression that came and went but now it is a full time condition. Since I have been taking Paxil, I am starting to feel much better. Can you take Paxil sporadically? I mean, do I have to take it when I'm feeling fine?
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I am going to switch back to paxil after trying out Celexa for 5 weeks, because i remember it seemed to work better and faster, my doc says that to take both for a week to switch over to Paxil- does this sound right? I will be taking 20mg of each for a week?
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I actually like the paxil but the weight gain is getting the better of me. i was on 20 mgs and my doc lowered it to 10 mgs but still gaining weight. Any suggestions? Also what is a half life of a medication?
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Has anyone heard of b12 injections to get off Cymbalta? I have been on for 3 years and can't get off this drug. The withdrawal is horrible. the spins, sweats and other stuff is a killer. I am down to my last 30mg pill and will try to take some of the stuff out like suggested but does anyone have any vitamin help on this?? I am going to read the the B12 epidemic book but have yet to hear of anyone that this has helped.
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I've been on 50mg of Zoloft for 11 days and yesterday I started to get bad hives. I want to quit cold turkey, what do you suggest?
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I wonder if anyone could please let me know of their experiences of treating MAV with anti depressants. After a 6 month roller coaster of diagnosis, I have no other option but to start on these.
I have specifically been out on dosulepin which is close to amitriptyline but am worried about the side effects as I already have really low blood pressure and am really skinny.
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I am possibly thinking of paying for a private home detox. They have suggested it will be using valium as opposed to Librium. I was just wondering if anyone else on here had been through one?
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I took Paxil for panic attacks three years ago for 30 days and then again for a year. Now, I am reaching third week without Paxil. I heard that the longer it took a person to become used to it at the beginning the longer it takes to withdraw and I am very worried if this is true. I feel nausea, seizures and dizziness. I need something to relieve the symptoms of Paxil withdrawal. This is the first time I have this experience with medication.
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My doctor told me that Paxil is a unique formulation that offers proven medical benefits for people with depression. Since I have problems with this disorder, he recommended me to use this drug. Although I have heard that Paxil gives you the powerful relief, I am still worried. Problem is that my neighbor told me his cousin lose weight from Paxil. That is why I want to hear is it possible to lose weight because of this medicine, and what else side effects I could expect.
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Does anyone know if mixing cannabis and ADs causes side effects
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I have been taking Xanax 2mg about 6 times a day and 100mg of Zoloft for about 5 years. I am very confused now i knew there was going to be a bad withdrawal from the Xanax so i checked myself into a detox center to withdraw from it. I have not used Xanax for about 40 days now but i keep feeling like I'm in a daze and i get those electric shocks like my body is going threw a nervous breakdown. I was reading and these sound like withdraws of Zoloft. I have not felt the same since i checked into detox. I don't know if it's the Xanax or the Zoloft that i am experiencing all these withdrawals. I am not taking any of these medications. Can someone explain what it is that I'm going threw.
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My grandfather is taking one and he is becoming way worse and just lays in bed all day and doesn't eat anything at all. And looks like he''s going to die soon. Only reason why I'm asking this question here too is because he has Alzheimer's too.
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I've reluctantly started Zoloft (SSRI antidepressant), being encouraged to do so by my GP due to the depression of diagnosis and the possibility I also have fibromyalgia.
(Pain isn't just limited to joints and fatigue is crippling) ie: I've slept 18 hours of the last 24 and still so very tired.
I'm having awful start up side effects which I understand will pass and understand there will be no benefit until 4-8 weeks, if at all.
I've tried Lexapro a while back with no real success.
Has anyone had any improvement at any level with ADs? I really hate mucking around with my brain chemistry.
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