Posted by banga on December 18, 2004, at 19:13:03
In reply to alcohol and meds????, posted by woolav on December 18, 2004, at 17:58:45
I have long wondered whether Prozac egged on cravings for alcohol. Here and there I have read people voicing the same suspicion. My own thoughts are that SSRIS at some level can be agitating and influence impulse control.
Please do take care. Perhaps talk to your doctor about your suspicions. Leaning on alcohol for feeling more stable short term is an extremely slippery slope. Once you start sliding you will never be in the same spot again in life--regardless of the "whys" in having started overusing in the first place. I found out the hard way, as you may guess. I went from having everything going for me, save the depression, and once in a while overdoing the alcohol, to using it occasionally to fall asleep, relax my inner agitation, always thinking, "well when x happens, I will stop" .....now several hospitalizations later for alcoholism and depression, I think why did I not listen to that inner voice that warned this is dangerous. I am not lecturing at all, nor saying you have a problem--just saying that I think your fears RE: dependence are well-placed and to listen to that voice.
Alcohol is self-medicating, and if you feel urges to use it even more while on these meds, you need to find out which med may be pushing you in this direction. As I said, my personal intuition is that Prozac did that to me-increased cravings. The cravings are a symptom, find out what the solution is--that doesn't involve the alcohol. I hope your pdoc doesn't give you the pat answer--"go to AA." not that AA is a bad thing AT ALL, but your point is (I assume) that the MEDS are perhaps having this negative effect and you want to find out why, and possibly rectify it.
Good luck, and again try to endure any naive pat answers a pdoc gives you regarding this issue to get to the bottom of this. It's extremely important.
poster:banga
thread:431367
URL: http://www.dr-bob.org/babble/20041217/msgs/431403.html