Posted by medamorphosis on January 4, 2011, at 3:06:13
In reply to Re: Serious question. No offensive replies please. » medamorphosis, posted by PartlyCloudy on January 3, 2011, at 14:19:05
> > > > > IMO, if you are an alcoholic, I would stay away from Lithium since it impacts the liver so much. Your liver is working hard enough to recover.
> > > > >
> > > > > Wish I could make an alternative suggestion. I'll let wiser folks do that.
> > > >
> > > > That was a very wise statement and I will mention it to my pdoc. I doubt he'll let me go on it till im off the drink anyway. Thankyou for your contribution!
> > >
> > > Hey, I second BayLeaf's wise advice. If you can speak frankly with your doc, see if there are alternatives that won't tax your liver or kidneys too much.
> > >
> > > Alternatively, there is a medication that helps to control alcohol cravings that does NOT interfere with psych meds, and that is Campral (acamprosate). It all depends on which way you want to go; but you do have to be honest.
> > >
> > > PartlyCloudy
> > >
> > >
> > >
> >
> > acamprosate? It dont stop my craving. It dont work for me unfortunitely. But thanks tho.
>
> Sorry, thought I would throw it out there as it worked for me. I was on it for a year and a half before I weaned off.
>
> I guess it depends whether you plan to continue drinking, because that in itself will make treating depression more difficult - at least it was for me. And I found that stopping the drinking was a much bigger deal than just, say, stopping drinking (duh). I needed a village, as they say. The 12-step stuff didn't work try and try as I might, and that's what most programs are based on. I felt like I had a great big "loser" sign hung around my neck.
>
> I realize this is probably off topic. Or maybe it isn't, I don't know. All I know is that for me, things became if not easier, then more straightforward with my depression and anxiety and panic. Geez, the whole drinking thing had its own anxiety built right into it (but I was a closet drinker, so there was a lot of secrecy involved).
>
> Enough about me.
>
> Lithium, btw, didn't agree with my body or mind when I tried it. Mostly due to my psychiatrist's attempts to treat me as bipolar when I wasn't - I was a person with depression and anxiety who drank, and I think it made the symptoms pretty messed up.
> I changed doctors. Then I kept a mood chart faithfully for 30 days straight, and it indicated that I was NOT bipolar.
>
> PartlyCloudy
>
>Thanx! Your post is totally relevant! I need to stop drinking and probably pot smoking too. Had no pot yesterday and ive just woke after 6hrs sleep- thats MY sorta sleep as I normall top 10hrs or alot more. Im still drinking tho. Feel like id be depressed EVERYDAY without it. My ADs seem to work better with drink and its like another med- like an extra benzo if you like. Needs to stop I know but the world is sitting on my shoulders at the mo. Money problems being the worst thing. But my pdoc wont even give me antabuse untill im 4 weeks off! I said just give it to me so i cant drink! but no, 4 weeks sober he said. Anyway, ive heaps more to deal with- debts (personal and legal), being isolated, avoidance of everything at present (ready to be put on the streets). A load more related stuff. But thats for me to deal with. Been like this for over 2 yrs. Cant take much more.
12 steps is sh*te for me too. If only i dared say my true feelings about AA! Id get banned lol.
Luckily I DO have one self help group to go to which i must stop avoiding- an SA group. I plan to restart goin this Thurs. Been better than any AA meeting ive ever had!med
U.K.resedent
Ills: AvPD, major depression, addictive personality, alcoholism
Regime: 80mg isocarboxazid, 4mg clonazepam, 50mg agomelatine, high-dose vits & mins
poster:medamorphosis
thread:975678
URL: http://www.dr-bob.org/babble/20101231/msgs/975783.html