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Originally Posted by hoobie I was on Prozac years ago and drank while on it and actually didn't notice any side-effects. Actually, I was on Zoloft 2 years ago and drank while on that too. |
Typically you shouldn't drink and take something like Prozac, but in an ideal situation, a drink or two won't be horrible...it just isn't advised because if you escalate the drinking, you could run into some problems. And in your case, you shouldn't drink until you evaluate what kind of effect it has on your day to day life. In addition, if you are just starting on the Prozac, it is important to not do anything that could increase the likelihood of a side effect. You body is going to take awhile to get use to the medication, so it is best to not complicate things.
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Originally Posted by hoobie I was frustrated last night because my therapist considers me an alcoholic while my psychiatrist didn't seem to think it was a problem. I also have some self control when it comes to drinking so I guess I'm suprised that I still fit the criteria as one. |
Well....technically the dx would be Alcohol Abuse or Alcohol Dependance, but "Alcoholic" is more of a general term that people use. I assume that you spent more time with your therapist than you did the psychiatrist, so they may be working with different information. If 1 person thinks so, then it is something to look into. From what you described on here....it sounds like you have a problem with alcohol (see my above post).
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Originally Posted by hoobie I don't have time to drink during the week anymore so I guess I'm wondering why I can't just enjoy myself on Saturday nights? I asked my therapist this and she said the alcoholic liver functions differntly from a normal liver and builds up toxins that stay in the system... |
Having a problem with alcohol doesn't mean that you drink to excess every day, all fo the time. If you binge drink you can actually do more immediate damage then drinking the same amount over a longer period of time. Though with that being said, excessive drinking....no matter how 'spread out' is not good in the long run either.
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Originally Posted by hoobie Is this true? How does she KNOW I have an "alcoholic liver"? Are there tests? I've had physicals/bloodwork and everything is fine. I feel like she would classify anyone who had 3 drinks a week an alcoholic. |
They can do some bloodwork and do an enzyme (forget which one) check to evaluate for elevated levels in the liver. Typically someone who drinks heavily will have elevated levels, and this can reduce the effectiveness of the liver, in addition to storing toxins in the liver.
Again, being an alcoholic has much more to do with how alcohol effects your life, and less to do with an arbitrary # of drinks. People use 3 because in a typical 'social' setting like dinner, I don't see most people having more than a couple drinks.
-p