Alcoholics and cold medicine

Old 10-19-2010, 06:31 PM
  # 1 (permalink)  
Member
Thread Starter
 
Starlynn's Avatar
 
Join Date: Jun 2010
Posts: 47
Alcoholics and cold medicine

Not sure if this is a ridiculous question but can cold medicine have similar effects on an alcoholic as if they were drinking? My ABF sounded on the phone like he does when he drinks but says he hasn't had anything to drink. He has been sick the past 3 days and is taking NyQuil and some other cold medicine. Any thoughts?
Starlynn is offline  
Old 10-19-2010, 06:34 PM
  # 2 (permalink)  
Administrator
 
Dee74's Avatar
 
Join Date: Apr 2007
Location: Australia
Posts: 211,044
Some cough medicines do have alcohol in them - some of the percentages can be quite high.

D
Dee74 is offline  
Old 10-19-2010, 06:34 PM
  # 3 (permalink)  
To thine own self be true.
 
Join Date: May 2009
Location: U.S.A.
Posts: 5,924
Yes. Recovering alcoholics should not use Nyquil. Or Listerine. Or anything else with alcohol in it. The question is not ridiculous at all.
Learn2Live is offline  
Old 10-19-2010, 06:39 PM
  # 4 (permalink)  
Member
 
Join Date: Nov 2002
Location: Bristol TN/VA
Posts: 12,431
ah..and I heard about a trend called robotripping...drinking too much robotussin...

I dunno...when I was using alka-seltzer cold/sinus..I had a bad case of medicine head..I felt like my voice was coming out of some hollow tube? but I always sound funny when my nose is stuffed up/closed.
Live is offline  
Old 10-19-2010, 06:53 PM
  # 5 (permalink)  
Member
Thread Starter
 
Starlynn's Avatar
 
Join Date: Jun 2010
Posts: 47
He said he was taking NyQuil PLUS another cold medicine. I have been unable to get a hold of him which worries me. He had hip surgery last year and when he got out of the hospital was taking pain pills and drinking. I really fear that he will ingest the wrong combination of things and it will seriously affect him.
Starlynn is offline  
Old 10-19-2010, 06:55 PM
  # 6 (permalink)  
A work in progress
 
LexieCat's Avatar
 
Join Date: Jul 2010
Location: South Jersey
Posts: 16,633
Originally Posted by Learn2Live View Post
Yes. Recovering alcoholics should not use Nyquil. Or Listerine. Or anything else with alcohol in it. The question is not ridiculous at all.
Nyquil does have a high percentage of alcohol--not a good idea for an alcoholic.

As to mouthwashes containing alcohol--that isn't clear-cut. Some alcoholics have been known to drink it, and others are uncomfortable enough with the idea that it is best avoided. Others (like me) don't have any qualms about using an alcohol-based mouthwash. That's pretty much an individual decision.

Same with alcohol cooked in food--some say it's OK, others not.

Up to the individual. I always suggest that anyone in doubt should avoid it.
LexieCat is offline  
Old 10-19-2010, 07:00 PM
  # 7 (permalink)  
Member
 
coffeedrinker's Avatar
 
Join Date: Oct 2009
Location: minneapolis, mn
Posts: 2,762
i just bought some nyquil the other day. do you know it contains 10% alcohol? that pretty darned much, and of course you could get high off it if you drink enough. mixing that plus something else sounds - sorry to sound like i'm generalizing, or stereotyping - but all too common.

the problem is, worrying about him won't change anything. being fearful won't make him not wanna get off on cold medicine, and it won't make him not do something reckless.

do you think you can work on detaching?
coffeedrinker is offline  
Old 10-19-2010, 07:05 PM
  # 8 (permalink)  
Member
Thread Starter
 
Starlynn's Avatar
 
Join Date: Jun 2010
Posts: 47
Originally Posted by coffeedrinker View Post
the problem is, worrying about him won't change anything. being fearful won't make him not wanna get off on cold medicine, and it won't make him not do something reckless.

do you think you can work on detaching?
I know you are right but sometimes I feel like he won't make it another year. It's sad. About detaching...still trying. I guess I am finding it difficult. Thanks for your post.
Starlynn is offline  
Old 10-19-2010, 07:06 PM
  # 9 (permalink)  
Dismember
 
Isaiah's Avatar
 
Join Date: Aug 2008
Location: The Mitten, USA
Posts: 1,641
There is alcohol plus a cocktail of other drugs with sedative properties. Even many non-alcoholic cough medicines will make you slow and slurry.
Isaiah is offline  
Old 10-19-2010, 07:16 PM
  # 10 (permalink)  
Member
 
Join Date: Oct 2010
Location: San Antonio TX
Posts: 133
There are no ridiculous questions on SR. On SR you will find someone who has been there, lived it, and survived it! I can definitely relate to your question. My dry drunk husband's last relapse started by me finding numerous empty bottles of NyQuil both hidden throughout my house and in his car. All his stinking alcoholic ways came back. He ended up being hospitalized for depression, but didn't continue his recovery. That's a totally different story, but to answer your question, a good portion of Nyquil is alcohol, and it is FULL of acetominophen (tylenol).

God loves me where I'm at, but He loves me too much to leave me there.

:ghug3
acdirito is offline  
Old 10-19-2010, 08:06 PM
  # 11 (permalink)  
peaceful seabird
 
Pelican's Avatar
 
Join Date: Sep 2008
Location: floating
Posts: 4,822
Originally Posted by Starlynn View Post
Not sure if this is a ridiculous question but can cold medicine have similar effects on an alcoholic as if they were drinking? My ABF sounded on the phone like he does when he drinks but says he hasn't had anything to drink. He has been sick the past 3 days and is taking NyQuil and some other cold medicine. Any thoughts?
I think I remember my A telling me his loss of body function was because of the Nyquil. I tend to believe it was the large amounts of alcohol he consumed prior to the Nyquil.

The question to you is this:

Which part of this is yours to control?
Pelican is offline  
Old 10-19-2010, 08:08 PM
  # 12 (permalink)  
Re-Member
 
Itchy's Avatar
 
Join Date: Oct 2010
Location: Colorado Springs, Colorado
Posts: 7,583
Lots of addicts in my youth got started with slamming cough syrup, one addiction I did avoid. I was shocked that our Listerine was 50% or more alcohol! We got the non-alcoholic mouthwash. The other drugs in it, taken in excess, even with only 10% alcohol can have some serious inebriation effects.
Itchy is offline  
Old 10-19-2010, 08:16 PM
  # 13 (permalink)  
Member
 
Jadmack25's Avatar
 
Join Date: Sep 2008
Location: Wizard Land Downunder
Posts: 2,615
Trust me, Natural pure Vanilla Essence is a doozy as well. I fell into that one when I had awful toothache, and dabbed it on gums. Was high as a kite in the morning.
Jadmack25 is offline  
Old 10-19-2010, 09:57 PM
  # 14 (permalink)  
Belgian Sheepdog Adictee
 
laurie6781's Avatar
 
Join Date: Apr 2004
Location: In Today
Posts: 6,101
Nyquil is 25% alcohol which is 50 PROOF.

the Nyquil plus just has Vitamin C added and is still 25% alcohol.

Many alkies have used Nyquil and/or mouth washes like Listerine to intentionally get high.

Yes, he was high.

Love and hugs,
laurie6781 is offline  
Old 10-20-2010, 01:36 AM
  # 15 (permalink)  
kia
Member
 
Join Date: Dec 2009
Location: southport merseyside
Posts: 536
omg had no idea he never keeps any pain killers in when i was with him but he was obsessive about having beechams in has that got alcohol in it too then cos that explains that one i did wonder as he rarely gets cold although ironically is always sick with ermm some sort of illness no one else has and that he seemed to have just got even though he doesnt go out what lengths they go to eh never ceases to amaze me
kia is offline  
Old 10-20-2010, 04:15 AM
  # 16 (permalink)  
Member
 
SoloMio's Avatar
 
Join Date: Apr 2010
Location: USA
Posts: 1,118
My husband knew people in rehab who were in rehab because they relapsed on NyQuil after having drunk cases of it.
SoloMio is offline  
Old 10-20-2010, 08:10 AM
  # 17 (permalink)  
To thine own self be true.
 
Join Date: May 2009
Location: U.S.A.
Posts: 5,924
Originally Posted by acdirito View Post
Nyquil is alcohol, and it is FULL of acetominophen (tylenol).
Ooh, very good point acririto. Not a good combination for someone with a compromised liver.
Learn2Live is offline  
Old 10-20-2010, 03:06 PM
  # 18 (permalink)  
Member
 
theuncertainty's Avatar
 
Join Date: Apr 2010
Location: Alaska
Posts: 2,913
Hey, Starlynn, I agree that it's not a silly question at all. There's a reason there is dosage information on medicine, more is not better and mixing medicines can lead to impaired behavior - heck, even normal doses can do that (hence the warnings against driving after taking some medicine).

I've had an 'Aha moment' with this thread:
  • STBXAH - AB at the time - missed the bed once while lying down and hit his head on the night stand giving himself a huge gash on the temple. (How does some one completely miss a bed for pete's sake?! Oh, yeah, drinking, never mind.) Scared me to death. He told me it was because he'd taken cold medicine and hadn't eaten. I hadn't seen him drink anything, so I believed him.
  • I refused to buy beer or vodka one trip to the grocery store, because we wouldn't have had enough for food for us and the baby. He agreed, but when we went past the medicine aisle, he reminded me that we were both fighting terrible colds and were out of cold medicine. We bought nyquil because he prefered it and it helped him sleep, even though like half a dose makes me feel sick to my stomach (and we had to do without a couple items on our list). I decided I didn't want to feel nauseous on top of having a cough and stuffy nose and did not take any nyquil, but the bottle was still empty the next morning. "Must have spilled." Oh. Okay.
  • I always had to buy a new bottle of vanilla extract when I wanted to make cookies. The old one was always gone when I looked for it. "Don't you remember, you made cookies like a month ago? You must have used it up."

I learn something new every day.
theuncertainty is offline  
Old 10-20-2010, 03:10 PM
  # 19 (permalink)  
Heathen
 
smacked's Avatar
 
Join Date: Mar 2009
Location: La La Land, USA
Posts: 2,567
Oooh Nyquil and sleeping pills were easy things to say I took when I was actually wasted.

On the flip side.. I used to love getting loaded on cough medicine, cold medicine too.

but that was just me.. perhaps he's being an honest lad who had absolutely no idea that Nyquil is FULL of alcohol and quite intoxicating even at it's recommended dose.

When I stopped drinking alcohol, I stopped drinking things with alcohol in them.. go figure.
smacked is offline  

Currently Active Users Viewing this Thread: 1 (0 members and 1 guests)
 
Posting Rules
You may not post new threads
You may not post replies
You may not post attachments
You may not edit your posts

BB code is On
Smilies are On
[IMG] code is On
HTML code is Off
Trackbacks are On
Pingbacks are On
Refbacks are Off




All times are GMT -7. The time now is 03:28 PM.