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Medication and early sobriety

Old 01-14-2017, 06:48 PM
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Medication and early sobriety

I have been sober for 14 days and happy for these last two weeks of my life. I am in this wholeheartedly. With that being said, about 3 days in i started on a medication (dr prescribed) for depression and anxiety (probably related to alcohol but not reason it was prescribed). Ok now for the question, upon taking this medication my smoking has ceased, mood increased, everything medicine was supposed to do thank God finally! But also my desire to drink and impulsivity to do so is also gone. I have no difficulty with my av or my resolve. I like my life much better without alcohol, but how does one ever know if alcohol is the cause or if depression and improper treatment led to the alcoholism...does it matter? I dont know...just thinking out loud...
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Old 01-14-2017, 06:56 PM
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For me, it was easy to know because my depression had begun in my teenage years, decades before I began drinking. I know for certain that my drinking was self-medication for anxiety/depression. But, I had to finally get the depression managed with medication before I was able to stop drinking. If alcohol was the cause of the depression, then stopping drinking should help with that.
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Old 01-14-2017, 06:57 PM
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good thinkin there. when i was put on an AD, i felt relief quite quickly, but it took about a month for everything to even/level out in me.
in the meantime, actually this started before the AD was prescribed,i had quite a few questions, which i directed to a good friend who had been sober quite some time.more than once i heard,"you think too much" and,"you really think you need an answer to that?" and "let it gooooooo."
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Old 01-14-2017, 07:04 PM
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I over-analyzed my sobriety in the early days. It was foreign to me and I didn't understand it yet.

I don't think it matters which came first, as long as you treat both the illness and the addiction. I was depressed for years before I started drinking. I was on antiD's but of course they didn't help cause I was drinking.

Congrats on two weeks sober! Keep going, it gets better.
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Old 01-14-2017, 08:11 PM
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I've pondered the question of which causes what for years. Did depression cause my alcoholism or the other way around. Ultimately, I think your question, 'does it matter is rhetorical. No it doesn't.
I'm an alcoholic who also happens to suffer from depression. Wasting energy, time and emotion over the cause ultimately got me nowhere.
I'm going to focus on my sobriety and hopefully the depression will lift. If it doesn't, ce la vie. They are mutually exclusive events in my life.
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Old 01-14-2017, 08:43 PM
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Many of us with mental health issues turned to booze to "help". Though that's great you have two weeks down a medication that is working! Keep it up!
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Old 01-14-2017, 09:37 PM
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Originally Posted by whatcouldbe View Post
I have been sober for 14 days and happy for these last two weeks of my life. I am in this wholeheartedly. With that being said, about 3 days in i started on a medication (dr prescribed) for depression and anxiety (probably related to alcohol but not reason it was prescribed). Ok now for the question, upon taking this medication my smoking has ceased, mood increased, everything medicine was supposed to do thank God finally! But also my desire to drink and impulsivity to do so is also gone. I have no difficulty with my av or my resolve. I like my life much better without alcohol, but how does one ever know if alcohol is the cause or if depression and improper treatment led to the alcoholism...does it matter? I dont know...just thinking out loud...
I have been wondering myself if the antidepressants I went on soon after I quit drinking is part of the reason I am having a much easier time than I expected. It's like no physical cravings! Of course, I have been in and off different antidepressants/anxiety for 15 years, but I switched med that worked more on the depression and on the dopamine receptors about a month into sobriety. I'm thinking maybe all this time any of these meds could've worked like they should if I wasn't drinking? Or have I finally found the best med for me? I don't know. In my case, I know the depression came first because even as a young child, I felt impending doom and anxiety. What's going to happen if the meds stop working? Will the craving come back? I think we definitely overthink these things. Just don't drink as that will surely make it worse.
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Old 01-15-2017, 03:20 AM
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Originally Posted by tomsteve View Post
good thinkin there. when i was put on an AD, i felt relief quite quickly, but it took about a month for everything to even/level out in me.
in the meantime, actually this started before the AD was prescribed,i had quite a few questions, which i directed to a good friend who had been sober quite some time.more than once i heard,"you think too much" and,"you really think you need an answer to that?" and "let it gooooooo."
Haha! I could hear my friends and family saying this too!! Its true, let it goooo😆
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Old 01-16-2017, 05:32 AM
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Another vote not to over think and I believe it's chicken-egg and ultimately does not matter. The meds are take are tools that support my sobriety, which includes (perhaps most importantly) my emotional sobriety. They are part of what help me work a strong program.

I take a veritable cocktail (ha) that works for me and truly don't worry about why they do- am honest with my dr and we adjust as needed (added an anti depreaaant a couple months ago as an additional layer of help) and on the whole feel so healthy it is amazing.

Honesty, use of the resources available to me and keeping my eyes on my HP and sobriety are working for me.
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Old 01-16-2017, 06:18 AM
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Originally Posted by whatcouldbe View Post

3 days in i started on a medication (dr prescribed) for depression and anxiety

how does one ever know if alcohol is the cause or if depression and improper treatment led to the alcoholism...does it matter?
You may never know for sure
and it seems like it shouldn't really matter?
Most perscription drugs have some side effects.
How long does your doctor think that you will need the perscrip pills?
M-Bob
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Old 01-16-2017, 06:26 AM
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Originally Posted by whatcouldbe View Post
I have been sober for 14 days and happy for these last two weeks of my life. I am in this wholeheartedly. With that being said, about 3 days in i started on a medication (dr prescribed) for depression and anxiety (probably related to alcohol but not reason it was prescribed). Ok now for the question, upon taking this medication my smoking has ceased, mood increased, everything medicine was supposed to do thank God finally! But also my desire to drink and impulsivity to do so is also gone. I have no difficulty with my av or my resolve. I like my life much better without alcohol, but how does one ever know if alcohol is the cause or if depression and improper treatment led to the alcoholism...does it matter? I dont know...just thinking out loud...

Similar to you I started medication for anxiety and depression 3 days after I quit drinking. I started drinking 28 years ago to help combat my anxiety and depression. It worked for many years.

Of course alcohol became a problem and it made my anxiety and depression worse.

The only thing you can do is eventually try getting off the medication and see how you feel.
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Old 01-16-2017, 06:57 AM
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What could be: Alcohol is a depressant, along with other things. It is highly addictive for some people. Anti depressants are often prescribed for those recovering from alcohol. It does not seem at least to me to make sense that a person would drink in order to relieve depression and that depression therefore "caused" that person to drink. The reason people talk like this is that subjectively they feel at the very first that alcohol is a "pick me up" (as in "I'm feeling so bad today that I need something to "pick me up"). They have a drink or two and subjectively feel better but in an hour or so it all goes away and they may feel worse than before. So they have more alcohol and they start on a stairway to deep depression. The slippery slope.
My suggestion is just follow the doctor's advice and don't worry about whether depression "causes" alcoholism or, the more likely idea, that alcohol causes depression.

W.
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Old 01-16-2017, 07:53 AM
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Originally Posted by whatcouldbe View Post
I have been sober for 14 days and happy for these last two weeks of my life. I am in this wholeheartedly. With that being said, about 3 days in i started on a medication (dr prescribed) for depression and anxiety (probably related to alcohol but not reason it was prescribed). Ok now for the question, upon taking this medication my smoking has ceased, mood increased, everything medicine was supposed to do thank God finally! But also my desire to drink and impulsivity to do so is also gone. I have no difficulty with my av or my resolve. I like my life much better without alcohol, but how does one ever know if alcohol is the cause or if depression and improper treatment led to the alcoholism...does it matter? I dont know...just thinking out loud...
I was gonna post about this subject and i saw your post. I was having a really bad time with my life, bankrupcy and break up.. I decided to stop drinking and my dr also prescribed me some meds. First it was hard with all the side effects, but it did not kill my desire to drink at all.
its been 4 months and i can say i became a social drinker. I didn`t think i was able to do that. I don`t think about drinking at all. Just a couple of beers once in a while. And i don`t keep drinking the next days (which is huge for me). Anyway this is the bright side.

However, i think i am addicted to the meds now. My dr. and idecided that i can quit the meds and we created a tempering program. I am slowly cutting the meds but i feel like my world is ending and there is nothing i can do about it. I am having a lot of racing thoughts, i feel like everything is bad, etc. The withdrawl is so bad. I think it is easier to quit drinking than to quit medication. At least it is for me...

I wouldn`t recommend to anyone using medication unless it is really your last hope. I wouldn`t have started if i new it would be this hard to come off.

I hope this was helpful to someone..
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Old 01-16-2017, 03:07 PM
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Hi Blackened - if you're having a bad reaction to tapering back your meds please see your Dr as soon as you can.

I want to add - have you considered you might not be using the meds properly, or letting them do their job, if you're drinking on them?

Maybe thats something to ask your Dr about too?
D
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Old 01-16-2017, 03:29 PM
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Blackened: I agree with Dee. It makes no sense to take meds and also drink (moderately) or (socially). If the doctor had been told you were doing that he or she would probably not be prescribing the meds since the alcohol would interfere with them and only complicate the situation. I assume that doctors usually go on the understanding (unless they are told otherwise) that (1) the patient wants to stop drinking, and (2) the patient wants help with any withdrawal symptoms. If the patient is still drinking and the meds don't work because of that, then guess what may happen-often the patient uses more alcohol when the withdrawal symptoms get too severe. That sounds like the "slippery slope". The way out seems to be a plan which means a really hard effort to cease drinking and using the pills as prescribed to ease the withdrawal. If the pills don't work and there is no drinking then tell the doctor and it may result in a change of medication or increase of dosage.
This is very familiar to me since I personally did what you were doing for many years and it didn't work. It all got worse. I'm lucky I somehow stopped doing this and have been sober for 28 years. I figure a lot of folks have not been as lucky as I was and that many are dead.

W.
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Old 01-17-2017, 06:21 AM
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Originally Posted by Dee74 View Post
Hi Blackened - if you're having a bad reaction to tapering back your meds please see your Dr as soon as you can.

I want to add - have you considered you might not be using the meds properly, or letting them do their job, if you're drinking on them?

Maybe thats something to ask your Dr about too?
D
Hi Dee,
I was drinking moderately with the permission of my Dr. And the withdrawls started after i began tapering my meds. But you are right, i will call him and tell what`s happening. I just am scared he`s gonna tell me to stay on them which i hate cause they are giving me very foggy head.
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Old 01-17-2017, 06:23 AM
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Originally Posted by wpainterw View Post
Blackened: I agree with Dee. It makes no sense to take meds and also drink (moderately) or (socially). If the doctor had been told you were doing that he or she would probably not be prescribing the meds since the alcohol would interfere with them and only complicate the situation. I assume that doctors usually go on the understanding (unless they are told otherwise) that (1) the patient wants to stop drinking, and (2) the patient wants help with any withdrawal symptoms. If the patient is still drinking and the meds don't work because of that, then guess what may happen-often the patient uses more alcohol when the withdrawal symptoms get too severe. That sounds like the "slippery slope". The way out seems to be a plan which means a really hard effort to cease drinking and using the pills as prescribed to ease the withdrawal. If the pills don't work and there is no drinking then tell the doctor and it may result in a change of medication or increase of dosage.
This is very familiar to me since I personally did what you were doing for many years and it didn't work. It all got worse. I'm lucky I somehow stopped doing this and have been sober for 28 years. I figure a lot of folks have not been as lucky as I was and that many are dead.

W.
So you were drinking while on medication like me and they were not working... What did you exactly ? Did you stop the meds and alcohol altogether or just the alcohol ?
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Old 01-17-2017, 08:06 AM
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Originally Posted by Mountainmanbob View Post
You may never know for sure
and it seems like it shouldn't really matter?
Most perscription drugs have some side effects.
How long does your doctor think that you will need the perscrip pills?
M-Bob
Not sure how long, just trying to adjust and it really is helping...
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Old 01-17-2017, 08:10 AM
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Originally Posted by wpainterw View Post
What could be: Alcohol is a depressant, along with other things. It is highly addictive for some people. Anti depressants are often prescribed for those recovering from alcohol. It does not seem at least to me to make sense that a person would drink in order to relieve depression and that depression therefore "caused" that person to drink. The reason people talk like this is that subjectively they feel at the very first that alcohol is a "pick me up" (as in "I'm feeling so bad today that I need something to "pick me up"). They have a drink or two and subjectively feel better but in an hour or so it all goes away and they may feel worse than before. So they have more alcohol and they start on a stairway to deep depression. The slippery slope.
My suggestion is just follow the doctor's advice and don't worry about whether depression "causes" alcoholism or, the more likely idea, that alcohol causes depression.

W.
Everyones differant, for me alcohol has the opposite effect. It quieted my thoughts which were ALWAYS in overdrive. When i drank i was actually more alert and initially could think clearer. Of course as the night went on this would no longer be true....
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Old 01-17-2017, 08:33 AM
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Originally Posted by blackened83 View Post
So you were drinking while on medication like me and they were not working... What did you exactly ? Did you stop the meds and alcohol altogether or just the alcohol ?
I stopped neither and as i say it went on for years and years (13 actually). Complete denial. Several hospitalizations, then hit bottom with a big relapse. Went into a rehab and, with aftercare and counseling, plus help from an AA Agnostics group (although I'm not an Agnostic or Atheist) have been sober for 28 years. Am now approaching 90 and if anyone says i'm a "dry drunk" because I no longer go to meetings, that's O.K. with me. I'm feeling better than I've ever felt. No alcoholic cravings. Addicted to my dog.

Bill
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