KDD44 Posted May 26, 2014 Share Posted May 26, 2014 I am a 45 year old female, who has been on anti-depressants since I was 32. Before then, I never was a big drinker, got drunk maybe once a year. Since that time, I have struggled with alcohol. Put myself in some dangerous and compromising situations. Been through treatment, etc. Nothing has worked. When I bought this up to a doctor. She looked at me as if I were crazy. I have found on the internet, there is in fact a correspondence with craving alcohol while on anti-depressants. One of my dear friends, while on anti-depressants craved sugar, she told me that she could not get enough sugar. Then I found information that claims anti-depressants lower blood sugar, thus sugar and alcohol cravings. Getting off this **** has been awful, not only did I gain a ton of weight on mood stabilizers, I feel as if I am literally crazy off anti-depressants. I am trying to wean myself now gradually off of Wellbutrin and Remeron. I am taking nutritional supplements, making sure I sweat profusely at least 3 times a week. Anti-depressants mess with the the human body in almost every way. Please weigh in. Link to comment
alexjuice Posted May 26, 2014 Share Posted May 26, 2014 Yes. 3 Rehabs for alcoholism in my 20s. Didn't drink before psychiatry and haven't be intoxicated since 2009. Lexapro was the worst for this. One antispychotics, abilify only, also seemed to make it worse. There are many cases of this but I don't understand the why of how everything fits together. "Well my ship's been split to splinters and it's sinking fast I'm drowning in the poison, got no future, got no past But my heart is not weary, it's light and it's free I've got nothing but affection for all those who sailed with me. Everybody's moving, if they ain't already there Everybody's got to move somewhere Stick with me baby, stick with me anyhow Things should start to get interesting right about now." - Zimmerman Link to comment
Moderator Emeritus Jemima Posted May 26, 2014 Moderator Emeritus Share Posted May 26, 2014 KDD4, I moved your topic here to 'Introductions and updates' because it's your first post telling us about yourself. When you have a chance, please add your drug history to your signature like this: http://survivingantidepressants.org/index.php?/topic/893-please-put-your-withdrawal-history-in-your-signature/ . It will then appear in all of your posts so that people who want to help can quickly get an idea of your situation. Yes, antidepressants do destructive things to a person's metabolism, hence the enormous weight gain so many people experience. Even those who don't give in to cravings often gain a lot of weight anyway. Sweets and alcohol are definitely among the things that many people begin to crave. What were you on, how much, and how did you get off of it? How long have you been off of the drug? It sounds to me like you're having withdrawal symptoms. Going very slowly and cautiously is the only way to avoid most withdrawal symptoms. Please let us know more. Welcome to the forum. You'll find lots of solid information and friendly support here. Psychotropic drug history: Pristiq 50 mg. (mid-September 2010 through February 2011), Remeron (mid-September 2010 through January 2011), Lexapro 10 mg. (mid-February 2011 through mid-December 2011), Lorazepam (Ativan) 1 mg. as needed mid-September 2010 through early March 2012"Never attribute to malice that which is adequately explained by stupidity." -Hanlon's RazorIntroduction: http://survivingantidepressants.org/index.php?/topic/1588-introducing-jemima/ Success Story: http://survivingantidepressants.org/index.php?/topic/6263-success-jemima-survives-lexapro-and-dr-dickhead-too/Please note that I am not a medical professional and my advice is based on personal experience, reading, and anecdotal information posted by other sufferers. Link to comment
Moderator Emeritus Rhiannon Posted May 27, 2014 Moderator Emeritus Share Posted May 27, 2014 Yes, I have seen quite a few reports of people developing alcohol problems after starting ADs. Please study and learn about tapering here so you can come off your meds safely. Started on Prozac and Xanax in 1992 for PTSD after an assault. One drug led to more, the usual story. Got sicker and sicker, but believed I needed the drugs for my "underlying disease". Long story...lost everything. Life savings, home, physical and mental health, relationships, friendships, ability to work, everything. Amitryptiline, Prozac, bupropion, buspirone, flurazepam, diazepam, alprazolam, Paxil, citalopram, lamotrigine, gabapentin...probably more I've forgotten. Started multidrug taper in Feb 2010. Doing a very slow microtaper, down to low doses now and feeling SO much better, getting my old personality and my brain back! Able to work full time, have a full social life, and cope with stress better than ever. Not perfect, but much better. After 23 lost years. Big Pharma has a lot to answer for. And "medicine for profit" is just not a great idea. Feb 15 2010: 300 mg Neurontin 200 Lamictal 10 Celexa 0.65 Xanax and 5 mg Ambien Feb 10 2014: 62 Lamictal 1.1 Celexa 0.135 Xanax 1.8 Valium Feb 10 2015: 50 Lamictal 0.875 Celexa 0.11 Xanax 1.5 Valium Feb 15 2016: 47.5 Lamictal 0.75 Celexa 0.0875 Xanax 1.42 Valium 2/12/20 12 0.045 0.007 1 May 2021 7 0.01 0.0037 1 Feb 2022 6 0!!! 0.00167 0.98 2.5 mg Ambien Oct 2022 4.5 mg Lamictal (off Celexa, off Xanax) 0.95 Valium Ambien, 1/4 to 1/2 of a 5 mg tablet I'm not a doctor. Any advice I give is just my civilian opinion. Link to comment
Administrator Altostrata Posted May 27, 2014 Administrator Share Posted May 27, 2014 Welcome, KDD4. Yes, it seems some people develop a craving for alcohol and high-risk activities as an adverse effect of antidepressants. See http://survivingantidepressants.org/index.php?/topic/2147-alcohol-craving-on-ssris/ And http://survivingantidepressants.org/index.php?/topic/2312-dr-david-healy-wants-to-hear-from-you/ Please let us know more of your recent history with psychiatric drugs and how you got off them. This is not medical advice. Discuss any decisions about your medical care with a knowledgeable medical practitioner. "It has become appallingly obvious that our technology has surpassed our humanity." -- Albert Einstein All postings © copyrighted. Link to comment
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