On Anti-D's and can't drink socially

LegacyUser

Hi all. My doc put me on anti-depressants last week and I'll be on them for 3 months for this round. They're called Lexapro. I'm on 10mg a day.

I can't drink while I'm on these and I have a few events to go to over the summer and I'm just wondering if anyone has ideas of how I can explain my sudden not drinking to people.

I was going to say I'm on antibiotics, but I don't know what I could possibly have that will last the next 3 months to cover that excuse.

Anyway, if anyone can help out here I'd really appreciate it. Unfortunately it's a big deal in this country if someone in the group isn't drinking.

Thanks

Victor

"I'm on anti-depressents."

"I'm on medication."

"I have liver problems."

"The doctor told me to cut it out. Its saving me a fortune."

"I got heart palpitations one night and it scared the life out of me."

"I'm fed up of peer pressure."

"I'm an alcoholic and don't want to follow my grandfather to an early grave."

biko

"I am taking the summer off from drink to see if I can do it"

"Sure, there is vodka in this coke. I am soooo drunk right now"

"I've been ordered by the courts to stay off drink since "the incident""

PeakOutput

im saving for *enter vice of choice here*

im trying to get fit????? ....and then do it aswell so its not a lie

ronbyrne2005

Have you tried just drinking say shandies on this medication? I know several people on antidepressants who drink socially and they do fine, are no more drunk than when not on anti-d's and generally small number of drinks does them no harm. LExapro is an ssri and there is little interaction between ssri's and alcohol, in fact ssri's may make alcohol have less effect on you. Just something to consider unless this abstinence is under strict medical advice or due to your own past experience. but if you decide to drink a little dont do it untill medication has started to work.

Drift

biko wrote:

"I am taking the summer off from drink to see if I can do it"

This is the best one by far. I've never drank and I still do my fair share of socialising and in the past 6 months I've never been the only one not drinking on a night out. The culture of drink is gradually changing believe it or not. You'll only have to tell them once or twice aswell OP, you'd be surprised how fast people get used to you not drinking. Plus they'll be pretty happy you're driving them all home :rolleyes:

sweet-rasmus

yeah! taking the summer off drink is a great one. or to get fit. sure, i always say myself that i'm saving my cash... though if you say that people might offer you drinks. no matter what you say, anyone with you drinking will still tease you at this fact. just brave it! the conversation will change quickly enough.

Dragan

Eh, just say your not drinking, if they are friends they won't have a problem with it.

I give up drink for no real reason every now and then and non of my real friends ever had an issue with it. Anytime i got the "ah go on an drink, your no fun" i would just tell that person that they were no fun WITH drink.

G&T

Tell them you have an ulcer,

Good luck,hope the tablet's do the business for you.

LegacyUser

Thanks folks. All good stuff there. The doc did say no more than one or two bottles of beer. I think it would be easier to just not drink at all than to have two and stop so I'll just go with the I'm on medication and not specify.

G+T, thanks, I'm sure I'll be grand.

Gumbyman

If anybody asks just say "I'm don't drink anymore. What's it to you?"

Dr_Teeth

I've found people are very positive and supportive if you tell them you're not drinking.. since I stopped drinking 4 years ago the ratio has been about 99% "fair play / wish I had your willpower etc." to 1% "your gay". So don't worry about it.

tbh if you're on anti-depressants you've got stuff you need to work out. Getting drunk isn't going to help, even if the drink didn't interfere chemically with the drug.

Miguel_Sanchez

Was in the same situation about 5 years ago. Just told people I was off the drink for a while. Some knew why, some didn't.

Great thing was when everyone else is drinking they always buy you cokes - never had to put my hand in my pocket!

LegacyUser

I find it the other way that if you are not drinking you get stung in rounds , buying alchohol for the others and a crappy coke for yourself.

And there is always a round dodger too, who drinks all night and never puts their hand in their pocket, but thats another story ...........................

galah

I don't think you need to "apologise" to people for not drinking. Just say you don't want to. Full stop. Or, if you have to, that you're on medication. No need to justify anything else, is there?

Apart from that (and this is not medical advice!) I found it's ok to have the odd drink (that is, ONE glass of wine with a lot of water on the side, not 17 pints of beer, obviously), but I do get drunk a lot quicker...

xxdilemmaxx

Took Lexapro for about 8 months (higher dosage than you) and drank at weekends - never had a problem with it. But that's just my own personal exp and not medical advice

PeakOutput

i dont know if you have acar but whenever i decide to give up drink i just take my car out every night.............

my mates give me a bit of a ribbing about not drinking but as im driving them in they tend to shut up fairly smartish and also either pay for me into the club or buy me a red bull or two as they wont have to pay for a taxi home...........

also i quickly realised that even tho im not drunk almost everyone else is and does not know you are not so even if you feel like a plank being sober on the dance floor no1 is looking at you so who cares

Hitchhiker's Guide to...

The instructions on the Lexapro don't say that you can't drink (they say there is no known interaction with alcohol), but i think it is quite misleading, as SSRIs and alcohol are both emotion changers.

re what to say; how about "the doctor put me on some tablets, and told me not to drink". You don't even need to say what the tablets are for - although antibiotics is usually a good general one. say you had some minor bug and the doctor put you on antibiotics as a precaution?

NutJob

Trust me i any time i did drink on them even extremely moderately it wasn't good and i know i shouldn't have done it.

I noticed very quickly why so i stopped and to this day despite being off the SSRIs i still only drink maybe twice a year and very moderately at that.

Just tell people you don't drink anyone who gives you negative comment has alot of growing up to do.
As for rounds stay out of them you cant be expected to stay in rounds if ur on minerals.


It never bothered my friends and to be honest i just used to book weekend activities eg karting fishing ...... Which was way more fun than a pub and a hell of a lot cheaper for some great days out.

Hope it all works out for you

Maple

don't make a big deal of it, just say you're not drinking cos your doc has you on tabs for this dodgy stomach thing you have going on. if they're real friends tho you should be able to say it to them.

Reku

Well if you really need an excuse a girl I knew in college got a kidney infection and had to go on a 6 month antibiotics course, however you're probably best off just saying that you've given up drinking (look at the long term health benefits as reasons to consider staying off the drink after you've finished taking the medication).

NZdubstar

Gumbyman wrote:

If anybody asks just say "I'm don't drink anymore. What's it to you?"

Now is that the most idiotic advice I've ever seen on boards? Why would you say "What's it to you?" to your friends? You sound like a nasty person.
Anyway yes I would go along with the antibiotics for kidney infection type thing, you can't lose there. Also, sounds like you could have 1 or 2 on these tabs anyway.

Slutmonkey57b

Don't drink while you're on the medication. The whole point of the Lexapro is to regulate your moods and give you a clear head to work your problems out. When you first start off you'll be a bit all over the place as it is. Anyone who suggests you'll be fine with just the odd drink here and there is an idiot. Drink isn't your friend even when you're not on the pills.

Just tell people you've gone off the drink for a while. If they ask why, tell them you wanted to see what it was like.

Carsinian Thau

I'd go with the antibiotic excuse. No one will question it and if they do all you have to say is "infection" and they'll leave it at that.
Also, antibiotic prescription times can vary so no-one will question you for ages, by which time you may even be off your anti-depressants.
Btw, it's probably none of my business but alcohol is a depressant so don't go overboard when you'll allowed to drink again.

Firetrap

Just say you're on medication and leave it at that. One of the most boring conversations anyone can ever have is one about their health so I can't see anyone asking you questions about what's wrong or what you're taking.

Talliesin

Dragan wrote:

Eh, just say your not drinking, if they are friends they won't have a problem with it.

I'd say that if someone has a problem with your not drinking the most likely explanation is not that they aren't a real friend, but that they have a problematic attitude to their own drinking. It's a definite warning sign about that person's situation.

LegacyUser

'I'm on 15mg of Lexapro and still get sloshed all the time. It hasn't caused me any problems.'

Victor

unreg123456789 wrote:

'I'm on 15mg of Lexapro and still get sloshed all the time. It hasn't caused me any problems.'

That doesn't seem like a responsible attituade - to alcohol.

skelliser

your not the only one if that helps!
if you must drink, drink guinness it takes about an hour to get through one pint!! i find!!
i have noticed since giving up the drink how addicted everyone else is to drink, this countries love affair with drink is crazy
it took awhile for my friends to "get over" the fact i dont drink much but thats there problem not mine
my excuse is usually "i cant handle the hangovers anymore, two days recovering feck that! iv had enough of recovering for 2 days, lost work hours,motivation etc." must drinkers relate to that and then leave ya alone.

i find that people who give ya **** usually have lots of problems themselves, the fact that they need to self medicate with drink cause they need to relax from a weeks work etc. is a really bad sign, and when someone else is not drinking its kinda an afront to their own level of drinking and deep down they know this! hence they are weary of people who are not drinking cause its ruinin there buzz

This is your life, live it your way, if u dont wanna drink thats fine and if ya cant drink ie medication thats fine also. its your body, mind etc, F**k everyone else

pwd

remember a guy in college who would go totally barmy while drinking on anti-ds.

davyjose

It's funny - there is such a correlation between depression and alcohol consumption, that I thought the decision to quit the booze would have come waaaay before going on Anti-D's.
I drink maybe 1/3 as much as I did a year ago, and feel a hell of a lot better emotionally (and physically - in every way) for it.

pwd

davyjose wrote:

It's funny - there is such a correlation between depression and alcohol consumption, that I thought the decision to quit the booze would have come waaaay before going on Anti-D's.
I drink maybe 1/3 as much as I did a year ago, and feel a hell of a lot better emotionally (and physically - in every way) for it.

good point!

Naos

Medicated - I am going to simply echo a lot of posts here.

I've taken the decision myself to give up drink for the next 6 weeks (Saving & Health benefits).

I went out last night for my first "sober" night. The lads were the usual, trying to offer me a drink but stopped after a while.

I danced, felt awkward and left the dancefloor. 30 mins later, I realised everyone else is pi$$ed and so why not?

The lads got hammered drunk and two of them have texted me this morning half jokingly apologising for their behaviour (Just drunken stupidity).

Conclusion:
They asked. I said health & money.
They laughed, offered me drink numerous times.
Eventually they stopped and just accepted it.
Going home they were groggy and stumbling, I was grand.
They spent the guts of 80e. I spent 20e.

Mear 1 Lads 0

KilbarrackBlows

Medicated wrote:

Hi all. My doc put me on anti-depressants last week and I'll be on them for 3 months for this round. They're called Lexapro. I'm on 10mg a day.

I can't drink while I'm on these and I have a few events to go to over the summer and I'm just wondering if anyone has ideas of how I can explain my sudden not drinking to people.

I was going to say I'm on antibiotics, but I don't know what I could possibly have that will last the next 3 months to cover that excuse.

Anyway, if anyone can help out here I'd really appreciate it. Unfortunately it's a big deal in this country if someone in the group isn't drinking.

Thanks

Hay
im on lexapro you drink on them its no big deal just dont take the pill on the night your gonna be drinking im on them for over a year now so dont worry about it.

KilbarrackBlows

ronbyrne2005 wrote:

Have you tried just drinking say shandies on this medication? I know several people on antidepressants who drink socially and they do fine, are no more drunk than when not on anti-d's and generally small number of drinks does them no harm. LExapro is an ssri and there is little interaction between ssri's and alcohol, in fact ssri's may make alcohol have less effect on you. Just something to consider unless this abstinence is under strict medical advice or due to your own past experience. but if you decide to drink a little dont do it untill medication has started to work.

Ahh so thats why i can never get drunk i was wondering what the hell was happening i havent been able to get twisted since i started them.

Gonzo_Fiend

I'm on effexor (similar SSRI) for nearly 2 years. You can still drink heavily if you wish but it kind of defeats the purpose of taking Anti D's. Also you may find your behaviour pretty erratic if you are really really drunk.

You are not going to drop dead because you overdid it but I'm fairly sure your liver takes a beating.

Victor

ronbyrne2005 wrote:

LExapro is an ssri and there is little interaction between ssri's and alcohol, in fact ssri's may make alcohol have less effect on you.

Do you have some back-up for that? Even a quick google well tell you that there a side effects from combining the two, even with moderate amounts of alcohol.

http://www.google.ie/search?hl=en&q=ssri+alcohol&meta=

http://www.psymed.com/ssri.html
http://www.drugstore.com/qxa1131_333181_sespider-can_i_drink_alcohol_while_taking_an_ssri_antidepressant.htm
http://www.nmhct.nhs.uk/pharmacy/depr2.htm

KilbarrackBlows wrote:

im on lexapro you drink on them its no big deal just dont take the pill on the night your gonna be drinking im on them for over a year now so dont worry about it.

You need to take you medication at the regular interval. I take it you are suggestion that it not be taken at the same time, not that it not be taken at all.

watsgone

"The stomach, not what it used to be"
"Eh, some of us got work in the morning"

Esel

Gonzo_Fiend wrote:

I'm on effexor (similar SSRI) for nearly 2 years. You can still drink heavily if you wish but it kind of defeats the purpose of taking Anti D's. Also you may find your behaviour pretty erratic if you are really really drunk.

You are not going to drop dead because you overdid it but I'm fairly sure your liver takes a beating.

Effexor is not an SSRI, it is an NSRI.

Also, alcohol is a depressant. If you are taking anti-depressants, drinking alcohol kind of defeats the purpose.

PeakOutput

esel wrote:

Also, alcohol is a depressant. If you are taking anti-depressants, drinking alcohol kind of defeats the purpose.

ye i just remembered that there that would be the clincher for me tbh

Victor

OP, want to do the marathon? (Walk this year, run next).

LegacyUser

this is priceless

The combination of an SSRI and alcohol could possibly increase the chance or severity of side effects such as drowsiness, slow reflexes, or clouded judgment. This can be dangerous when driving a car or operating other machinery.

like drinking and driving without the pills would be ok?!?

anyway, im on lexapro as well and have had many nights out drinking with no adverse effects. but then im aware of my limits and keep well within them, which alot of people seem incapable of doing. the info sheet that comes with the drug states that lexapro has no known increase on the effect of alcohol, and my doc didnt tell me stop drinking - just dont go nuts!

aidan24326

Originally Posted by ronbyrne2005
LExapro is an ssri and there is little interaction between ssri's and alcohol, in fact ssri's may make alcohol have less effect on you.

It's more the other way around, the alcohol pretty much negates the effects of the drug. Alcohol is a depressant and anyone feeling depressed would be well advised to go easy on it.

It's ok (for most people) to drink in moderation with an ssri but if you have a couple it's always tempting to have more, so possibly best to just lay off it for a while.

OP just say you're on medication, simple as that, no need to specify or talk about stomach bugs or anything else. It's nobody else's business what you're taking, and only a nosy person would even ask.