on anti depressants...stag do in 2 months?

Question

have i got anything to be concerned of. im on 150mg of zoloft and ive got my stag do coming up, going to Budapest with 20 or so mates...obviously booze is to be expected. i read that it is really dangerous to mix alcohol and anti-depressants, although when i was taking 50mg and 100mg i still got drunk at weekends and thought nothing of it, but since reading that you can die, ive tended not to drink more than one beer.

what should i do? my mates wont be too impressend if im sipping mineral water but then again i dont want to risk anything

Answer 1

As a mental health nurse i would have to recommend that you stick with the medication. As a man also getting married this year i can understand your dilemma. Discuss it frankly with your doctor who may be able to help you with how to deal with the trip to Budapest. As your dose is slowly increasing i asume that the depression is becoming more persistent with time. Prolonged drinking of alcohol will cause your liver to flush thorough. this is to remove all the alcohol. However it also removes all the antidepressant completely from your system and it will be like starting from scratch before you had ever taken a single tablet.

I recommend that f you don't feel like telling the friends why you can't drink then research a physical illness that would stop you from being able to drink and tell them that you have that.

Small amounts of controlled drinking is usually ok Two or three pints through the night should not cause too much harm

Good Luck with the Wedding and your on going battle with depression

Answer 2

Zoloft is another name for sertraline.


The Mind website offers information and advice:

See the section about "When not to take anti depressants" and look for the "Alcohol" section.

http://www.mind.org.uk/Information/Booklets/Making+sense/Making+sense+of+antidepressants.htm#When_shouldn_t_I_take_antidepressants_

I also found the following site, which might help

http://www.zoloft.com/zoloft/zoloft.portal?_nfpb=true&portlet_9_2_actionOverride=%2Fportlets%2Fcontent%2Fdefault_home%2FsetProfile&_windowLabel=portlet_9_2

As others have said, if these people are your true friends they should understand if you tell them there are medical reasons for you not being able to drink.

But on the other hand, it is your Stag night, and I can see where a conflict could occur.

At the end of the day, it is advised not to drink alcohol while taking any anti depressants, and most other medication of any type.

But how many people actually do what they are told? You have to make a choice, and it will be a choice. It will be difficult getting some people to understand why you won't drink on the Stag night - but you can do so, if you really want to.

At the end of the day, it comes down to what you think is more important.

Your health
of
Your friends

Personally I think that your health, wedding and soon to be bride as well as your future recovery ought to be top of the priority list. But that is only my opinion.

By all means talk to your GP or psychiatrist if you have one,, but don't be surprised if the answer comes back "don't drink".

You are already making a choice when you drink at the weekends, and taking medication. Can you think about the effect it had on you, did you notice it took less time and alcohol to get drunk? In which case that and the increase in medication might answer your own question.

Don't spoil the rest of your life because of worrying about mates and what they will think, if you are worried that some of them won't respect your decision, and try to give you drinks that have been spiked - see if there is one person going whom you trust to help and stick to your decision. That person can then be in charge of always having a drink at hand that is fine, and he can swap whatever you are given, that could have anything in it, with what you both know is something safe.

Keep yourself safe.

Have a great night and an even better wedding.

Answer 3

Yes, you face a serious threat of dieing if you get drunk.

You are on a medium large dosage of the drunk and between 40% and 45% of it is disposed of via the liver, which is the primary organ that cleans out the alcohol in your bloodstream. So if you get drunk while taking Zoloft then you put extra strain on your liver, you won't eliminate the alcohol and the Zoloft as fast as normal and you increase the chance of doing serious damage to your liver.

Then there is the problem just between Zoloft and alcohol. Taking one can offset the other or amplify it in unknown ways. So if you drink then your dosages will be off and the drug will stay in your system longer thus increasing the chance of taking an overdose. Since alcohol is a depressant then it can decrease the effect of the Zoloft thus worsening the condition that requires you to take the Zoloft in the first place.

Another words DON'T DO IT. You are courting liver failure, death, and a suicidal depression. Stick to the mineral water. If your friends are any kind of decent friends then they will understand that living is more important than using alcohol to have a good time.

Of course if you order a gin and tonic without the gin or you could order your mineral water served in a martini glass with an olive. You don't have to advertise that you are not drinking.

Answer 4

seriously - the brain is a delicate thing - you should not fk around, if it says dont drink while taking the pills then dont drink.
just say to your mates that youre going in for an operation or some other good solid serious reason that you cant drink - tell them you mean it, go on the stag do, come back well - everyones happy.

you can still have a good time w/o drink - i know it sounds strange but it is possible.

Answer 5

Budapest is usually explained whilst the "Little Paris of Middle Europe" and if you intend to see that city you need to take a peek with hotelbye . Budapest is famous not just for the monuments reflecting its 1,000-year-old tradition, but in addition for the relics of others who resolved here. Stays from both Roman occupation and much later ruled by the Turks may still be viewed in the city. Budapest has two factors, Buda and Pest, stretching across the banks of the Danube, and they're addressing two different people of the city. Suburban Buda and its historical castle area offer ancient streets and houses, museums, caves and Roman ruins. The powerful Pest side boasts the biggest parliament creating in Europe, riverside promenades, flea areas, bookstores, traditional shops and café houses.

Answer 6

There is an excellent article on the effects of alcohol and Zoloft at http://www.goaskalice.columbia.edu/1481.html.

As long as you don't drink to the point that the alcohol in your blood is dangerous, you can certainly have a few drinks with your friends.

Answer 7

I'm not sure where you heard you would die from it. It doesn't create a toxic reaction or anything, but you will get far, FAR more drunk than usual if you drink when you are on antidepressants and THAT is where the danger is. You'll get dumb, make bad choices, and that might end up with you being hurt or worse.

Also, they're your friends...or rather, if they really are your friends then they'll understand if you have MEDICAL REASONS to not drink! What kind of jerk gives a person hell for not drinking because of medical reasons?!

Answer 8

Any alcohol will cancel out the effect of the anti depressants as alcohol is a depressant. I believe you are not mean to drink on them. But I am not a doctor so you may want to get advice from your GP. x

Answer 9

Mixing Zoloft with alcohol may intensify the effects of the alcohol. See the following link:

http://www.goaskalice.columbia.edu/1481.html

Answer 10

Alcohol is a depressant.That's only one of the reasons you shouldn't drink while your taking antidepressants.If you choose to drink skip your medication for the time you expect to be drinking.Resume taking it as soon as you've sobered up.It's really unfortunate you have to live by what your friends think of you.Most people would praise you for doing whats right for you.