Anti depressants/depression

~Q~ · **Posted:** Mon Jul 06, 2009 3:06 pm

drink2much wrote:

Is anyone here taking anti depressants? As the AL haze is beginning to lift a little from my life, I feel more and more depressed. But I am still drinking heavily and you can't take anti deps with AL

I've been taking Celexa for some time now. The reason I started taking Celexa was for anxiety, so my situation may be a bit different than yours. I'm not sure how much the Celexa helped with the anxiety as I was still stressed out quite a lot even after taking the stuff for a few months.

I will say that now that my drinking levels are less than half of what they were when I started TSM, my stress levels are way down. I'm sleeping alot better and in general I just feel a whole hell of alot better.

IMO, excessive AL consumption can really complicate mental and physical health conditions or even cause conditions that one would not have otherwise had. Unless your depression is so severe that you have a hard time functioning, I would wait to really deal with it until you get your drinking under control with TSM. Perhaps after your drinking levels are in the safe zone, your depression will simply go away.

I did have a hard time sleeping early in TSM -- this is a common side effect of NAL. I asked my Dr for an ambien prescription (note: ambien is not an opiate based drug so it plays well with NAL). This helped tremendiously, as ambien is known to basically knock you out for the night, which is exactly what it does to me. I still take ambien on occasion, maybe once a week tops.

Q

tuttle · **Posted:** Mon Jul 06, 2009 3:52 pm

drink2much wrote:

Is anyone here taking anti depressants? As the AL haze is beginning to lift a little from my life, I feel more and more depressed. But I am still drinking heavily and you can't take anti deps with AL

Hi D2M. I have been on Zyprexa and Zoloft for some time before starting NAL.
As far as my Doctor and Pharmacist are concerned there is no contraindications.
I expect that when my AL consumption is down to appropriate levels for a while my depression will improve.

AsRealityTurns · **Posted:** Mon Jul 06, 2009 4:26 pm

I have been taking 25 mg Bacolfen at pm which has helped me with sleep and also with anxiety.
On one thread Dr, E said the Bac would not interfere with the Nal.

I have been able to wean myself off a lite use of zanax (in the middle of the night).

I, too, am experiencing extreme depression, but it may be my emotional life situation.

Good thread. Hope we all get help from each other.

tuttle · **Posted:** Mon Jul 06, 2009 4:32 pm

I think the reason "they" say not to drink with anti-depressants is because AL is a Depressant.

Doesn't make sense taking an anti-depressant and a depressant at the same time ... does it?

Problem is .. I've been drinking for a lot longer than I have had depression, but thats begs the question ... Did the AL cause the depression? ... mmmm

soulbythesea · **Joined:** Sat May 30, 2009 6:20 am **Posts:** 238

Hi d2m I have also found that am aware of lower mood since taking nal. work and other stuff have contributed. Don't like anti depressants so explored alternatives. Started to take L-tyrosine, 5 HTP and GABA a while back and i think they are begining to have an effect. Triptophan is also helpful with sleep. These are all amino acids that work on the brain and are non addictive. Have checked with Dr Escapa and they are fine with Nal.
Hope this is useful

lena · **Joined:** Thu Feb 05, 2009 2:07 pm **Posts:** 929

Quote by ART:

Quote:

On one thread Dr, E said the Bac would not interfere with the Nal.

I don't read Dr. Eskapa's post to say that at all. As SpringerRider would say, your mileage may vary. So we can judge for ourselves, I'm pasting Dr. E's quote, unedited, in its entirety.

p.s. I heart ART.
By Dr. Eskapa:

Quote:

Baclofen may act as a substitute drug 'artificially' compensating for GABA depletion associated with alcohol ... it's just a theory but it may act as a substitute drug similar to the way methadone acts as a substitute for heroin. (Take methadone to help reduce heroin cravings/withdrawal.) It may help abstinent alcoholics stay abstinent. The jury is still out. If it turns out in clinical trials (none yet) that Baclofen is helpful that would be wonderful. AA is wonderful for the 10 to 15 % of those who benefit from it.

However, the rules for the Sinclair Method would remain the same. Take naltrexone before you drink. Do NOT take it if you are not drinking.

There is a relationship between benzodiadepines and Baclofen in that they both act on the GABA system in the brain and nervous system.

RE: Baclofen from Wikipedia: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Baclofen

Use

Baclofen is used for the treatment of spastic movement, especially in instances of spinal cord injury, spastic diplegia, multiple sclerosis, amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (Lou Gehrig's Disease) and trigeminal and glossopharyngeal neuralgias.

Baclofen has been shown to be as effective as diazepam in uncomplicated alcohol withdrawal syndrome.[5] An Italian study showed that it was effective in promoting alcohol abstinence in patients with severe liver cirrhosis.[6]

[edit] Mechanism of action

Baclofen produces its effect via modulating the GABAB receptor, similar to the drug GHB which also has the same mechanism of action and also similar effects. However, there are some pharmacological differences in that baclofen appears to have reduced abuse and dependence potential.[7][8] The modulation of the GABAB receptor is what produces baclofen's range of therapeutic properties.

Withdrawal syndrome

Discontinuation of baclofen can be associated with a withdrawal syndrome which resembles benzodiazepine withdrawal and alcohol withdrawal. Withdrawal symptoms are more likely if baclofen is used for long periods of time (more than a couple of months) and can occur from low or high doses. The severity of baclofen withdrawal depends on the rate at which baclofen is discontinued. Thus to minimise baclofen withdrawal symptoms the dose should be tapered down slowly when discontinuing baclofen therapy. Abrupt withdrawal is most likely to result in severe withdrawal symptoms. Acute withdrawal symptoms can be stopped by recommencing baclofen.[13]

Withdrawal symptoms may include auditory hallucinations, visual hallucinations, tactile hallucinations, delusions, confusion, agitation, delirium, disorientation, fluctuation of consciousness, insomnia, inattention, memory impairments, perceptual disturbances, anxiety, depersonalization, hypertonia, hyperthermia, formal thought disorder, psychosis, mania, mood disturbances, restlessness, and behavioral disturbances, tachycardia, seizures, tremors, autonomic dysfunction, hyperpyrexia, extreme muscle rigidity resembling neuroleptic malignant syndrome and rebound spasticity.

christyacc · **Posted:** Mon Jul 06, 2009 7:28 pm

drink2much wrote:

HI

I know you can take anti depressants with Nal, but can you take them with win, beer or spirits? Every anti dep I've seen (er which is not a lot, when I think about it!) says you have to avoid alcohol, so how do you take them with the TSM?

Or is that just a standard warning which doesn't mean much?

Dx

I used to take Celexa and Welbutrin XL and drank. Now I am on Cymbalta and drink. I probably shouldn't.....

AsRealityTurns · **Posted:** Mon Jul 06, 2009 8:25 pm

No problem lena, I heart you too!
But there was a post prior and he did answer simply, I will try to find it, but not now.

minneapolisnick · **Joined:** Tue May 19, 2009 2:17 pm **Posts:** 1793

I am not on anti-depressant meds but have suffered mild depression for years. I have also been a big-time boozer for 25 years. I also have anxiety issues that I have not treated with medication for years. My unscientific observation is that both my anxiety and my depression are either tremendously heightened by my drinking habit or are entirely a product of my drinking habit. Since I've only gone a month without drinking twice in my entire adult life, I have no way of knowing for sure. All I can say is that for the past decade or so, I'd booze heavily Thursday-Saturday and Sunday and Monday I would basically be worthless from depression/anxiety, just tolerating life and barely making it through average daily obligations. I would not typically drink during the week and then Tuesday I'd feel better and Wednesday I felt like King Kong -- nothing would intimidate me and my attitude to anything/everything was "bring it on." Then Thursday came along and I'd shower myself with booze for 72 hours and I'd go back to being an emotional cripple for two days. Which is the biggest reason I am now seeking the cure. BTW, my older brother, who is a "normal" drinker but suffers from anxiety/depression issues and has been medicated for both, told me that when he stopped having two or three glasses of wine every night at dinner, and cut it down to two or three glasses on weekends only, that he felt SO MUCH better that he almost felt like he no longer needed medication for anxiety or depression. His psychiatrist kept telling him, "even a couple of glasses of wine each night can really exacerbate depression/anxiety." (You can only imagine what 50 to 100 a week might do!!) So, my fantasy is that when I am drinking "normally"" that I won't even have depression/anxiety issues, but only time will tell.

Virgil · **Posted:** Tue Jul 07, 2009 4:46 am

Hi D2M,

Yes, I take Seroxat (paroxetine) but I intend to wean myself off this once I've tapered off clonazepam. It is my understanding that alcohol interferes with the action of SSRIs of which paroxetine is an example.

With reference to your question "Do I have to wait till I am cured to fix the depression?", have you considered the many different types of therapy? This is my favoured approach because I think it's important to look at the root cause of depression. And you don't have to worry about medications interacting with alcohol and vice-versa. If you're in the UK, getting therapy on the NHS can be a slow business. If you can afford it, it's usually better to go private. BTW, I'm not a therapist! Whether or not you choose to wait or act now to deal with your depression is obviously your decision entirely.

All the best.

V.

Anti depressants/depression

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