I have been on Debokote for over a year.I noticed when I took this on nights that Id rank, I would awake with bad headaches the next day.I stopped takoing debokote on nights I drank, and the headaches were gone.In the last month, I started Lorazepam, while still taking Debokote at the same time.I do not take Debokote or Lorazepam on nights I drink, but in the last month, each time I drink I wake up to a dreadful headache.I wanted to know if the combination of those two, despite not being taken on nights I drink alcohol, might be to blame.Is it possible I have a buildup of debokote that is now strong enough that skipping for a night there is till too much in my body to handle with alcohol?
Debokote, Lorazepam, Alcohol, and Headaches
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·Are you talking about Depakote/Vaproic acid which should not be taken with alcohol. DuhAnyhow it also could be the cause of your bloating, but do not stop taking it until you discuss this with your Doctor. But then so will alcohol cause bloating. Another Duh
Volatile,Um....is it conceivable that after drinking at night, you are waking up possibly with a slight hangover (the slightest hangover will include at no extra charge a headache). Jeez....when I was in college I just smoked weed and hung out with the cool kids who were into metaphysics, leftist politics (power to the people) and group sex. You gotta stop hanging around with the jocks who drink beer all night. Watch out or you'll get a beer stomach!Seriously, boozing when you are on anti-anxiety medication (Lorazepam) or medication to stabilize a bi-polar mind (Debokote) is not a wise idea. In fact, it is pretty stupid, but no offense meant. If you are indeed bi-polar, the least thing you need to do is screw up your brain chemistry with alcohol, although a lot of bi-polar folks do self-medicate with alcohol and it is baaaaaaaaaaaaaaad. Take care of yourself, Volatile (now your name makes sense) since no one can do it for you.
Oh oh Healthwise, you just blew it!
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You better duck cuz he doesn't like it when people tell him not to drink (dah). I just got screamed at for suggesting this. Apparently, he seems to think that him not drinking is the most ridiculous thing anyone could ever consider...as well as preparing healthy foods for himself because "HE'S A COLLEGE STUDENT AND WE NEED TO STOP IMPOSING ON HIM??"
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Now, he's playing with his meds, drinking and actually posting threads asking why it's having an adverse effect on him?
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Yes, it is crazy...Volatile. Don't drink on your meds. Simple.Yes. It's possible to have a headache after just drinking alone, with your medicines alone, or the combination of the two. No one can say definitively that it was the alcohol or the meds... Only you and your doctor can decide that... Either way, it should clearly state, do not drink alcoholic beverages while on this medicine.. CLEARLY, on the package insert you receive from the pharmacy each time you pick up your prescriptions... College students don't have to drink just because it's college... The point of college isn't to get drunk because its the last time in your life for fun. That theory's really tired. Drinking on psychiatric meds.... DON'T DO IT.
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I'm not sure how good avoiding your meds the days you drink would do but the main problem is that alcohol and many med interact in ways that are very dangerous.There are additive reactions (1+1=2) but the biggest problem is many meds with alcohol are synergistic (1+1=6) So one drink when on the meds (and avoiding the meds for a day may not reduce the risk depending on how they interact and may be very bad for what you are taking the meds for) may be like drinking several drinks.This could make hangovers a lot worse (headaches the next day and other symtpoms happen to many people who drink). Even without meds hangovers make you feel really bad. It is nature's way of telling you drinking too much is not good for you
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But the biggest concern is that levels of alcohol that should for a normal person be fairly safe will KILL you as you will go into the whole not breathing anymore thing at relatively low doses of alcohol.Alcohol poisoning BY ITSELF can cause you to stop breathing and die. Combining it with any meds that may make you drunker than usual can be like playing with a loaded gun. Please rethink this behavior. Some of the things that can potentiate reactions may not be just if you take them at the same time. Sometimes one medicine alters how your liver deals with other things and this can be long lasting.Dangerous sedation, dizziness, or drowsiness may occur if Depakote is taken with alcohol http://www.drugs.com/depakote.htmlAvoid alcohol while taking lorazepam. Alcohol may increase drowsiness and dizziness caused by lorazepam. Alcohol may also increase the risk of a seizure if lorazepam is being taken for a seizure condition. http://www.drugs.com/lorazepam.htmlSome solid info on why these meds are dangerous with alcohol.You should discuss your drinking with your doctor. If getting drunk is too important to give up, you need to be given medications that are safe with alcohol and not take the ones that could make you wind up dead.K.
Thank you for the reply, that is very educational, and I only wish my doctor, or doctors, would have given this explanation.Nope, they just tell me not to drink, saying it is dangerous, without any scientifc explantion, and they make it seem as if there are no alochol safe medications.I really like how the want me to listen and respect them, when they don't show me any respect by at least suggesting alternative drugs. Thanks, you have been of great educational insight to me, and I will act accordingly.
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Unfortunately for a lot of conditions pretty much all the drugs are going to interact with alcohol.Also it is unfortunate that most doctors do not have the time needed to explain this, and some pharmacists do not do a good job of it either. With HMO's and stuff they are pressured to see the maximum number of patients per hour to reduce the costs to the managment company and this doesn't always give patients as much time as thye need.Thus, they just give the don't drink sentance and hope the patient complies without a whole lot of explaination.If you are someone that needs a lot of explaination about things like this, let your doctor and pharmacist know and ask the questions.For many people "don't drink when you are on this" is all they need. They don't know if you are someone that will be drinking even with the warning unless you tell them.K.
Volatile, stop blaming your doctors. You have a responsibility to use common sense and also to take control of your medical issues. You are fully capable of researching in the same manner in which everybody else does who takes the time to gather information for you and answer all of your questions. FYI, all it takes is a visit to google.
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Yep I've seen first hand what drinking on meds can do. A dear friend of mine a few years back broke his ankle and was given pain medication. After a few days he decided to go out drinking with the boys (being only 19 at the time he thought he'd be fine with one or 2). So off he went and a beer and a half later he spent 2 days throwing up every 5 minutes not to mention the headache and other probs it caused him. He ended up in hospital with alcohol poisoning and you know why? Cause he didn't bother to read the print on the packet that said do not mix with alcohol.Volatile, I understand that being young and not drinking is hard. I'm not on meds right now but choose not to drink cause of the way it affects my tummy. I had my last drink 6 years ago on my 21st. I still have friends who go out and drink but you know what? If you ask the bartender they can usually whip up some pretty tasty drinks that look and smell alcoholic and none of your friends will be any the wiser. Just tell them it's a vodka and whatever!
I did not have bloating before I went on medication...BUT that was five years ago.Nonetheless, I always felt the medication was not the right approach, and my nutrionist went as far as to tell me that medication should be last on my priority list. I need to change the way I see and handle things, reduce my stress, something a pill can actually harm.
I wanted to say, thanks to each of you for your onging information and research.I do not always come off as being appreciative, but I continue to use this board as an open forum to ask all my health questions, showing how much I trust and how reliable I feel all of you are.If I do not always say thanks, or give a frustrated response, do not take it the incorrect way. I have learned much from here, basically, when I give an angry response, it is as if I am in class questioning the teacher.
Volatile,The first thing you should do for any medication prescribed by a doctor is to access the internet and do a google search. You will find more information than you can handle on any drug. The manufacturer always has a webpage describing the drug and the dangers, and there are often many on-line stores that also describe the drug in detail. No reason to blame your doctor or the pharmacy in this modern age for not having the information. I get my medications via Walgreens and Caremark (by mail). They BOTH come with lengthy fact sheets (probably to cover theirselves from an insurance viewpoint so they are not liable if I am silly enough to take the whole bottle at one time or use with alcohol). The answers are there - just surf the net. I do the same thing for any medication given by my vet for my doggie, JUST IN CASE THE VET FORGOT TO TELL ME SOMETHING. The major reason to not use alcohol with meds is because the meds cause the alcohol to have profound effects on the body, so that 1 drink is equivalent to 5 or 10. It also can screw up the chemistry of the meds so they do not do their intended chore, and instead harm you.
I wanted to further say, one of the reasons I do not always thanks or how I could come off that way is because, I see and use this board for educational purposes. I do not want to get personal with anybody for now, because I want to stay focused on health issues. Where I to be talkative with people on here, I would get distracted, and soon enough, I would be off task, it would be difficult for me to ask the questions I need help on.For now, I want to keep this very matter of fact, I have tried to stay clear of getting personel because if I do I will have a harder time asking questions or being honest.The kind of questions I ask here, the honesty and emotions I show, they are not the kind you would expose to a friend, as they are perosonel and somewhat embarassing, and if I became involved with people here, then I would not be getting the same educational benefit. Thanks.
Volatile,I don't think anyone here wants to be your snuggly wuggly best friend. Perhaps you misunderstand some of the ill feelings expressed towards you. What I believe everyone on this forum asks from you is to always be polite. YOu tend to vent your frustration about your condition and the lack of "cures" from the rest of us (who you seem to forget are also suffering, often MUCH MORE THAN YOU ARE with IBS problems). It is no one's responsibility here to cure you. People are kind and caring and suggest possible treatments. They do this because they are nice people, not because they have to do so. THis is not an "ASK THE DOCTOR" site - it is just regular folk trying to deal with a medical condition they all share. At times the tone of your posts has been like someone strip mining a mountain, scooping up tons of rocks, and if the mineral wanted isn't there, dumping the rocks on the side without further thought. When folks suggest treatments, and you sort of answer "get out of my face, I already tried that!" it isn't seen as a polite response. It has nothing to do with becoming personal - just common politeness like you will have to learn in dealing with people in business situations.
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