Alcohol and Depression

[Gingerbread Latte]

Hi,

So first off I don't go out very often and I don't drink all that much when I do go out. The past few times I've gone out though and had a drink the day after I will just feel my depression much more. I cry a lot, feel like hurting myself, feel like overdosing etc. etc.

Now I know alcohol is a depressant but it's only recently that it's caused this to happen and it doesn't matter if I have one drink or 10, the effect is still the same the next day.

I enjoy having a few drinks when I go out and it's not like I binge drink but obviously I don't want it to start making my depression worse so is there anything I can do other than not have a drink? If it's only just happening recently is there any chance it'll just go away again?

I came off my antidepressants earlier this year since the side effects were outweighing the benefits (I was on them for anxiety mostly so they just switched me to a different kind of med to help with that). Do you think that could have anything to do with it? Because it has only happened the last few times I've gone out and all these times were after I'd come off the meds...

Any advice at all would be appreciated, I tried looking it up on google but not much came up other than "alcohol is a depressant, it can cause depression" and that doesn't really help me that much.

[Nightblood.]

I know for me, it depends on the kind of alcohol I have. Like, if I drink vodka there's a really big chance I'll end up depressed either that night or the day after but if I drink rum it's not as bad.

[01Xzebra23]

Hi, Cara!

Honestly, I've never had alcohol or been on medication so I've had no experience here. Just guessing. It could have something to do with the medication, so could you talk to your doctor about it? The above poster also has a good theory, it could also be the type of alcohol. Have you tried different kinds to see if it has different effects?

Hope you get this sorted out! Isn't really my place to say anything, but if these feelings continue after drinking alcohol, I suggest not drinking anymore. Your emotional health is more important in my view. So just be careful.

[Debaser]

I always get an 'emotional hangover' after drinking. It only lasts about a day and because I expect it, it's not scary anymore and i know how to manage it. Also organising your drinking around a morning-after where you have no commitments means you are free to be low.

I definitely think what you drink and in what environment are massive factors, try to chart you moods on what you were drinking and what kind of night developed because of that.
If you're worried about an alcohol medication clash definitely talk to your doctor and if these lows are lasting more than 24hrs after drinking i'd advice probably going teetotal for a while.

[Mahray]

When we say alcohol is a depressant, what that really means is that it slows down neurons firing in your brain (electrical impulses and hormones go more slowly with alcohol in your system). So it's not a depressant as in makes you depressed.

Having said that, it can also lead to feelings of depression! If this is a new thing though, I would wonder about the interaction between alcohol and your medication. There might be a consumer information leaflet?

It can also be that different types of alcohol will affect you in different ways, that seems to be a common thing that happens. Experimenting with it could be a problem though.

[Gingerbread Latte]

Thanks for all your replies guys.

I drink all sorts of alcohol on nights out since I like my cocktails but I'll try and keep an eye on what particular alcohol I'm drinking and see if I notice any patterns. I mainly drink spirits but I'm going out this Friday so I'll try switching to cider for the night and see if that makes a difference.

I pretty much never go out if I have to be up for university the next day and it never lasts more than a day so I'm kind of thankful that I know when to expect it now.

As for the new medication, I always read the leaflets and whilst it recommends avoiding alcohol it doesn't say there's any dangerous interactions with it or anything that would suggest that's what's causing this. I'm on Propanolol which is a beta-blocker and this is from the leaflet itself "It is recommended that you avoid drinking alcohol while you are taking propranolol, as it may increase some of its side-effects." I don't really have any side effects with the medicine and I haven't noticed any when drinking so I don't think it's too much of a problem (it's not like I drink frequently anyway).

[in_recovery]

I agree, it might be due to your medication... I would suggest talking to your doctor about it. I hope this gets resolved soon.

[Musician]

Ever heard the latin expression "In vino veritas"? Meaning: "I wine, there is truth." So any feeling of depression is highlighted during and/or after you've drank. I'm not going to pretend like I'm a saint. I also drank when I was on and off meds. I also hardly ever binged simply because I knew there may be limitations on my habits due to my actions post-binge. The med-companies have to cover themselves by saying "Alcohol CAN cause depression", just like a cat CAN have only one kitten....but you WILL have a whole army of them! People respond differently,but depression and alcohol is a bad idea. Like you said, the side-effects of the anti-dep outweighed the benifits. I know people who go manic on Zoloft, but I also know people that vomit on only 50mg,but point is,even though alcohol MAY BE a depressant, nowhere will you read alcohol IS an anti-depressant.With all the anti-deps on the market its hard to believe they didnt try another.Trial and error,usually victory though...Youre creating neuropathways that are going to be hell to "reruite" once your brain has learned : Alcohol......seritonin spike!(but bugger the other 99.9999% when I was seritonin-starved.Think of how long you where actually happy?And think of how much of it was just to numb.This learning behaviour also brings up the other neuro-receptor we all love, Dopamine. This little guy acts as your reward-mechanism. When you eat your favourite food...thats dopamine!When you drained your bladder....thats dopamine!You get the idea. Also "depleated" after drinking.

Typically people respond in three ways if on meds and drinking:

1.Extreme relaxation (making your name .....!)
2.Panic attacks (Zoloft springs to mind)
3.Sick.The type of sick you never want to think about being ever again.

So I'm just talking from personal experiences and trying to redirect you from creating a negatively feuled brain striving for a destructive chemical.

Hope some of this helps.