Alcohol

[Lavender456]

Hey it's been a year since my admission for PP and I'm currently down to 2.5mg Olanzapine but 60mg fluoxetine due to depressive episode after my psychosis. I just wondered if anyone has drank alcohol since their psychotic episode and if you were still taking anti-psychotics? I'm away for the weekend and would love a glass of wine but I'm worried it's been over a year since my last sip.

[Rachel_at_APP Partner APP]

Evening millietraynor,

Really sorry to hear you had PP. I did too back in 2016, and went from being an outgoing person who liked to socialise to really very poorly and not at all in a place that I thought I’d be able to manage alcohol.

The charity Mind suggest seeking medical advice for information on anti psychotics and alcohol, here’s an extract from their website:

“Drinking alcohol can increase the sedative effect of antipsychotics. This means it will make you feel even more drowsy. You can ask your doctor, psychiatrist or pharmacist whether it’s safe to drink with the medication you've been prescribed. They can help you understand where to limit your alcohol intake.” (mind.org.uk/information-sup...

Definitely always important to consider alcohols interaction with any medications and seek advice.

Take care, hope you had a nice weekend away, that the weather has been kind too.

Rachel x

[NMG1991]

Hi lovely, I'm sorry to hear you too had PP, I know first hand how scary that is - I was diagnosed at the end of 2021.

I'm on Olanzapine and have been on 7.5mg and am currently on 5mg. I've drank on both doses and been absolutely fine but I can't guarantee the same will be said for you as I would think it depends on the person themselves but for me I was absolutely ok I just found I didn't get drunk as quick as I would without Olanzapine, I could tolerate a lot more alcohol. Sorry I can't comment on Fluoxetine at all - I'm not familiar with this medication.

Hope you have a lovely night out whatever you choose.

N x

[JosephineFay]

Hi Millie,

Best thing to do I think is to ask a very sympathetic mental health professional for advice. I have drunk shandy and as my meds give me insomnia have found that I have slightly better sleep if I've had a shandy. I've read that alcohol increases the sedative effects of the antipsychotics. So do check with someone. Hope you're feeling better and having a lovely weekend away.

Jo

[Redtap Volunteer]

Hi millietraynor,

Sorry you've had PP. I had my PP episode back in 2002. I remember drinking alcohol when I wasn't supposed to - I can't remember if I was on anti-psychotics at the time but I would definitely have been on anti-depressants, possible both. APP did not exist at that time so I didn't really have anyone to ask about whether or not I should drink on my medication. To be honest I think I was fed up of feeling so low for so long and it was New Year's Eve.

I remember drinking on New Years Eve when I was out with friends thinking it might make me feel better but it didn't. Like NMG1991, it took more to make me feel drunk and to be honest I felt a bit lower the following day as I felt even more tired than usual and had the beginnings of a headache.

I think it will depend on your reaction to alcohol, the medication that you are on, how much you drink and how late you stay up.

It would probably be a good idea to understand where to limit your alcohol intake as Rachel suggests.

Whatever you decide, I hope you have a lovely weekend away.

[Maria_at_APP Moderator]

Hi millietraynor,

Hope you are having a lovely weekend, it's nice to have some time away and enjoy, having gone through so much. I echo what others have mentioned about seeking advice from professionals as to interaction between olanzapine and alcohol. We are all different in our chemistry, and have different sensitivity to the side effects of medication.

Take good care,

Maria

[Isabella5991]

Hi Millie, it’s nice to connect with a mum the same age as me! I’m sorry to hear you had pp. I did too back in 2020 and now diagnosed bipolar 1. I haven’t drank alcohol for ten years because I personally don’t like the feeling, but I have discovered some lovely low alcohol wines in the last year. Darling sellers do a lovely white, rose and red. The red is not as strong as normal red wine, but still a nice alternative for me and deff the best out of all the no alcohol drinks. My psychiatrist said it is fine for me to drink on my meds olanzapine and sertraline, so I know at least olanzapine it should be ok for you. But if you want to tread slowly back to alcohol I really reccomend the low alcohol versions! Xx

[Antitodo]

Hi millietraynor,

Like you, I had PP (almost) a year ago. I'm not a big drinker and hadn't had a drink for ages before getting PP as I had been pregnant, and even before that I barely drank. I was not told not to drink while taking Olanzapine, but it did say on my tablets not to do so. However, once or twice I did have a drink while on the medication and it was absolutely fine, but never more than a pint of beer or so. And I did this while being on a higher dose than you. You should be absolutely fine.

[Alpav]

Hope your recovery is going well. I’ve had a bipolar type 1 diagnosis since 2012 and I do have the occasional drink. I’ve mostly been on quetiapine, lithium and lamotrigine since then so don’t have any experience with your meds. I’m just careful about when I drink so I won’t touch alcohol if I’m feeling anxious or depressed as I know it will make my mood worse.

[JosephineFay in reply to Alpav]

Hi there, I just wanted to ask you about your meds. You are currently on quetiapine, lithium and lamotrigine? Do you get any side effects on your meds at all? I also have a Bipolar diagnosis but have found myself really struggling with the meds side effects. I get really bad sedation during the day so that's extreme fatigue and then I get insomnia at night time.

[Alpav in reply to JosephineFay]

Sorry to hear you’re having such a tough time with things. I’m still on that combination. Before my PP, I was only on lamotrigine and quetiapine and liked the combination. I also have moved onto modified release quetiapine, which does help with the drowsiness - on normal quetiapine, I’d sometimes find myself nodding off in the day. But it does help me to sleep through the night. I really like lamotrigine as I’ve had very few side effects apart from a rash when I started on it. I will look to come off lithium as soon as my long-term psychiatrist thinks it’s safe to do so as I’ve found it really affects my memory (they don’t like to have people on lithium in general). I know people say it can be really good for bipolar depression, but I’ve always been at more risk of going up. Definitely worth a conversation with your psychiatrist or GP as there are lots of different combinations and it may take more than one go to find the right one for you. Good luck!

[Survivedwithcolor]

Like others on here I think it all depends on your tolerance and the kind of meds you take. I used to have one drink in the evenings per day but that depended on the medication I was taking. When took Lithium for a little while I couldn’t touch alcohol, it made me feel really sick. I didn’t take the others you mentioned.

More recently I have given it up almost entirely. I’ve been working on losing weight and just decided the calories weren’t worth it, and it always made me feel tired. I’ve lost 55 pounds. I’m doing better without extra sugars also.