Drinking and stimulants | ADHD Information

I have never taken stims and drank. But i know people that have and say the same thing that take the prescribed dosage and drink just a beer or two. They have said that the hang over is better with the stim than with out. Is that true? Inquiring minds want to know.

[QUOTE=tempeye]

YUP - that is why they say you are a wide awake drunk if you drink while stims are still in your system!!!

I think part of the alchohol warning is also a liver thing? I am geussing at that one!!!

[/QUOTE]

Tempeye, Your info on use of alcohol with meds; damage to liver. This is the mantra my G.P. keeps chanting to me. It is results of findings on side-effects obviously noted over period of time. The mixture of poisons sure must be a stain on the system. While a no alcohol rule is a reality for some of us because of our propensity to addictions, some maybe able to tolerate a certain unit of alcohol level on a non-regular basis, birthdays, family events, etc.

Hmmm, the liver thing is something to take into consideration. My doctor has never told me not to drink- actually I think we talked about the benefits of red wine once.

Ogram- No Hangover! I don't usually get bad ones anyway, but I was out of bed and up to pick the kids up from their grandparent's by 10am and feeling fine.

aNY MEDICATION THAT HAS TO GO THROUGH THE LIVER CAN HAVE A POTENTIAL IMPACT AND ALCOHOL SURE GOES THROUGH THE LIVER AND CAN CAUSE DAMAGE IN EXCESS. EVEN THINGS LIKE CHOLESTEROL MEDS CAN AFFECT YOUR LIVER - THAT IS WHY IT IS IMPORTANT TO HAVE BLOOD TESTS EVERY SO OFTEN TO CHECK SOMETHING IN THE SOMETHING LIVER LEVELS!!!

sORRY ABOUT THE CAPS AGAIN - I AM ON MSN ALSO.

[QUOTE=ryan1950][QUOTE=tempeye]

YUP - that is why they say you are a wide awake drunk if you drink while stims are still in your system!!!

I think part of the alchohol warning is also a liver thing? I am geussing at that one!!!

[/QUOTE]

Hey Ryan that tempeye was me for a two day period - i was temporarily glitched out of access to the site!!!

Some of us are told not to drink and still choose to - but, it is definitely in much more moderation than previously!!!

I find that beer takes the edge off of my rebound events in the evenings when the meds are outta my system - it fogs the highly charged static in my head occasionaly!!

YUP - that is why they say you are a wide awake drunk if you drink while stims are still in your system!!!

I think part of the alchohol warning is also a liver thing? I am geussing at that one!!!

I've been on Adderal for about a week now, and last weekend when we went out I had a glass of wine with dinner, and another at the bar after. Well, by the end of the 2nd glass I felt like I'd had 4. I also noticed that instead of feeling tired after I was totally drunk (ok, so I didn't stop at two) I was still quite energetic and happy, instead of wishing I was home in bed like I usually do.

Does this happen to any one else? Is it typical with stimulant meds? I know they all come with a warning about alcohol on the label, but none of my other meds have done this.

*Just a disclaimer, for any worried soul- I don't drink to excess often, but when I do- once or twice a year- I like to go all out and have a totally uninhibited good time.

Stimulants generally allow you to drink MORE and feel LESS drunk, where as depressants such as barbiturates or benzodiazepines tend to increase your druken state exponentially: even to the point where three or four standard "drinks" can cause someone to blackout. (not passout, just not remember a damn thing)

If you take stimulants before a party, you'll be able to drink more and "feel" less drunk. Or on the other hand, if you've drank to much, stimulants can bring you back from the spinny land :)

(warning: none of this is reccomended!)
Before I started taking Ritalin I usually got really sleepy after 4 units (ca. 2 litres of beer) and usually fell asleep long before midnight (while I'm usually never able to sleep before 02:00* when I'm sober), but with meds I can drink about the same amount (or half a litre more) without getting (excessively) sleepy. I still need to go to bed about midnight thoug. I often drink less than I used to, allthough I now CAN take more without sleeping.

Of course, since I need very little alcohol to get drunk, I seldom have a hangover. (Actually I've had only two, I think.)

(*I use 24 hour clock, I never can remember what's AM and what's PM)

My friend has a kid and though she would describe herself as being the best mother in the world (and no doubt I know she loves her child immensely) I did want to say that since my friend has been on ADHD medication she does not realize how the way she is acting is affecting her child. She has absolutely no schedule for her 1 year old-many times she was up at midnight with her as if this was totally normal. The kid walked around with bags under her eyes. And she was very loud around her daughter. If her daughter was sleeping inevitably she would wake up and my friend would be like, "Oh she doesn't want to sleep any more" and we'd be looking at her thinking, No you woke her up! Food was given on no particular schedule to the point of being negligent. No doubt my friend does not realize but she is raising a neurotic child if she keeps this up. She is only fooling herself and damaging her child...being on the outside looking in we mentioned our concerns about her medication and bizarre behavior and she completely denied having a problem with it (the ADHD medication). We are seriously concerned not just for her but for her child.

[QUOTE=Pearogrlz]

I'm glad this subject came up.

After my usual 25mg dose of Adderall just starts to wear down, I have approximately 3 glasses of wine *per night*. I absolutely crave it. I know this is not good and I usually end up feeling like crap. I also can't sleep and must take a sleep aid as well.

Every morning I tell myself this HAS to stop but I don't have s***t for willpower, consequently this has become routine . I am dependent on the Adderall to function but can't seem to eliminate the alcohol. It makes this situation very unhealthy. It doesn't help that my husband has his "couple'a cocktails" a night as well.

Just spillin' my guts here. No one knows about this and I know what my Dr. would say.

I hafta pull my head outta my booty myself...

Thanks for listening.

[/QUOTE]

Hi,

I am in a similar situation as you are. For some reason the Adderall makes me crave alcohol. I don't drink wine much cause it makes me act strange. But I do love beer.

I quit drinking alcohol for almost 4 years after I found Bill W. - then I got married and had 2 kids and slowly started to drink again. I was drinking before I started the Adderall. Now I do both. I wish I could stop, but I don't think I am ready. I talked to my doctor about switching from Adderall to Concerta and she said we can try that next month. My doctor knows that I am drinking daily on the Adderall. She is not happy about it, but she knows that I have a history of addictions, and she is working with me on this issue. Rather then taking the adderall away from me (as she initially said she would do) - she just added prozac to the combination, in hopes that the drinking "may" be due to depression. So, in her opinion, treating the depression, may help with the drinking. I hope it does. So far it's not working. But we will see.

I am a stay at home mom, and I must be in tip top shape 24 hours a day for my kids. I try so hard to live my life around my children and to be the best mom that I can be. Everything I do, I do for them. So the drinking is really bothering me. I never wanted to be a mom who drinks. The good news is that I am not out of control with it "yet" and I still take very good care of my children. I love them so much, they are all that I care about in this world. So I am working with my doctor and with my therapist to try and get the drinking out of the picture and focus on me and my kids health. Of course having a "not so good" marriage is a major contributing factor to my drinking these days.

I was much happier when I was a non-drinker, but then again, I was single, happy, and not married either. LOL

Mia

Oh-my-Gawd! Mia!

Your post - I could have written almost every word.

I too am a SAHM to a 5 & 3 yr old. The drinking also bothers me a lot but I don't get out of control either. I am just trying to counteract the Adderall. However I know how these things can exacerbate. I've tried anti-anxiety meds but still crave the alcohol albiet much less. However that combination makes me a functionless blob at night.

Unfortuantely, regardless I still feel like crap and I know it's not good for my body at all. I did tell my Doc about the wine but not the amount as I don't want the Adderall taken away either!

We (I hope you don't mind my saying "we") seem to have gotton ourselves in a very difficult and cyclical rut which also contributes to marital difficulties - Yet another thing I can relate to.

My husband - Bless him - is an extremely patient and devoted man. Additionally, it's PMS week for me and is particulary difficult for him. I minimize the Adderall, inform him and the girls I'm grumpy, (When I don't feel like strangling someone, I've even put a sticker of a "G" on my forehead) Sometimes I retreat to another room or just leave when I can't be around them and don't want to expose them to the wrath of "ME". Then of course the apologizes come later.

Gads, I could go on with other examples of our life similarities but I don't want to get too off topic or openly (boring for everyone else) personal.

Please PM me if you want to share more or even want moral support regarding kids, husband(s) or anything else we may have in common. Reading your post made me feel not so alone and self-defeating. Thank you.

It's definitely possible, and i was first introduces to adhd medication by people who snort it like coke, but it's hard to really answer the question of if that's what she's doing or not without being there and knowing more. Went to a bar with my friend I hadn't seen in a long time who has adult ADHD (she's 32) and she went to the restroom and came back with HUGE eyes-crazy eyes, like the runaway bride. And she was acting so bizarre when we came home-totally like she was on speed and was very impulsive and uninhibited. Was it a mixture of alcohol and her ADHD drug? I tend to think she is abusing it because last time I saw her she was not taking medication and she was acting completely normal. This time around (on the excuse that she is back in school) she was taking ADHD medicine and it is hard to be with her for any extended length of time-she fills a room with nervous energy and that day we went to the bar it was like she took even more while we were out -like she used it to get high. Is this possible?I'm pretty ignorant about ADHD medication but I vaguely recall hearing that people who don't need it and take it act like they are on speed while on it while people who legitimately need it-it calms them down. This is why I'm concerned about my friend and why I think she is abusing it for a "high". There is such a distinction in her personality when she is not on it and she talks a mile a minute when she is on it (and then there is her cow eyes when she is on it). It is just disturbing. Seriously, she acts just like she is on speed. Is that what ADHD medication does to people who shouldn't be on it? - make them clean like crazy, pick their face, act manic?Chach39104.944837963yep you got it. It's just pure amphetamine salts anyway, basically pharmaceutical grade meth.

(someone correct me if i'm wrong on this one: i'm tired) I typically can't get to sleep ever. So i usually end up drinking a couple just before bed. Trying to kick the habit.

I also tend to need some kind of downer to be able to sleep after taking adderall during the day, but after a week of taking it on time i'm usually able to learn to fall asleep on it.

I'm glad this subject came up.

Just spillin' my guts here. No one knows about this and I know what my Dr. would say.

I hafta pull my head outta my booty myself...

Thanks for listening.