Posted by bluedog on January 6, 2003, at 8:52:13
In reply to Re: Bluedog, ask her out! BookGurl and » bluedog, posted by Alara on January 3, 2003, at 20:14:38
Hi AlaraThanks for your continuing support. I know this is PSB so I don't know how long DR B will tolerate this discussion here but I just got off Effexor not so long ago and it and the withdrawal was hell. Effexor probably saved my job at the time as well but I was starting to get some horrible side effects from it including terrible night sweats and very violent dreams.
Also Effexor did not mix very well with my alcohol consumption at the time and I believe it made my drinking worse. The effexor seemed to magnify the effects of one drink into 3 and I lost the ability to say no to a second drink and a third etc. I lost count of the number of times I would wake up at 5.00am with the stereo blaring and all the lights in the house still on with a nearly empty bottle of scotch on the sink.
At least with the Lovan I can say no to excessive amounts of alcohol but I do appear to have an affinity for alcohol that could lead me straight to skid row if I'm not careful. Maybe I'll try social drinking again when I've settled into my job but I think the whole combination of going back to work, the flu and the alcohol over christamas and new year (in moderate amounts) was just too much for my sensitive nervous system to bear (your hunch is correct and I really am WAY too sensitive for this cruel world we live in).
I booked an emergency visit with my Pdoc on Friday as I was sinking rapidly. He approved of me doubling my Lovan dose but he thinks that my depression relapse has been exacerbated by me getting the flu on my fourth day back. He has given me another week off work and I believe that this and not drinking is starting to pay dividends. Today was the first time I was able to motivate myself to do a little exercise again (just 20 minutes on the exercise bike to warm up and then some light yoga stretching) and this has had an almost instant anti-depressant effect on me. (I was actually inspired to do this by the stretching thread on the med board and I my personal opinion is that stretching does work. I hadn't actually done any stretching since my return to work because it was the holiday period of my yoga classes)
I am glad to know that you are starting to feel more comfortable in your job and I am especially pleased that you took the step of starting on the cipramil. Believe me that without the Cipramil your little slip on New Years Eve would have hit you with a lot more force.
I am now at the stage where I am questioning whether I actually need alcohol at all. One of my heroes is the comedian Billy Connolly and I saw an interview with him not so long ago where he talked about his own past drinking problems. He was a chronic alcoholic in the past but has not intentionally had a drink for over 18 years.
I really had to laugh when he said that when he did have one alcoholic drink by mistake that every single cell in his body cried out "YESSS, it's party time boys!!!!". Alcohol has the same effect on me and I may also need to make that decision never to drink again especially considering the horrific depressant effect it has on me.I have a "hunch" about you too. I think you will also do better without your old friend alcohol. You know it was right in the middle of one of my hangovers from hell that I saw that Billy Connolly interview and that was exactly the boost and inspiration I needed at the time to stop drinking completely for 6 months. I completely stopped cold turkey from the alcohol. I have been dabbling with alcohol again recently but my resulting low moods have convinced me to stop completely again.
I'll keep you posted at my progress
My warmest wishes to you and sorry about this long post
bluedog
poster:bluedog
thread:34014
URL: http://www.dr-bob.org/babble/social/20030104/msgs/34681.html