Hi all, I’m new here… I’ve managed to make it to 8days so far with no alcohol! I have been a big drinker since my late teens and currently suffer with depression and anxiety. I’ve been on prozac/fluoxetine for over 10 years but have also added in mirtazapine/remeron to help with sleep.
I’m in a pretty bad way as I have been struggling with my mental health for so long and have been using alcohol to self medicate in a way… My drinking was causing my liver to be under so much stress, especially with the antidepressants I have been taking.
I’m so glad I have made the decision to quit… The only thing is I actually feel more depressed, lethargic and tired now I have quit. My psychiatrist wants me to switch from prozac to effexor… Does anyone in recovery have any experience of switching antidepressants or taking effexor/venlafaxine?
Big love to all of you out there who have kicked your habits and are struggling with mental health problems.
Peace x
Hello and congratulations on your 8 days!
Sounds like we have similar stories. I have had depression on and off since my early teens. I started drinking then quickly binging in my mid 20’s. Then it slowly got worse so self medicated with booze more and more until it was all I cared about.
I started Sertraline about 3 years ago while drinking heavily. Got side effects (stomach problems) so switched to Citalopram. Experienced some anxiety during the tapering. I had to take both for about a week, reducing the original pill before stopping, then increasing the new one. My mood evened out eventually, despite drinking!
Hopefully your doctor is aware of your drinking problem. Do you know why they want to change the pill? It might be that the new one is easier on your liver and kidneys.
And changes in mood are very common when you quit drinking. Look after yourself and talk to someone xxx
Hi there,
No personal experience on this one but my fiancee went through this when she changed her depression meds.
So the big thing with depression medication is that it takes time to start to work. I will skip the neuroscience/pharmaceutical lesson and simply say, you’re brain isn’t producing enough of something and the medicine helps get that going. But it takes a little time, a couple of weeks usually.
Part of the reason you’re really feeling it right now is you’re stuck in this in-between stage right now where the alcohol is totally gone and your meds haven’t fully kicked in. This is a tough spot to be in, but it is temporary.
Be patient with yourself. And try to find any healthy ways to soothe yourself in the meantime. My fiancee took LOTS of naps…whatever works for you.
Sending positive vibes your way
I take escitalopram for anxiety, it’s the generic of cipralex and it’s a SSRI class. The transition can be tough, it takes about 6 weeks to see effects for most drugs. Hang in there. If you are concerned reach out to your primary physician or therapist. My side effects went away after a week or so. Also SSRIs and alcohol don’t mix, alcohol is a depressant and depression/anxiety drugs are to lift your mood. Sobriety will make managing your mental health so much easier and more effective
Hi, I battled with depression for years, but was really sceptical about taking anything for it, so bounced between fluoxetine and citalopram, never helped me, never really gave it a proper chance. Apart from when I was 15, my foster mum made sure I took one fluoxetine every day, but it didn’t do anything. When my drinking and depression got really bad, the doc gave me Mirtazipine 30mg and I started to see a small change in myself. I think along with other factors it’s contributed to my decision to stop drinking. Then I saw the big change, I was no longer depressed. I’m down to 15mg now, still not drinking. Maybe now you’re not numbed by the alcohol you’re feeling the full effects of all the meds? The doc might need to play around with it some more. Trust your doc, they know best
Totally, getting on the right meds is a dice roll in the best of times, adding chronic use of a contraindicated substance (alcohol) will make true drug effect impossible to determine. Sobriety and consistent dosage and open dialogue your your health team is a must do. 
Thanks for responses. I guess I really feel like the fluoxetine I have been taking is really not doing anything anymore. I’ve felt this way for some time and was hoping that going sober would give me more energy… In fact I feel the most lethargic I have felt for ages!
How long was it after you quit alcohol before you started to feel like you had more energy or some kind of new lease of life?
Im meeting with the psych next week to discuss the switch in meds. Interesting that you said 30mg mirtazapine made a difference, I never gone above 15mg so will discuss with the Dr about this.
Good luck to you all… Depression and anxiety are a real b*tch to deal with sober!
30 mg did make me feel really groggy and lethargic the next morning though, so I went down to 15mg. And because I was scared they were making me fat aswell ( which apparently is bullshit - it can increase your appetite, not actually make u put on weight.) But yeah, if you honestly think something isn’t working for you, you need to be honest with your doc. It might be all the strong meds combined that are making you feel lethargic. And as for feeling depressed, your brain is probably in a bit of a mess now, trying to sort it’s self out because you have been using an antidepressant, and a depressant ( alcohol) Keep seeing ur doc and give it time.
Hi there…I had a bad drinking habit and was depressed…I gave up alcohol and was prescribed fluoxotine. After about a month of no alcohol I started to feel much better…It might be worth checking that staying on the same meds for a period of time while abstinent. A month…and see how you feel…8 days alcohol free is great but your body is still going through withdrawal… you will start to feel much better soon and then can make a decision on your meds… also try and drink plenty of water and eat regularly… good luck mate…
Because mental health issues are so different from person to person it’s tough to compare or give advice. What works for me may not work for you. Honestly my best advice is trust your doc, that’s why you have him/her.
Alcoholics anonymous has no opinion on outside issues, hence the AA name ought never be drawn into public controversy
I have had depression my whole life, since I was a kid. When I was about 15, I started seeing a psychiatrist, and he started me on meds. We tried everything that existed except MAOIs, for about 12 years. Nothing worked. My psychiatrist said that when a drug was working, I would know it - it’s like riding a bike, you are either on the bike or not on the bike. I got fed up and got off meds for awhile, then had a suicide attempt. Then I let him try a brand new med, lamictal (lamotrigine), which is a mood stabilizer. It changed my life. I became a fully functional member of society. I got a little depressed sometime after that, and we added Lexapro (escitalopram), an antidepressant. Then, we added Risperidone to help me focus. I have been on this trifecta of meds since 2002, and it has literally changed my life. There is a night and day difference between clinical depression, and how you feel when on the right meds.
The moral of the story is… Finding the right combination and dosage of meds takes time, sometimes A LOT of time. It is worth the wait, but can be very difficult during the process. It can be a total guessing game. Try this, try that, up the dosage, add this, no take it away,… Lird., It’s frustrating.
I have been nicotine-free for 6months, and sober for 32 days. I do think the changes in my brain chemistry affected the efficacy of my meds. So, we upped the dosage of Lexapro, and it helped.
You do have to give some meds time to get into your system. Some others should be immediate. Ask your doctor which yours is. But, if after 6 weeks on the med you do not feel un-depressed, SWITCH MEDS! Try something else. Do not let a doctor just keep you on something that’s not working. There are SO MANY meds out there, and psychiatrists pretty much cannot predict which combo will work for you. You just have to try them
You will KNOW IT when a med works. It will change your life.
I suffer from anxiety and depression. It results in panic attacks like 2 times a year, usually not more thank god. But I must say, my anxiety and depression has gotten much better the longer I’ve stayed sober…
To answer your question, I am on effexor right now, it’s for anxiety and depression… i was on effexor 225 mg for years. I didnt really have any bad side effects, nothing that noticable anyways… I’m fine being on it. I’m also on abilify 10 mgs (for depression) because I was pretty moody still lol. Right now I have to change my meds because of other reasons not related to side effects or anything along the lines. So I’m on effexor 75 mg.
I’m sure your doctor will start you off on a low dose and increase as needed. He’s the doc so do as he suggests lol.
So I have had a good experience on effexor I must say. I hear horror stories about people having side effects on certain depression meds. Guess I’m just one of the lucky ones…
Change can be good. So give it a try if that’s what the doctor is wanting to do.