Frustration

[happybunny13]

I have had anxiety for a long time and have been on citalopram for a long time. I feel my anxiety day to day is manageable and I'm happy and getting in with my life. There's one thing annoying me and is frustrating. I can't relax and have fun when drinking alcohol. I look forward to nights out but as soon as I have a drink I feel nervous. On edge. Paranoid. I want to be care free and have fun. I want to get a bit drunk and have a laugh with my friends like everyone else. I feel like people just think I'm boring and stuck up. I'm just so up tight I can't relax. I know you don't have to be drunk to have a good night and I do have a good night. I just wish for once I could have a drunk, funny, not give a crap night with friends. Like I used to when I was younger. Any supporting words would help

[Fishmanpa]

There's a moderate reaction with citalopram and alcohol and the drug sites say you should avoid or limit the use of alcohol while being treated with citalopram.

I really don't see this as a negative thing. Some people do fine and others, as documented here, have difficulty dealing with the effects of alcohol.

My question is; Why do you need a "drunk, funny, not give a crap night" in the first place?

Positive thoughts

[happybunny13]

Maybe I feel like I want to fit in and be like everyone else the party/ social event who seem to be relaxed and enjoying themselves I suppose. To feel free of anxiety and feel like I'm having a good time. But like you said the alcohol and citalopram don't mix well I, ll need to accept alcohol just isant going to make me feel the way I want to. Or maybe I'm not as anxiety free as I think i am and the alcohol just makes it worse.

[MyNameIsTerry]

You could always try it without alcohol and see how you feel. If your anxiety is behind this drink may not be the issue or maybe it just adds to it?

We need to be clear on interactions. Just because there is one doesn't mean it's the culprit as interactions appear in certain ways.

From Drugs.com.

Professional Info:

GENERALLY AVOID: Alcohol may potentiate some of the pharmacologic effects of CNS-active agents. Use in combination may result in additive central nervous system depression and/or impairment of judgment, thinking, and psychomotor skills.

Consumer Info:

Using citalopram together with ethanol may increase side effects such as dizziness, drowsiness, confusion, and difficulty concentrating. Some people may also experience impairment in thinking, judgment, and motor coordination. You should avoid or limit the use of alcohol while being treated with citalopram. Do not use more than the recommended dose of citalopram, and avoid activities requiring mental alertness such as driving or operating hazardous machinery until you know how the medication affects you.

If that's how you feel when you drink, it may be the mix of the two. If not, it may not be. But I think it's always a matter of the individual with all this stuff and some can drink, others can't.

Because alcohol causes a spike in Serotonin people often want to keep drinking and then the next day they crash big time. I think this is likely not just about removal of toxins, and our tendency to react worse to symptoms than the non anxious person with a hangover would, but also about the brain trying to rebalance itself from that spike and this means foods that it takes the precursors from to do so.

So, one way to judge the alcohol issue might also be how you feel the next day? It could still be the anxiety of the previous night, calming down from a spike of it due to a stressful event, but many on here who struggle with alcohol take a massive knock backwards with a hangover that typically eases off after a few days (which is another reason I think the brain is rebalancing itself).

[happybunny13]

It's hard to say if it's the citalopram or just my anxiety. I used to drink when I first started taking them and I don't remember being this anxious when I drunk. Maybe over the years my anxiety around drinking has got worse. I think it's my acceptance that alcohol is not good for my anxiety is what I need to work on. I think anxiety in general has just getting me down lately. I tell myself all the time I'm fine I'm fine when deep down I'm still anxious daily. I just wish I wasent such an anxious uptight person. Accepence is key I suppose.

[MyNameIsTerry]

Perhaps give it a try without alcohol? A few nights out without might reveal if you are fine without. If so you can work on adding little bits of alcohol back in if that's what you want?

I've drank on Citalopram, as agreed by my GP, and I was fine with the hangovers (my GP said moderation...I didn't stick to that :biggrin:) until the day or returning from the holiday when I spent the day very anxious. That was more about me + the booze/hangover than the booze alone.

Things also change with age and I've noted some say their tolerances change when on meds. Some get drunk quicker or act out of character, others need more to get drunk.

Alcohol can be a bit of a minefield for us but then so much seems to be with anxiety disorders! :doh:

There is nothing wrong with not drinking at all. I haven't drank in years and now I just don't think about it anymore. But then I've gone over forty now and your interests change from getting hammered crawling pubs & clubs in your twenties (and mother nature seems to make the hangovers worse as you age). With so many things revolving around alcohol, it's not always so easy though and depends a bit on your social circle I guess.

[happybunny13]

Hangovers I can deal with. A day in bed feeling a bit anxious and I'm generally OK. I think as well it's your state of mind when you are drinking. If I'm anxious and stressed or low before I drink, I think that mood is exaggerated with the alcohol. If I'm happy and positive I tend to have a better night. I will keep this in mind. Its hard dealing with this anxiety especially long term. I think we are all strong people to deal with this. Thank you for your help

---------- Post added at 18:56 ---------- Previous post was at 18:54 ----------

I'm 30 now but alcohol and party's is still quite a big social side of my life, something I don't want anxiety to ruin