Is it safe to drink alcohol while on lithium?!
Question: I just had a baby about a month ago. I held off until two days ago to start taking my lithium because I wanted to breastfeed as long as possible. I had a bit of a meltdown and my doctor put me on 300mg twice a day. I haven't had a chance to even have a glass of wine, of course since I was breastfeeding, and now I would really like to take the opportunity to wind down on a Friday night with my husband and have a drink. But I've heard conflicting information about whether or not it's safe while you're on lithium. Is it okay to have a couple of drinks? Will it have adverse effects, or make me sick? Any advice would be appreciated. Thanks!
Answers: I just had a baby about a month ago. I held off until two days ago to start taking my lithium because I wanted to breastfeed as long as possible. I had a bit of a meltdown and my doctor put me on 300mg twice a day. I haven't had a chance to even have a glass of wine, of course since I was breastfeeding, and now I would really like to take the opportunity to wind down on a Friday night with my husband and have a drink. But I've heard conflicting information about whether or not it's safe while you're on lithium. Is it okay to have a couple of drinks? Will it have adverse effects, or make me sick? Any advice would be appreciated. Thanks!
Hi,
I don't have first hand experience with lithium, but my Mom has been on it some 20 years for bipolar and is fine with a glass of wine or two (or a beer) on occasion. She makes an effort to do it with dinner or a snack to wind down for the weekend.
I believe it's perfectly fine, just be careful and enjoy your time with your husband. Congrats on your new baby, you certainly deserve a bit of time to chill.
PS- I also follow the same rules for myself when having a drink or two on Wellbutrin.
It is never wise to drink alcohol with any such drug. But I doubt one single glass of wine will do you any harm. But only one !
Perhaps a single glass would be okay, but I'd advise against any more, or any at all if you want to be particularly safe.
Drinking alcohol with any drug is unwise, especially a drug that's used to treat the brain, because you can never be sure what effects it would have.
Also, bear in mind that your liver will be under a lot of strain with the lithium, without adding more toxins to your body.
lithium has some pretty powerful effects on the brain, so does alcohol, so do you think it's a good idea to drink while taking that particular drug? I sure don't.
be aware, caffiene is also a no-no when taking lithium, it can cause re-uptake of the drug and give you higher blood levels that can lead to toxicity.
its probably not wise at all to drink while taking these type of drugs. If you really really want to drink, its probably best to discuss it with your doctor!
Hello,
I take 2,100mg of lithium daily to help manage my bipolar disorder. My doctor has always said he would prefer that I not drink at all. I do, however, have 1 or 2 drinks a month.
You may be more of a light weight then previously due to the lithium. You should not drink to excess and I would suggest drinking water in plentiful amounts if you are consuming alcohol.
I have only had a bad experience with lithium - it tried to kill me once!!! I was taking 1500mgs twice a day. However, I am also taking many different meds to treat my bi-polar disorder, and I know for a fact that it is very unsafe to drink any type or amount of alcohol with any type of anti-psychotic or mood stabilizers. It can have very bad adverse effects on people when they mix alcohol with these types of meds. From personal experience - I was at one time taking Carbatrol (thank God I don't have that anymore), and decided it would probably be ok for a beer or two, three tops - I wound up in the ER with alcohol poisoning, and I hadn't even gotten completely through the first beer before I had passed out at the house where the party was, and started having a "mini" seizure while throwing up all over the place. So I definitely wouldn't recommend drinking while taking lithium.