prozac, BFing and alcohol...

[nybom]

i'm in a bit of a mess...:

i had DS2 4 months ago. the continuous lack of sleep due to nightly BFin (5 times and more) lead to postnatal depression, anxieties and bad health in general at 6 weeks after the birth. my GP prescribed prozac, and i am starting councelling next week as i've had a hard time with birth of DSs and death of close family relatives as well as a lot of change in my life in generall...

when i was really really depressed i stopped drinking altogether, but as the prozac kicked in after 2 weeks i have gradually gone back to my old habits: drinking 2 standard glases of wine 4-5 nights a week... (DS2 now sleeps better at night, so there is a big gap between alcohol consumption and next BF.) i don't feel any side effects and i don't drink so much that i'll have a hangover the next day. but still, with the prozac and all, i'd like to drink less. instead it's getting more. it just helps me relax in the evenings. after a glass of wine i feel i'm truely myself, without worries, just chilled...

now, nobody would consider someone who drinks around 14 units a week an alcoholic, would they? but i think i might be in danger - i think about alcohol a lot: in the afternoon i start to look forward to the evening when i can drink, and i find it really hard not to drink one or two nights a week.

in my early twenties, as a student, i drank a lot, also on my own. i drank about two pints of lager every day of the week, at parties up to 4 pints... only getting pregnant stopped this. between having DS1 and DS2 i started drinking more again. again, only the pregnancy stopped me drinking alcohol. but how can i stick to a set limit of units, and not let it get out of hand (you know, an exception here and there, and suddenly you're drinking 6,7 days a week, 1 glass becomes 2 or 3). am i maybe borderline to being alcoholic?

Hi there, not much advise, but why don't you call the samaritans 08457 90 90 90
They may be able to point you in the right direction.
Best wishes

If you are worried about it, it would be a good idea to have a word with your gp or hv. They reccomend not drinking on anti depressants only because alcohol is a depressant.

I find I don't get hangovers so badly with anti depressants, and I get far less of the gloom. I also found that I could drink very easily after the births of my babies.

If your drinking is bothering you, it doesn't matter whether you are drinking a litre of spirits a day, or a drop of sherry.

I think the fact that you're concerned enough to post on here speaks volumes. It doesnt really matter the quantities you drink ( although you should limit it with BF) but more the fact that you feel the need to drink regularly. If you could drink 7 days a week would you? I would go and see your GP and discuss your concerns. I know that with me, depression and alcohol went hand in hand, alcohol definately made my depression worse in the long run.

I think that you might be using the alcohol as a bit of a crutch to help make you feel betterout things and that perhaps you are becoming a bit of a dependant drinker rather then an out and out alcoholic (although some would say there isn't a lot of difference between the two). I was in exactly this position a year ago with my baby DD (except sertraline was my drug of choice ). I was under the care of the perinatal MH team and was urged to stop the drinking as it is a depressant in itself and as such counters the effects of the ADs. I couldn't though and ended up lying to them and to my family about just how bad my situation was (often in excess of a bottle of red wine per night ).

Thankfully for me I got pregnant again and I've pretty much stopped all alcohol apart from maybe a beer or glass of wine once a fortnight. I am worried about it getting out of hand again after this baby is born, although I have now told my psych just how bad things had gotten so the support is there if I need it.

Can you talk to your HV or GP and tell them how concerned you are that your drinking is becoming a dependancy? They might be able to refer you for counselling or CBT which might help with the drinking issues or even to your local alcohol counselling service if they/you feel you would benefit.

Alcohol = depressant. Will have a huge impact on your mood if you are depressed

I agree it's not the amount you drink but the motivation behind it, and the way it makes you feel. You are drinking to 'fix' your feelings. But unfortunately, this only works in the short-term. Eventually the alcohol will become its own problm, too

I think you might benefit from some counselling, preferably with someone who has experience in working with people with dependency issues

You have admitted there is a problem, which is great

BTW, the AD is less likely to be effective if you are drinking