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Post by arwen on Aug 31, 2008 19:13:45 GMT
Having realised that I should have bought Shares in Jack Daniels these past few months I can give you the low down on whether alcohol is indeed a 'remedy' or a 'cure'. After taking Industrial painkillers for so long I found that they were losing 'the edge' somewhat as I became accustomed to them, taking more sometimes helped but then I was always very aware of 'exceeding the recommended dose' as I was already well over it on a normal day. Alcohol (I can speak for no other than Dr Jack Daniels) certainly gave the pain killers the boost that I needed, or it did if I drank enough of it. Was this a combination of the Whisky and tablets or just the whisky? My conclusion after some months of pretty much daily testing the use of Jack Daniels as a medicine: You still have the pain, you just don't give a s*it. Don't know if you were kidding or not when you wrote this, but alcohol and painkillers or sleeping pills can quite easily kill you. It's a very unpredictable way of boosting the effect of the painkillers. It also causes brain damage long-term. I'm sorry you are in pain, chronic pain is horrible, but I hope you can find another way of handling it. I'm afraid to suggest anything alternative around here...
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Post by tomroberts on Aug 31, 2008 20:18:44 GMT
Having realised that I should have bought Shares in Jack Daniels these past few months I can give you the low down on whether alcohol is indeed a 'remedy' or a 'cure'. After taking Industrial painkillers for so long I found that they were losing 'the edge' somewhat as I became accustomed to them, taking more sometimes helped but then I was always very aware of 'exceeding the recommended dose' as I was already well over it on a normal day. Alcohol (I can speak for no other than Dr Jack Daniels) certainly gave the pain killers the boost that I needed, or it did if I drank enough of it. Was this a combination of the Whisky and tablets or just the whisky? My conclusion after some months of pretty much daily testing the use of Jack Daniels as a medicine: You still have the pain, you just don't give a s*it. Don't know if you were kidding or not when you wrote this, but alcohol and painkillers or sleeping pills can quite easily kill you. It's a very unpredictable way of boosting the effect of the painkillers. It also causes brain damage long-term. I'm sorry you are in pain, chronic pain is horrible, but I hope you can find another way of handling it. I'm afraid to suggest anything alternative around here... Arwen, My mother (86) has a large brandy when she goes to bed - helps her sleep, she reckons, as she has always been a bad sleeper. Some of her medicines warn that alcohol can increase the sedative effects - but that is exactly what she wants. How do you know that it "causes brain damage long-term"?
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Post by starx on Sept 1, 2008 8:26:27 GMT
I've not heard that it does cause brain damage either , alcohol does has an anaesthetic reaction on the brain, and slows down the breathing rate. Granted, mixing alcohol with tablets can have a poisonous effect on the body.
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Post by starx on Sept 1, 2008 8:27:44 GMT
Anyway, more to the point: Where is Meercat, he hasn't been on for 3 weeks?
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Post by arwen on Sept 1, 2008 13:34:34 GMT
Don't know if you were kidding or not when you wrote this, but alcohol and painkillers or sleeping pills can quite easily kill you. It's a very unpredictable way of boosting the effect of the painkillers. It also causes brain damage long-term. I'm sorry you are in pain, chronic pain is horrible, but I hope you can find another way of handling it. I'm afraid to suggest anything alternative around here... Arwen, My mother (86) has a large brandy when she goes to bed - helps her sleep, she reckons, as she has always been a bad sleeper. Some of her medicines warn that alcohol can increase the sedative effects - but that is exactly what she wants. How do you know that it "causes brain damage long-term"? You can ask any doctor, who will tell you that long-term drinking causes brain damage. Here's a link: alcoholism.about.com/cs/alerts/l/blnaa53.htm If you use just the first part of the link, you'll get a long list of links to more research results. At 86, with sedative medications, I think your mother is playing with fire. It is impossible to say at what point her breathing or heart might be slowed down to the point where she expires. There's also a danger of confusion when you mix pills and alcohol in taking more pills because your forget what you've already taken (which is probably what happened with Heath Ledger). I'm really baffled that anyone can think that's it's okay to do this... I guess I've just known most of my life that this is a really dangerous combination. Here's another recent warning: www.npr.org/templates/story/story.php?storyId=93158257 And this is from the Mayo Clinic: "Avoid alcohol. Never mix alcohol and sleeping pills. Alcohol increases the sedative effects of the pills. Even a small amount of alcohol combined with sleeping pills can make you feel dizzy, confused or faint. Alcohol alone can cause insomnia." www.mayoclinic.com/health/sleeping-pills/SL00010And I can add that my daughter's neurologist just warned her about not combining any of her medications with alcohol - the doctor's 37 year old friend (mother of 4 young children) just died in her sleep after *one glass of red wine* in combination with a sleeping pill.
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Post by starx on Sept 1, 2008 15:12:09 GMT
Ah, i understand your point, Arwen.
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Post by billhick on Sept 1, 2008 20:19:16 GMT
I think some people are walking medical marvels when it comes to alcohol intake and the mixture of pills. Hit or miss ? Genetic makeup ? Who knows ?? Just look at Lenny from Motorhead and Keith Richards Crazy !!
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Post by Amaris on Sept 9, 2008 1:39:31 GMT
I think some people are walking medical marvels when it comes to alcohol intake and the mixture of pills. Hit or miss ? Genetic makeup ? Who knows ?? Just look at Lenny from Motorhead and Keith Richards Crazy !! I have to agree. I understand your points Arwen but I do think we can react in different ways to anything we ingest. I do agree there has to be a consideration of the amount of alcohol taken with painkillers but if the person's body is accustomed to a certain amount of alcohol then possibly the adverse effect is lessened?
Am studying for my degree in how much alcohol I can consume and live a relatively healthy lifestyle ;D
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Post by tomolac on Sept 9, 2008 9:58:43 GMT
I think you'll find that every drug has a different effect on every person, hence the reason why there's no such things as crowd control sedatives as the amount needed to knock everyone out will kill some people.
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Post by arwen on Sept 13, 2008 3:46:28 GMT
I think some people are walking medical marvels when it comes to alcohol intake and the mixture of pills. Hit or miss ? Genetic makeup ? Who knows ?? Just look at Lenny from Motorhead and Keith Richards Crazy !! I have to agree. I understand your points Arwen but I do think we can react in different ways to anything we ingest. I do agree there has to be a consideration of the amount of alcohol taken with painkillers but if the person's body is accustomed to a certain amount of alcohol then possibly the adverse effect is lessened?
Am studying for my degree in how much alcohol I can consume and live a relatively healthy lifestyle ;D Unfortunately, reactions to alcohol are not consistent. You can get drunk one day from an amount that didn't make you the least bit intoxicated last time. What you eat or drink (non-alcoholic) matters, and that changes for most of us. Your tolerance can change over time - I've seen and been told by rehab specialists that it's common for alcoholics to first get an increased tolerance to alcohol, then eventually get an extremely low tolerance further down the path of destruction... Mixing with pills is completely unpredictable and always dangerous. Like I mentioned earlier, I think, I just heard two weeks ago about a mother in her 30s who died from a glass of red wine and an Ambien.
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Post by traceyg on Sept 13, 2008 10:29:38 GMT
I find when im stressed and then have a glass of wine (that's all i drink nowadays) it goes to my head far quicker than if im relaxed, maybe it's because my adrenalin, who know?
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Post by Amaris on Sept 14, 2008 1:30:35 GMT
I just heard two weeks ago about a mother in her 30s who died from a glass of red wine and an Ambien. Where did you hear it? Was it first hand? Did she have underlying medical problems? Sorry about the questions but they are relevant x I'm not making light of the dangers by the way.
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Post by fluffet on Sept 14, 2008 20:08:27 GMT
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Post by arwen on Sept 14, 2008 20:49:21 GMT
I just heard two weeks ago about a mother in her 30s who died from a glass of red wine and an Ambien. Where did you hear it? Was it first hand? Did she have underlying medical problems? Sorry about the questions but they are relevant x I'm not making light of the dangers by the way.It was a close friend of my daughter's doctor. The doctor told my daughter about it as a strong reminder to not drink at all with her medication.
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Post by MoonRiver on Sept 19, 2008 0:18:59 GMT
Arwen - Working in a pharmacy one of the most common questions asked is 'Can I drink alcohol with these tablets?'. There are, as you rightly point out, some medications that should NOT be mixed with alocohol. However, any medic will obviously advise against the consumption of alcohol whether you take medication or not, especially when pregnant as the risk of fetal alcohol syndrome is certainly a risk NOT worth taking.
I am currently taking a medication that increases the effect of alcohol (the result being that I am a very cheap night out!). Joking aside; medications are drugs, just like alcohol and tobacco, mixing drugs can create problems within the system, on the other hand if the prescribed levels of opioids fail to relieve severe acute pain - I would rather have a shot a Jack Daniels than take a higher strength opioid.
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Post by Amaris on Sept 21, 2008 2:23:34 GMT
I would rather have a shot a Jack Daniels than take a higher strength opioid. Finally an answer I can relate to But again seriously, I understand the warnings of overuse of alcohol ( I tend to ignore them and listen to my body though when my liver starts singing to me I do refrain from drinking for a day or two ;D )
In my experience I have found that my body responds more favourably to alcohol than prescribed medication in minor ailments. But then of course that doesn't compare to major painkillers after an operation but I'm sure Meercat is aware of his limits.
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Post by arwen on Sept 24, 2008 0:00:41 GMT
Arwen - Working in a pharmacy one of the most common questions asked is 'Can I drink alcohol with these tablets?'. There are, as you rightly point out, some medications that should NOT be mixed with alocohol. However, any medic will obviously advise against the consumption of alcohol whether you take medication or not, especially when pregnant as the risk of fetal alcohol syndrome is certainly a risk NOT worth taking. I am currently taking a medication that increases the effect of alcohol (the result being that I am a very cheap night out!). Joking aside; medications are drugs, just like alcohol and tobacco, mixing drugs can create problems within the system, on the other hand if the prescribed levels of opioids fail to relieve severe acute pain - I would rather have a shot a Jack Daniels than take a higher strength opioid. On your last statement - you're not talking about *after* having taken the painkillers, as in on top of, but *instead* of, right?
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Post by theminx on Sept 30, 2008 23:51:06 GMT
I find when im stressed and then have a glass of wine (that's all i drink nowadays) it goes to my head far quicker than if im relaxed, maybe it's because my adrenalin, who know? Try a bottle it's GOOD ;D ;D
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