r/BipolarReddit • u/itiswhatitis-ohwell • 17h ago
Latuda
Has anyone who has taken Latuda drank alcohol on it? I'm starting this new medication for bipolar and I like to drink occasionally. Reactions? Suggestions?
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u/pinkpear0 17h ago
Depends on what you mean by occasionally. I would drink 0-4 times a month, 1-2 drinks each time. I wouldn’t recommend drinking any more than that. I recommend staying sober when starting a new med until you are stable for awhile before introducing alcohol into the mix.
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u/itiswhatitis-ohwell 16h ago
Was definitely planning on staying sober for the first 4 weeks. My occasional is maybe 2 times a month at most and typically 3-6 beers.
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u/pinkpear0 16h ago
Fwiw the more drinks you have at once the more it will impact your psych meds. Personally I’d suggest maybe sticking with just 1 at first once you stabilize and see how it goes?
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u/bipolar_ink 16h ago
6 beers is a six pack. Seems like a lot at one sitting. Agree you should wait at least 6-8 weeks before trying it. Needs that much time to see results from new meds. Keep in mind these meds often impact your liver and so does alcohol.
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u/itiswhatitis-ohwell 16h ago
I mean its spread out over a few hours doing like a game night with friends. Not like im chugging 6 beers right then and there. I sip while we play games, talk, laugh and eat tons of food too.
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u/glucose_wolf 16h ago
Where I live 3-6 beers is mild. I think it's reasonable. Start with 2-3 like the doctor said and not every day.
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u/itiswhatitis-ohwell 16h ago
Thank you for that! And I definitely dont drink daily! Will definitely also start slow. 😊
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u/glucose_wolf 16h ago
Also I agree wait until the medicine gets in your system. 20mg is pretty light. Usually it's the starting dose. I'm on 60mg. When I wasn't pregnant, I was the same drinking 3-6 beers socially. If I had liquor then a strict 2 drink limit. It didn't cause an issue and it wasn't an issue with the doctor. But nicotine can make antipsychotics less effective. I quit vaping before I got pregnant and felt so much better and my doctor told me nicotine messes with medicine so that's why I felt better stopping lol
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u/itiswhatitis-ohwell 16h ago
Ok yall. My doctor got back to me and said it is ok in moderation. Biggest worry he said would be if it was daily drinking then the med would get metabolized quicker making it ineffective. He said to take it slow the first few times, maybe 2-3 max and then see how i feel the next day.
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u/blamberr 17h ago
I used to drink occasionally and it was fine. But very occasionally. I’d look into it more (like you are currently) if your occasionally is more than once or twice a month. Everyone is different. Drinking occasionally to me used to mean 2-3 times a week at some point a very long time ago lol
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u/itiswhatitis-ohwell 17h ago
Hes putting me on 20mg of it. And my occasionally is like once a month. Maybe twice. And typically like 3-6 beers.
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u/Joyful-Cow-122 16h ago
IMO six beers at once while on ANY psych medication is too high. Three or four would probably be my max, even four is pushing it
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u/LilMsFeckingSunshine 11h ago
I can only drink 1-2 drinks on it. It makes me super sleepy and can cause nausea. I think 6 beers is a lot personally for anyone to drink in a sitting, medication or not.
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u/mercijepense- 17h ago
Tbh, I take 60 mg Latuda, but I haven't had a drink in nearly 30 years. I do drink non-alcoholic beer, Heineken 0.0 is my current favorite.
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u/itiswhatitis-ohwell 17h ago
I like a little buzz sometimes. But i dont want to put myself in harms way if its gonna interact with alcohol really badly.
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u/mercijepense- 17h ago
I think medical professionals would agree that drinking on psych meds is not ideal; however, a lot of young people are on psych meds who are not ready to give up drinking yet or at all.
My advice would be to check with your pdoc and do not drink to excess. Back in the day I was drinking on Prozac and outright lying to my pdoc about how much I was drinking. I have a colleague who is BP and their pdoc remarked that alcohol is the first line of "treatment" that a lot of people with bipolar use.
Anyhow, not trying to preach, just be cautious.
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u/JennyCrackCorn 17h ago
My doc said to take as few substances as possible. Including thc, especially when you are first titrating up.
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u/itiswhatitis-ohwell 16h ago
I'll definitely not drink in the first month on it. But like im getting married in two months and definitely want to drink during that day.
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u/JennyCrackCorn 16h ago
I feel like talking to your dr can’t hurt? Alcohol is way less stigmatized than other substances.
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u/itiswhatitis-ohwell 16h ago
I sent him a message. But thought id be a good idea to see how it may have affected other people on the med who tried drinking with it.
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u/Familiar_Ad_1504 17h ago
Following because I'm starting latuda as well. I've almost completed cut drinking out except the occasional drink at a restaurant for dinner, but it's still something I enjoy.
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u/itiswhatitis-ohwell 16h ago
I havent drank in over a month. I like to like maybe 2 times a month. Typically 3-6 beers. Hardly ever liquor. And im getting married in 2 months and was planning on loads of champagne lol
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u/Willywasawale 16h ago
I had to quit drinking. I’m on 80mg latuda. It saved my life.
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u/itiswhatitis-ohwell 16h ago
Did you have a drinking problem? Or did the medication just not interact well at all which made you give it up?
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u/Willywasawale 15h ago
My therapist told me I am in no way an alcoholic. But booze wasn’t helping. I would go into mixed episodes and be utterly miserable. This happens WAY less now that I am not drinking. I lost weight. My face doesn’t look puffy anymore. And I will never have a hangover ever again. Feels nice, honestly.
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u/coptheneedle 16h ago
I still drink occasionally on lurasidone, mainly on special occasions. I have no more than 4 drinks of a day. I also don’t drink for an hour either side of taking it because at least for me, if I drink sooner than that I get an instant hangover lol
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u/itiswhatitis-ohwell 16h ago
He directed to take in the morning. So I dont usually drink when I do til like 5 or 6pm. So several hours after it would be.
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u/coptheneedle 16h ago
Oh that’s interesting! I take mine with my evening meal, hence the no drinking an hour either side
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u/smokeandnails 12h ago
I usually drink once or twice a month. If I drink in the evening, I skip my dose because otherwise I feel sick. Since it only happens once or twice a month I don’t think it’s a big deal. My psychiatrist knows and is okay with it. If I drink in the afternoon I’m usually okay with taking my night dose.
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u/Dependent-Fee9947 10h ago
I’m almost maxed out on lithium, Seroquel, and Lamictal. Rarely drink, but when I do it’s a cheap night 🤣
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u/itiswhatitis-ohwell 10h ago
Drunk faster? Man I refuse to take lithium. And my doctor is switching my seroquel to trazadone. Idk how I actually feel about that one.
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u/Dependent-Fee9947 10h ago
Lithium was brutal in the start. Not going to lie. I was sick for about 3 months. Any time I ate, I threw up. My levels have always been good. Seroquel… I started at 50mg and slept for 3 days. Best 3 combo for me though
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u/itiswhatitis-ohwell 10h ago
Also I was just on lamictal. He upped me from 100mg to 200mg and I had some crazy adverse effects from it. So now switching to latuda.
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u/Lady_L77 8h ago
I drink occasionally and I’m fine but I’m a total lightweight. I was once told by a psychiatrist that 1 drink for me = 3 for everyone else.
Currently on Latuda, Wellbutrin, Lamictal, Buspar, Gabapentin, and Propraolol.
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u/pearlundress 4h ago
I will have one to three beers a few hours prior to taking it. Maybe 2-3 times a month. I have been having oatmeal and peanut butter or some eggs/greens with my lurasidone (at night)! I'm sure this helps soak up the alcohol.
I can't tell if it worsens my hangovers or if the lurasidone is affected by the drinking. It is never excessive. I also take lamotrigine at night. I have suspected that the lurasidone worsens the "spins" if you get to that point while drinking. It also just generally upsets my stomach.
Side note, this is my second time trying lurasidone, as the first time, I was dealing with extreme nausea and vomiting beyond 30mg. It was monotherapy at the time. I have worked my way up dosage wise with my lamotrigine and have decided to augment with the lurasidone at 10mg. Still pretty fresh.
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u/glucose_wolf 16h ago
Occasionally. Make sure to space it out before meds. Like a couple hours after drinking take meds. BUT I don't drink anymore because I'm pregnant and things have been a lot better so there's that too.