In the world of addiction there are many different types of withdrawal symptoms. Some people experience only mild ones, some people get very severe ones. One of the most common type of withdrawal symptoms is the “alcohol hangover”. When someone stops using drugs or alcohol they may feel tired, irritable, depressed, anxious and even have headaches. However, when these same people stop taking their medication that helps them with those problems they will experience much worse effects. There are many reasons why this happens such as:
1) They don’t take their medicine at the right time (or at all).
2) They took too much of it which causes side effects.
3) They stopped taking their medicine too soon causing withdrawal symptoms.
The problem with this is that sometimes people do not realize that they are still suffering from withdrawal symptoms even though they no longer use drugs or alcohol. If you stop your medication suddenly without consulting your doctor, you could potentially suffer from the worst kind of withdrawal symptoms known as an alcohol hangover!
An alcohol hangover can be a long list of symptoms and the most prominent ones are severe headaches, tiredness, irritability, anxiety, depression and sometimes even nausea. If you suffer any of these then you may have an alcohol hangover but if your symptoms are more than just that or if the symptoms last for days or even weeks then you might need medical treatment. No wonder people think they have a permanent condition when really it is just an alcohol hangover.
When you decide to take your medication (especially one for mental health problems), it is very important that you follow your doctors orders. If the medication is to be taken every day then it should be taken every day. If the medication causes side effects then these should improve or disappear within a few weeks. If any of these things do not happen, you need to speak with your psychiatrist straight away.
There are many reasons why a person may suddenly stop taking their medication. Some of these reasons are that they believe the medication is causing more problems than it is solving. Some people may have had a bad experience with the side effects and decided they can no longer tolerate them. Other people may have decided that their mental illness has gone away so they no longer need the medication anymore!
Whatever the reason, if you suddenly stop taking your medicine, especially when dealing with mental illness, this is referred to as “coming off” your medication. Sadly coming off your medication can lead to severe withdrawal symptoms and in some cases even lead to other problems such as a relapse or worsening of the original condition.
If you think you may have an alcohol hangover it is best not to self-diagnose yourself with one and instead see your doctor or psychiatrist as soon as possible. It is also important that you do not stop taking any medication before discussing it with your doctor first as this can be very dangerous and may make your condition a lot worse. Even if you have decided to come off your medication, it is best to do this under the supervision of a doctor who can slowly reduce the dose over time making it a less painful process.
Sources & references used in this article:
Sex differences in the effect of bupropion and naltrexone combination on alcohol drinking in mice by Y Zhou, F Leri, MJ Low, MJ Kreek – Pharmacology Biochemistry and …, 2019 – Elsevier
Bupropion SR worsens mood during marijuana withdrawal in humans by M Haney, AS Ward, SD Comer, CL Hart, RW Foltin… – …, 2001 – Springer
Co‐administration of low‐dose naltrexone and bupropion reduces alcohol drinking in alcohol‐preferring (P) rats by ER Nicholson, JE Dilley… – Alcoholism: Clinical and …, 2018 – Wiley Online Library
Unexpected aggressive behaviour: interaction of bupropion and alcohol by P Chandler, A Herxheimer – … Journal of Risk & Safety in …, 2011 – content.iospress.com
Bupropion in the treatment of problematic online game play in patients with major depressive disorder by DH Han, PF Renshaw – Journal of Psychopharmacology, 2012 – journals.sagepub.com
