antabuse made me mentally ill
Posted , 3 users are following.
Three weeks after starting antabuse last year, I became properly mentally ill. Prior to this, my diagnosis had been a disorder (social anxiety). I stopped sleeping, I stopped eating, my thoughts were racing, and I wanted to harm myself and others. I became totally focused in thinking my partner was having affairs. I was jumping into my car, stalking him, chasing him around the streets, walking into his office, going through his desk; smashing my house up, etc. I became so paranoid and exhausted with the racing thoughts that I tried to kill myself. I had lived with my partner for thirteen years, and never bothered about fidelity, and I'd certainly never had thoughts about harming him or myself. My consultant stopped the antabuse, telling me I was having a rare reaction that he'd seen on two other occassions with patients who had started antabuse. But my hell didn't stop when the antabuse did. I was prescribed quetiapine, moclobemide and buspirone (which I still take a year on because I'm terrified the three month period when I 'went round the twist' will return). Three months it took for me to become well again. I can never have antabuse again, and I was never told it could trigger psychosis. If any of you recognise psychotic symptoms after starting antabuse, don't overlook the possibility that it could be this drug that is causing it.
0 likes, 3 replies
Guest
Posted
I've been on D. for 3 weeks and definitely feel not wholly there. Not as drastical symptoms as yours and I don't drink, so I'll still stay on it for a while longer. My doc says my system should \"adjust\" to it in time. He says most of the symptoms are because of quitting drinking, but I think it's bullshit, because I've stayed sober for longer periods before and never felt like I'm about to go mad. To which my doc replies it is because my alcoholism has progressed and I am older. He might have a point, but I definitely don't feel right in the head on disulfiram.\Regards,
jason2
Posted
candis33631 Guest
Posted
I went psychotic when I had a month of not drinking, and then many times at 9 months. From my understanding is when I don't drink repressed memories start to come up and it's to frightening and I leave reality. I learned how to do this as a child. My dad was a child molester, alcoholic and extremely violent. Alcohol covers up my mental illness. I did not know I had a mental illness until I tried to quit drinking.