Warning Labels, Are we reading them? Season 2 Ep.23

In this weeks episode we touch on all things with a WARNING  label. A somewhat controversial topic but one we believe is extremely important to bring awareness to. There can be many dangers when mixing alcohol with medication, even simple over the counter medications can effect you differently when mixed with alcohol. We are by no means experts on this subject but we are asking the questions, are people paying attention to warning labels on prescription medications? Are they reading  the pamphlet of information that comes with their medication? Is your doctor asking questions about your alcohol consumption when prescribing you medication? And in future will we see warning labels on alcohol bottles like we have on cigarette packages? We are having a sensitive and serious conversation about of these things and more.

Notable mention:
Follow James Swanwick on Instagram @ https://www.instagram.com/jamesswanwick/
Recommended Articles: https://www.goodrx.com/drugs/side-effects/10-medications-you-shouldnt-mix-with-alcohol?
https://www.goodrx.com/well-being/substance-use/how-does-alcohol-affect-the-body?

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**Disclaimer: The opinions expressed in this episode are not professional or medical opinions. If you are struggling with an addiction please contact a medical professional for help.

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Transcript

Kelly: 0:02

welcome to the LAF life podcast, a lifestyle podcast based on living alcohol free and a booze soaked world. My name is Kelly Evans and together with my friends, Tracey Djordjevic, Mike Sutton and Lindsay Harik. We share uncensored. Unscripted real conversations about what our lives have been like since we ditched alcohol and how we got here by sharing our individual stories. We'll show you that there isn't just one way to do this, no matter where you are on your journey from sober, curious to years in recovery and everyone in between, you are welcome here, no judgment and a ton of support.

Lindsey: 0:42

Hey everybody. Welcome back to the LAF Life podcast. We're so happy that you're here today. I've got Tracey Kelly, and myself. I'm Lindsay. Hey everybody.

Kelly: 0:53

Hi. Hey.

Lindsey: 0:55

We started off with, Thinking that we're gonna talk about some medications and their effect with alcohol or 10 types of medications that you shouldn't mix alcohol with. I think this is a really important topic because I think there are a lot of people. Taking prescription medications, even over the counter stuff like Advil and Tylenol and we're drinking. We may not even be honest with our family doctor about how much we're drinking, cuz I know I used to not be truthful about that. And I think this is a really good thing to get out on the table. Now, keep in mind, we are not doctors. We are just gonna have a conversation about it. We've looked at some, articles and things online. So I think I'll preface this by saying that if you are taking medication make sure that you're having a chat with your family doctor if you're drinking alcohol. And it's really important to be honest about the amount. Yeah. And then Kelly, you shared something in our group chat about the alcohol companies fighting. To, not have to put warning labels on alcohol bottles, like cigarette companies have to. So we can tie this all together cuz I know for a fact there are warnings on medication bottles about not consuming alcohol with medications. Yeah.

Tracey: 2:28

So warning, we are not experts. We're not medical experts on subject matter, but we do think that it's very important to bring to people's attention because it's pretty scary to think all the people out there these days taking we take Advil or Tylenol, so we don't have a hangover in the morning with our alcohol. Let alone all the people that are taking say, anti-anxiety medication or antidepressants, all these things that could have different effects when they mix it with alcohol. Lindsay said, it's very important. And I think a lot of people, especially if they're drinking heavily and they're not really ready to admit that, or they're scared to. Aren't being truthful with their doctor about it. And I think a lot of people just ignore those labels even on say we're talking about antibiotics and it says, don't take alcohol with this. How many people have taken antibiotics and still drink? Yep.

Kelly: 3:24

Oh man. So I'm curious, do doctors ask, when a doctor prescribes a medication like this, are they asking people what the relationship with alcohol is? They're just relying on that sticker. And my other thing I'm curious about is how many people read that insert that they get? With their pills.

Lindsey: 3:43

That is a good point. Such a good point. Kelly. Those are two very important things. I'm gonna ask you guys this question because I'm trying to think about my own personal experience, but I know that when my doctor would ask me, how much are you drinking? It wasn't even an, are you drinking alcohol? It was how much are you drinking? I would instantly feel a pang of anxiety or my stomach drop because. I knew, I didn't wanna say I binge drink two bottles of red wine every weekend. That's embarrassing. I felt embarrassed about that. Isn't that a red flag?

Kelly: 4:16

Oh yeah. I was never honest about that. Just my annual physical. I think she used to ask she knows I don't drink now, but yeah, she would ask me how many glasses of wine per week do you drink? I'm like, oh, five or six.

Tracey: 4:29

I don't think I ever got asked that question. Maybe once. Really? Depending on, maybe a physical or something Kel, but like yeah, I don't remember ever having that conversation with my doctor. I don't think it was even ever a question. So they're prescribing these medications? Yes. Okay. And they're not asking about alcohol, but I feel like people need to be empowered themselves enough to open that pamphlet and read it and see that there are risks. To drinking while on

Lindsey: 4:59

I have seen, like I see the label on the bottles. I'm gonna talk as somebody who has taken and still does take medicine for anxiety. I'm gonna say this though too, since quitting alcohol, I've been able to decrease it by 50%. Wow. It's pretty incredible. But I do see the warning label and I have read the insert. I just ignore it. I just think what, whatever. It was you, Lindsay, that really made me think about this topic because you brought it up in your episode. And I never thought about it, but then I think about it. I personally am not on that kind of medication, but I have girlfriends that are Yeah. And drink pretty heavily. That's right. So it was concerning to me when you were talking about how you blacked out and she, every time those two things are probably directly correlated. A hundred percent. What really concerns me is all the young girls, when I think about my daughter's, almost 14, she's gonna be a teenager soon. Then she's gonna be going off to college or university. And I think about those young girls, a lot of them being on these types of medications and drinking or binge drinking in college and university and leaving themselves vulnerable to God knows what, if they're blacking out or passing out, and making themselves really vulnerable to some really not good situations. Hundred percent.

Kelly: 6:21

Thinking if they only drink, two or three beers, that they're gonna be okay. But really, if they're taking medication, it could be. Yeah. That's the thing. And there's a few different ways that alcohol and medications interact. So first of all, when you are drinking alcohol with medication, it can actually make your medication less effective. Another way is it can actually make your medication toxic to your body. Sorry, Lynn, are you talking about anxiety medication or like medications in general?

Lindsey: 6:52

Just medications in general. Yeah. And then we can go into the different categories and there are some things that are written about, generalizations about how alcohol and some types of medications interact. When you mix alcohol and some medications, it can actually make the side effects from medications worse. And then it can cause new symptoms and make you feel ill. And the last way here is it can make you actually feel more tipsy from the alcohol. And I've experienced that with anti-anxiety medication. I've experienced the blocking out the way more tipsy, increased drowsiness. It can be, yeah. Really scary.

Tracey: 7:38

I had mentioned to you guys about my dad. Who was an alcoholic and that how when his drinking really increased and became a problem was when his doctor prescribed him anti-anxiety medication. No doubt he was having anxiety, probably partially due to the amount he was drinking. And then, he goes to the doctor, gets his prescription for anti-anxiety medication. Between the medication and the alcohol, he got to a point where, With the two mixing. He didn't know how much medication he was taking or how much booze he was drinking. Wow. So when he went to rehab, and that was his first stint in rehab? The rehab clinic actually said that he would have a harder time coming off the anti-anxiety medication based on how much he was taking. That it was way more addictive than the actual alcohol, and that would be harder for him. And he was also shocked at the amount that he was being prescribed by his doctor based on the fact that his doctor must have had some awareness of his drinking. Whoa. So that was a very eye-opening experience too. And then it just clicked to me when you started telling your story about the medication and the alcohol when you were drinking, but yeah, it's pretty scary. Really scary. Wow. Wow.

Lindsey: 9:00

There's something I read online too. This is really scary. Women have higher blood alcohol levels than men after drinking the same amount of alcohol. And I think I'd have to, I don't know, look this up, but I think that women, there's a higher percentage of women taking anti-anxiety and depression medication Yep. Than men. So if your blood alcohol is high and then there's a good chance that, women are taking these medications man, it's just scary and I don't know what it's doing to the inside of your body. Okay, you can experience, all of these symptoms and heightened side effects and all this kind of stuff, but man, over time that must just

Tracey: 9:48

like, Medication is hard on your liver as it is. Yeah. And so is alcohol. So it's like you're giving your liver alone a double whammy. Like you said, what kind of extra problems could it potentially be creating for you, if it is basically canceling out the effects of your medication. Then it could actually be increasing any of the symptoms or problems you're having, especially anxiety. Yeah. That is pretty scary to think about. You're a good example Lynn, like you said, when you stopped drinking, you actually were able to cut down on your medication.

Lindsey: 10:24

Oh, yeah. It's crazy. So it's almost like we're drinking, we're causing symptoms of anxiety that we're taking the medication for, but then we have to take higher doses of this medication to manage the symptoms caused by drinking, and then it just keeps rinse and repeat.

Tracey: 10:38

It's like a cycle, right? That's same thing happened to my dad. The more he was taking the antianxiety medication, the more he drank and then the more he needed the medication. So crazy. It's like a vicious cycle. And then that kind of goes into what Kelly wanted to talk about with the not putting warning labels on alcohol and just yeah.

Kelly: 10:59

First I just wanna say everybody looks at the depression and anxiety as a chemical imbalance, and you guys are talking about, what this is doing to your body, what alcohol is doing to your body. But the chemical imbalance, it's not in the brain, it's in the gut. So I'll read you something here. Many people think depression and anxiety as a chemical imbalance in the brain, but these chemicals are created in the gut, not the brain. In fact, more than 30 different neurotransmitters and nearly 90% of your body, serotonin, the feelgood hormone come from your gut. So what you're digesting, medication, food, alcohol. That's affecting your brain chemistry. What we think of as a chemical imbalance that we need to take a pill for. What if we, we talked about in the last episode about being in nature. That changes your chemistry. The food that you eat changes your chemistry. Obviously the alcohol is completely destroying our guts. But a hundred percent. That's something important to me to mention on this episode because I think I'm really committed to helping people feel empowered. And we talked even at the beginning of before we started recording here about do people even read all the papers that come, drugs, so that's so disempowering just to start putting something in your body and you don't even know anything about it. Knowing how this happens. Like how do I get anxiety, how do I get depression? It's what you're consuming, in your energy field and what you're ingesting in your body. It could, make a world of difference if you just made those changes instead of, obviously drinking and even this medication that everybody's taking, so there's other options that you wanted me to read this other post? Just to finish that there, Kel, I was gonna say, if not anything else bringing up this subject. Hopefully people start to look at those labels, start to read those pamphlets. Yes. Like we said, we're not the experts, but maybe this is bringing some sort of awareness to make people a little more conscientious about. Exactly what you said, what they're putting in their body and making sure that what they are taking, they're not mixing with things that they shouldn't be. That includes food

Lindsey: 13:17

Yeah. And that's take ownership too, like advocate for your own self. Don't just rely on your doctor. No.

Kelly: 13:25

Thank you for saying that.

Lindsey: 13:26

Yeah okay. Yeah. There's a time and place for medicine. There's a lot of things and a lot of advances and it's really helpful to people, but also there's some new things coming out. That the whole chemical imbalance thing isn't even a thing. Drug companies need to sell you on the chemical imbalance. Yeah, I was gonna say, speak of that. Don't forget this, if they sell medications, right?

Kelly: 13:50

This is about money. It's my business. Every time your doctor gets that little pad out, they're making more money. Just remember that. But I love what you said. That's what I was leading into Kel. Yeah. That's what I was gonna lead into because it led into your topic when I was Yeah. Saying Now you know, you should. Talk about the posts that you saw, because I think those two things are connected. It's about the big giants making the money, right? Yeah.

Lindsey: 14:16

Yeah. Big. Not to say throw them away. If you're taking medication, don't just stop taking it. Don't down the toilet, but that's right.

Kelly: 14:25

Do some mood and trust your gut. Your gut, like your intuition. We talk about our intuition all the time on this podcast, which I love, but trust your intuition, what's best for you? Don't blindly trust somebody just because they went to school and they believe in medicine. There's bingo, so many other things that change your chemistry. Aw, yeah. Okay, so I love this guy. This James Swanwick is his name, and he's just putting out all these real truth bombs on Instagram lately, and keeps them really simple and he's just a good one to follow, I think. But he says alcohol companies are involved in a multi-billion dollar coverup, fighting to keep cancer warnings off its labels. They don't want drinking to become the new smoking as the number of cigarette smokers has plummeted in recent decades. Did you know that cigarette ads used to say things like, more doctors smoke camels than any other cigarette? As crazy as that seems today, we get bombarded with the message that alcohol is relaxing and that in moderation it might even be good for you. This is clearly untrue as recent studies indicate even one seemingly innocent drink a day can cause brain degeneration. So that would be like a dream come true for me. Yes. To see those labels of Yeah. Show a brain, like what did we see? And I did still smoke when they came out with those labels. I hated seeing them. The lungs and all black lungs what if the bottle of wine like that I used to think looked so classy, I loved like looking at the labels and stuff like that. What if it had a big old picture of a brain that was deteriorating or somebody in a hospital bed dying of cancer or alcohol abuse? I know somebody that died from alcohol that was 45 years old.

Lindsey: 16:15

That should have never happened ever. So what do you guys think? Do you think we'll ever see these labels? I think so. I really think, we'll, I think it's gonna be a fight. I think we're still, it's gonna be years, I think. I don't think it's something that's gonna happen overnight, but I really do think that we will see them and they should be there. It's crazy. It's crazy that they're not,

Kelly: 16:37

It's still, it's a lot of money. There's a lot of money in that big alcohol. We've said that's pretty much the beginning of the podcast, that we felt like alcohol was gonna become the next cigarettes. We said that it's trending that way. We're starting to become more and more aware of the effects it has on your brain and on your body, and how it doesn't have any health benefits and it's really a poison. So as People still smoke, right? Absolutely. And there's these absolutely warnings only, He's saying that the number of smokers have decreased? Yes. The alcohol companies are fighting this because the number of people that are drinking will eventually decrease of course, too. And then there's a huge financial loss for the alcohol companies.

Tracey: 17:17

But I think it, it will be the same. Thing as cigarettes. Eventually I'm sure it didn't happen overnight with cigarettes either getting those labels out there. So it won't happen overnight with alcohol. But I think we'll get there. I think we'll get to a point where they don't have a choice, that the evidence will be too strong against it and they'll have to do it. And then, yeah, then it's gonna come down to the same as a smoker. It's gonna be your choice, right? Those risks, if you wanna take them, you'll keep drinking. If you don't, then you won't. Yeah. Yeah. I guess I just still find it surprising with all the new studies that are out there and, there's no safe amount of alcohol. Seeing people that are health conscious still. Posting pictures of their booze or still drinking regularly. It surprises me. Yeah. But I think that people are still just in denial. I think they don't want to believe that. I've tried to have these conversations with people. Just in passing cuz I don't wanna preach and I'm not judging just to, bring awareness because I've learned so much since I quit drinking. And I've just try to share some of that knowledge sometimes and it's like people tune out or they don't wanna listen or they think, oh yeah, but like one or two here and there is not a big deal. They still wanna go with that or believe that because, but

Kelly: 18:39

it's gotta eat away at you. Because I remember, when I realized, so I realized I had gout in June. So that was June, 2017. I'm laughing, but it's not funny because it's always embarrassing for me to say that. But anyway so I was in denial, but only until February. Seven months, but it was that once I know something, I can't unknow it. Once I knew that was starting to make my health deteriorate. That ate away at me and I always had taken my health seriously. So that's why I say I'm surprised to see the health conscious people. Yeah. Because some people don't care. They're like, everything in moderation. You're gonna die one day Yolo, whatever. Yeah. Which is amazing. It's not, I don't think it's fine. I wish everybody had a healthy, happy, long life, but, it's the health conscious people still, posting the pictures and binge drinking on the weekends. It still surprises me.

Tracey: 19:33

Yeah. There's still yoga studios and stuff like that. Offering, serving it alcohol. Yeah.

Lindsey: 19:38

Yoga and wine events, or, I

Kelly: 19:40

love sending the message. I send the messages, I send them happy, friendly messages sending with love. Yeah. But good for you. It's a total that's the word. It's escaping me right now. Contradiction. It is, yeah. Yeah. Crazy. Yeah. That's what I was saying earlier too, about taking antibiotics and drinking.

Lindsey: 20:02

Even things like pain medication. How many people have taken Advil or Motrin, Naproxen, which is Alieve, right? Or Tylenol Acetaminophen. So if you're taking like Advil and you're consuming alcohol, the combination can increase your risk of stomach ulcers and stomach bleeding, right? And with Tylenol. Tylenol is actually processed through your liver. So when you drink alcohol and you're taking Tylenol, we should never take those two together. I've actually seen people take Tylenol and wash it down with wine, so they don't, but

Kelly: 20:41

that could cause and that could cause liver damage. Do all that shit. Yeah. Cause liver damage. All of them. I used to take Naproxin almost every day. I took Naproxin cuz Tylenol wasn't enough for me. My hangovers were so bad. Headaches were so bad. Yeah. But yeah and Pepto, like all that shit, every day, every

Lindsey: 21:01

Opioids and alcohol are not it's a bad combination. And there's a lot of people who are. Taking opioids, whether they're prescription or not, and drinking alcohol, right? It's not,

Tracey: 21:13

but it goes back to that vicious addiction cycle, and then one just perpetuates the other. We've had a couple guests that talked about, doing cocaine and drinking. Yes. Because crazy, then they could drink more, right? Yeah. And a lot of people do. They take those other drugs to straighten themselves out, even plot. Even mixing pot and alcohol. Yeah. It's not good. Some people utilize that to straighten themselves out or ha have it so that the alcohol doesn't affect them as much, or so they can drink more. How many people are taking sleeping pills? Or is another scary thing too. And those people are also drinking alcohol, sleeping pills and anxiety medications. So like ambient Xanax. Ativan. Lorazepam. But those things, when you put them together are a complete contradiction. Of course they are like, it's like we're taking antidepressants, but then we're taking a depressant alcohol. I know. I guess people just don't think about it as a depressant. They see all the messages we get and they're like, oh yeah, that's just like what we do. We just, it's Friday night. Nobody's thinking it's gonna make them depressed or anxious the next day. No cuz you're right. It goes back to the messaging, Kel goes back to the messaging that we're getting. That, it's, oh, it's a reward. Oh, it helps stress. Oh, it helps you, right? All this stuff. Oh, there's health benefits. No. None of those all

Kelly: 22:39

brutal. Yeah. Yeah. And then there's the antidepressant medication and the antipsychotic medication, right? Amitriptyline is a very common antidepressant. And when you drink alcohol with amitriptyline can lead to extreme dizziness and it's documented. Blackouts, that's can be a side effect of mixing alcohol with that medication. Or if you're taking something like Zoloft and you drink alcohol, it's documented that you'll have worsened feelings of depression. Oh my gosh. Which is where you're taking the medication for depression in the first place, right? Yeah. So some of the other side effects of mixing medication like that and alcohol is drowsiness, dizziness. Problems with movement, liver damage, and just serious heart effects. It's crazy scary.

Tracey: 23:35

Yeah. And it makes me wonder or think, I know, know, is this actually what these big pharmaceutical and alcohol companies are doing? Are they, it's almost like They're collaborating, they're working together. Yes. Yeah. To create. Yeah. And sell more of this stuff. Yeah, like almost hand in hand.

Lindsey: 23:55

Oh man. Even A D H D A D H D is a huge thing. It's a huge hot topic right now and I know there are people taking a D H D medications, two that are well known, or Adderall and Ritalin, but mixing these medications. It's the same poor concentration. If you have ADHD and you're taking a medication for adhd. And you're mixing it with alcohol. One of the side effects is poor concentration. But what, like that's why you're taking the medication. Dizziness, drowsiness. Like a never ending cycle. I know. Oh, it's, people take Adderall to party. That's other,

Kelly: 24:28

yeah. There's a reason why we're so have no attention span. And my attention span is small, but it's look at what we're. Spending our time doing yeah. The reels and the tos and stuff like that. That's what's causing all this. Nobody's just sitting with themselves and breathing and, or just being with the person next to the constant stimulation. Constant, yeah. Constant stimulation. Yeah.

Tracey: 24:50

And that instant gratification, the dopamine hit.

Kelly: 24:53

Yes. Yeah. Yes. Yeah. So I think we did this on another episode with the natural dopamine. And stuff like that. That's that self-empowering thing too. Is finding the substitutions or finding out why, why am I like this? Why am I depressed? Why do I have anxiety? I am a huge advocate on therapy. Huge. There's a root, there's a root problem. It a prescription doesn't. Solve that. Yeah. A bottle of wine doesn't solve that. If there's a root problem that you can heal and it can be healed forever. Love.

Tracey: 25:26

I wanna throw something else that I heard on a podcast today, from someone that was a former addict and they were talking about going back to societal stereotypes and how we're raised to believe these certain things. And these stigmas for females versus males. And they're talking about, when men grow up and they're told right away, they're not allowed to cry. It's not acceptable for them to cry, and girls aren't allowed to say no to everything, right? They're breed to be these people pleasers. And they were talking about how when, girls are young, We're free spirits, we're like speaking our mind. We're farting and burping just like boys are. And then all of a sudden we get to adolescents and then those things aren't accepted anymore and aren't proper. So then we have to, basically suppress ourselves. And the message was, and I thought about this and I wrote something down about it, if we're never allowed to be, seen as whole. Then there'll always parts of ourselves we're trying to fill, and that's where addiction is born.

Kelly: 26:37

Ugh, Tracy. Okay, say that again. If we're never, if we're never allowed to be whole, then they'll always be parts of ourselves that we are trying to fill. And that's where addiction is born. Oh my God, that really speaks to me. Wow. Yeah. Yeah. That's really good. What podcast was that? It was actually, did you guys ever listen to Armchair Expert? Yeah. Yeah.

Lindsey: 27:08

So it was Jane, she,

Tracey: 27:11

Jane guest and that's what she, I actually, I will send it to you guys. I highly recommend that episode. She is amazing. She is. Doesn't she quit drinking just recently? She wasn't speaking to drinking, she was talking about her eating disorder actually. And Wow. Then, Dax Shepherd is a recovering addict too. But yeah, she is like an inspiration for women. Oh yeah. I think I would send that episode to any woman out there. Okay. I'm gonna listen to She's a very inspiring woman. Yeah. That's amazing.

Lindsey: 27:44

Yeah. So I thought that

Kelly: 27:45

was so true. Yeah, that's really good. Good. Yeah. Get to the root. And that's, yeah. That's what I saw when, in 2020 when I read Glennon Doyle Untamed. I'm like, that's exactly what I saw. I'm like, holy shit. The theme of my childhood was suppression, and that's exactly what my story is. Yeah. Thanks for reading that. That's the thing. We're not getting to the root instead of getting to the root. It's no different than okay, so you're trying to solve it with alcohol. It's same with the prescription medication, right? It's here's just another band-aid solution. Oh, you feel this way? Just take this drug and you won't feel it anymore. So people get really triggered by stuff like this, that's why I sometimes hesitate to say these things because it Absolutely and not that we're encouraging, like Lindsay had mentioned earlier, just throwing your medication, there's people that legitimately need it. Absolutely. For sure. For sure. We're not undermining that, but, have you looked at other options? Exactly, yeah. Other ways. And the root, have you gotten to the root? That's exactly what I was gonna get at. It's like you can't just take a pill and I think that's what us as a society, we're like, all we do is we go to a doctor if we're feeling sad or anxious, or if we have blood pressure problems or diabetes, you go to the doctor and they give you the medication. And that's it. But it's no. Yeah. And then you're on it for life. For life. And I saw this Me too. So every prescription drug has a side effect. Yeah. And every side effect is treatable with a prescription drug.

Lindsey: 29:21

Yeah. But it's like you've gotta do. Some work there, with your health, you've gotta take accountability. Try some therapy, try some breath work, try some exercise, try getting outside in the sun, and try, not drinking alcohol and you may be able to reduce your medicine, monitored by a doctor, right? That's how many people have taken antibiotics and had drinks while they were on antibiotics? I know I have. And that's a huge no-no. Some antibiotics already come with side effects of nausea, vomiting, diarrhea. But then, Alcohol can worsen those effects, but it can also lead to heart problems and liver damage when you're taking those things. I remember in my drinking days, when I met my ex for the first time, calling a friend, being like, I'm on antibiotics for strep throat and they wanna go for drinks. What do you think? Do you think I can have alcohol? And she's yeah, it's fine. Holy cow. No, it's not fine. It's not fine. Then you just go, you don't wanna be doing the cycle of going back on antibiotics over and over again. So crazy. Wow. Even blood pressure medication, there's lots of people taking blood pressure medication, drinking alcohol. Guess what it does to your blood pressure? It raises it. But you're taking a blood pressure medication to lower your high blood pressure.

Tracey: 30:39

And in saying that, Lynn, I think I could say my brother was able to get off his blood pressure medication when he stopped drinking. Wow. That's yeah, like you were saying, Lynn, I think one of the things to note is not to say get off your medication, but you That's right. Could, if you deal with certain things or try certain alternatives, you could definitely maybe reduce it. That's right. So and two. Is your doctor asking you the right questions or are they just writing you a prescription? Yes. If you are going to your doctor and you have a good doctor, they shouldn't just write you a prescription. The second you say you're having anxiety or depression. Yes. They should be asking a lot of thorough questions to really qualify you to be on that medication. And if they're not and they're just scribbling on their prescription pad, then you might wanna think about getting a new doctor too. Because they're just filling the pockets of the big pharma companies. Yes.

Kelly: 31:36

Yeah. And they're just trained to treat one thing at a time, right? The first time I went to a naturopath, my kids were young, so I was probably like in my early thirties and I was really struggling with anxiety and I had gone to my doctor and my doctor wanted to write a prescription and I was like, ah, let me see what else I could do. And I went to a naturopath and the first thing she asked me was, What's your sleep like? What do you eat and how much do you exercise? Oh, I was like, yes. Those are the questions that need to be asked. And it's just a different way of treating people, right? Treating patients medical. Yeah. Doctors, that's what they believe in. They believe in medicine and naturopath. That's natural. That's whole health. That's your whole body. What's going on with the whole system. Yeah, for sure. That was a big eye opener for me, seeing the difference in that. Wow. Yeah,

Lindsey: 32:24

I think it should be both, there's a time and place for everything. I don't think you should be walking around with strep throat being like, I'm gonna cure it with honey and these herbs. I'm like, no, you're probably not. I think you

Kelly: 32:34

need some oregano. You can trust me. Oil of oregano. I haven't taken antibiotics for a long time since I was a kid and I'm allergic to penicillin now, because I took so much of it when I was a child. So it's not the answer to everything, but yeah, oil of oregano is an amazing, natural antibiotic. But we're lucky. We're lucky to live in a country. We're lucky to live in a time Yes. Where we have access to all of this stuff. And. Yeah, empower yourself. Look at all of it. There isn't just one answer to everything,

Tracey: 33:05

We're bred in society now, to have those quick fixes. It goes back to the instant gratification, people don't wanna put the work or energy into sometimes looking deeper or looking into different alternative medicines. Because they just want that instant relief, it's no different than slugging back a couple drinks to just instantly have whatever you're trying to cope with go away.

Lindsey: 33:33

I think it can be both too. Somebody who's walking around with a blood sugar of 20 and is, not maybe making the right healthy eating habit choices. Exercise choices, I think, you have to get your blood sugar down and you gotta make it happen like, Fast. So to give somebody something like metformin, which is what a lot of diabetes patients are taking to decrease your blood sugar, but while you're working on your lifestyle. Because at some point you may be able to just stop taking that medication cuz you don't even need it. You needed to get your lifestyle in check. But mixing alcohol and metformin. Is a huge no-no. There are a lot of people with diabetes taking this medication that are drinking alcohol. I know a few people and it's you shouldn't be doing that.

Tracey: 34:20

Alcohol is very high in sugar, so if you're diabetic, I was just gonna say that one, you shouldn't be drinking anyways, and I would think your doctor would tell you that one. I have that conversation. Hopefully. Yeah. Yeah.

Lindsey: 34:34

There's one other medication here. Blood thinners warfarin is a common one. I know when I was practicing in clinical dental hygiene, there were a lot of patients taking warfarin who also talked to me about how much they love red wine, and it's oh geez, like alcohol's a blood thinner. But guess what? So is the medication you're taking. So that's really dangerous. Really dangerous. Not good. Yeah. What else do we have here? Oh, over the counter cold and flu medications. Not good to drink with those. Oh my God. NyQuil i can't take nyQuil by itself. oh my God. We had another guest talking about how they drank nl.

Kelly: 35:12

I would drink NyQuil if I didn't drink that night. If I had a night off or You were saying that's to help me asleep. Yeah, that's how I would fall asleep. Wow.

Lindsey: 35:20

Wow. Oh my gosh.

Kelly: 35:22

High in alcohol. Yeah. That's crazy. I think it's important girls that we chatted about this and like I said is really good. Yeah, I

Lindsey: 35:31

think this was a really good topic. I know we were a little bit nervous because I feel the same way. Okay, we're not experts. We don't want people flushing their meds down the toilet being like, LAF life told me to do this. But I think we have, but we have to like as women too. It's the three of us girls on the convo today, on the pod, that's what this podcast is about, bringing awareness to topics like this that might be a little bit touchy or controversial, but it's no, we have to talk about it. Like I've, I've lived it, right? I've been the girl taking medication and drinking. Oh yeah. And that's, yeah, and nobody's judging. None of us are judging anybody else. It's still on that path and still, yeah. No, you have to, whatever's happening. You have to make decisions that are best for you at the end of the day. Yeah. And if, being on medication, I know there are people that feel strongly about that or it's changed their lives. If that's working for you, how about, or at the end of the day, everybody has to do what works best for them, what makes them happy and what makes them feel at peace within themselves but we are just throwing out there that there are other ways to, or if you're concerned or you're thinking about these things, that definitely, don't be afraid to dig a little deeper or look at alternatives or look at your options. Mix it up. Yeah. Trust your intuition. Yes. I love that. Absolutely. Just know. Just be aware that's all this is about is if you're taking medication and you are drinking, just be aware of the interactions that can happen from consuming those two things together, right? Yeah,

Kelly: 37:06

education. Just because your doctor's not asking your doctor's not asking about alcohol and things like that. Doesn't mean it's not important. And that something, oh, bad could happen. And you know what? Sometimes the pharmacist is a good resource too. If something doesn't come up at the doctor and you're picking up your prescription, asking the pharmacist what if I drank alcohol while taking this? Such a be to tell you too? Yeah. Yeah. Very good point, Kel. Ask questions. Never be afraid to ask questions. It's your body. Be curious, right? Yes. Be curious about everything. Yeah. Yeah.

Tracey: 37:38

And at the end of the day, we're all responsible for our own health, yes. Regardless of whether you're seeing an expert or not, once you walk out that door, you're responsible for your health. If you are concerned about something or something doesn't feel right or off, then ask the questions. For sure. Love that.

Lindsey: 37:55

All right. Thanks everybody for tuning in today, so appreciate your support and if you think a friend or somebody that you know could benefit from listening, please share the episode. Give us a five star rating that would really help us out. And yeah, we'd love to hear from you. So if you have anything that you wanna share with us, you can reach us. On our Instagram at LAF Life Podcast on Facebook in our support group, LAF Life and until next time, keep laughing. Goodnight. Bye guys. Thank you. Bye. Read your medication leaflets.

Kelly: 38:35

Thank you for listening. Please give us a five star rating like and subscribe, share on social media and tell your friends. We love getting your feedback and ideas of what you'd like to hear on upcoming episodes of the laugh life podcast. If you yourself are living alcohol free and want to share your story here, please reach out.