Antidepressant effect of alcohol, headache an depression?

I was diagnosed as Bipolar II. I've tried a lot of different antidepressants but there is nothing working better for me than alcohol. I am not an alcoholic and I contol my drinking knowing it is not the way. I drink once a week four, five light beers, but they can work wonders the day I am drinking and the next day. There is no antidepresant or mood stabilizer that could made me feel so normal like alcohol, why???? I am so frustrated. Also, when I am depressed and anxious I have a preassure headache in my right eye, my eyes feel heavy and I blink a lot, I've checked with eye doctor, everything is fine. When I feel better, my eyes feel fine, is that normal?

I was diagnosed with Bipolar several years ago and I can truly tell you that while alcohol seems to work now, it won't for long. I know it is frustrating and you feel like your never going to feel like yourself again but you will. As for the symptoms of headaches and eye twitches those are common side effects of many different anti-depressants that will subside in time if u are on the right meds. Please make sure you also receive cognitive therapy not just antidepressents. Cognitive therapy can be a psychiatrist, a psychologist, a counsellor or even group therapy where you can talk about ur issues with ppl who know what ur going through. Good Luck, I know u will succeed

There is nothing wrong with an alcoholic beverage to help you to deal with life's anxieties. You are to be commended that you have control of it. The Bible doesn't condemn drinking like so many people think. What you are doing may be safer than pills. We are dealing with problems today that man should never have known. God never intended for the world to be like this. He is about to change things very soon.

1TIMOTHY 5:23 23聽Do not drink water any longer, but use a little wine for the sake of your stomach and your frequent cases of sickness.

2TIMOTHY 3:16-17 .聽.聽.All Scripture is inspired of God and beneficial for teaching, for reproving, for setting things straight, for disciplining in righteousness, 17聽that the man of God may be fully competent, completely equipped for every good work.

Sounds like you could benefit from a personal Bible study. The solution to all you problems can be found in the Bible. Not in church, (the churches have their own problems), but in the Bible.
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Stop drinking and wait a few weeks, the anti depressants will start working.

Alcohol is a depressant. Combining it with an anti depressant reeks of a bad idea.

I don't GET anti depressants so I drink sometimes. If i did I wouldnt dream of it.

I know that eye problem. Blink really hard repeatedly it may help.It is a pain to get rid of it though.
Alcohol is a depressant i.e it slows your brain and body down. It might feel good now but with bipolar disorder the worst thing to do it mess with the delicate balance of brain chemicals. It won't always be controlled- my best friend turned to it the same way that you did.
I know you have heard this so many times but... bipolar will define you if you let it and so will alcohol. let the psychiatrists do their thing, they will find the right med dosage in the end. Good luck
aint gonna work,cuz docs only know antidepressant route,common foods are sometimes the cause,,,,take a look at a nice cozy country diner menu and you'll likely find one or more food,chemical ,or preservatives that cause/aggravate your problem,,,,white coffee filters treated with chlorine,,,bleached flour for apple pie crust,,sodium benzoate in whipped cream,chicken treated with antibiotics and growth hormones,,,,diet that may help depression would likely eliminate most of this stuff,,might be one or 2 tyramine containing foods that make you feel a lot worse,,,,,,finding out which one is something your doc doesn't wanna be bothered with,,you have to write down a 2 week diet history,noting food contents,how prepared,serving size,time.after completed choose monday as arbitrary start day,go on fast for 11 hrs,except for 8 oz mineral water every hour.at end of fast ,have a chunk of food from previous weeks diet,wait 45 minutes,check pulse,heart rate,skin color,write down on paper,try something else,same routine,,,when pulse ,heart rate goes up,,you are likely allergic to that item,,,,,,,docs who do this kind of work i've posted about 60 answers,they also do this work in a clinical setting,and have available iv antifungals,solution of calcium carbonate,and valium to help you transition from feeling horrible to feeling ,well,for awhile,feeling pretty good,docs do something like dr phil treatment,,they draw blood to check for thyroid, pancreas,cbc.sed rate,and others.during fast,they scale back on antidepressants,ask you to fill out health history,previous 2 weeks diet,after which you might take a nap,then start the fast,and allergy skin tests....doc puts you on diet free of all junk foods,dairy,sugar,yeast,and ON a diet of organic whole grain health type stuff,sell you a cook book to show how to cook a 3 or 4 day rotating diet(no same meal may be eaten more frequently than 3 days apart.lotta people feel permanently improved by these methods,but diet must be adhered to,and sublingual drops tailored to your immune system must be taken once or twice a day.these folks are pediatricians,mds,gps,dentists... old fillings are replaced with gold fillings because toxic metals are used to make amalgam fillings,) these docs are called clinical ecologists,credentialed by the american academy of environmental medicine in wichita,,,ringem up on the net for info & referral.these docs can helpya feel better and if you insist,they'll prescribe one of the antidepressants along with the diet changes.the mainstream docs,however ,are one track pill sellers as far as bipolar and other mental illness stuff.ya can't fightem,thay don;t listen,and your insurance company reps probably know more about the new york yankees and last weeks episode of big brother or american idol than work that the aaem does .be sure and tellem(insurance folks) hi for us,they're gonna get replaced someday.
The problem with using alcohol to self-medicate is that it will begin to take larger and larger dosages to have the same effect. And, when you're not drinking, you can experience a rebound effect where your symptoms become worse unless you have alcohol in your system. Today you don't have a problem with drinking, but what's going to happen if you depend on it?

I drank to deal with depression and within 10 years, I was drinking 2 bottles of hard liquor a day and was no longer employable, only adding to the list of why I was depressed.

PS - People who have mental health issues usually do not fare well in AA.