Why can't I drink?
Since I was diagnosed with Trigeminal Neuralgia and have been
taking tegretol I can't drink very much without getting drunk. My
wife thinks I'm an alcoholic and I'm not. I drink in moderation,
but I do drink. Yesterday, while socializing with friends, I had
two screwdrivers and a martini and passed out [NOT falling down
drunk but drunk nevertheless and by early evening I was
unconscious until early the next morning]. Before going on
tegretol I could have had twice that to drink and just felt good.
So what is going on?
The tegretol also affects my speech and I forget things. The
other day I forgot which side of the road to drive on. One day I
couldn't remember my wife's name for a few minutes [and we've
been married 37 years].
If I don't take the medication I get the attacks. I tried to stop
taking it last week and skipped it in the morning and at noon and
by evening I had the first 1 minute [very painful] attack since I
went on the medication---so obviously I can't stop taking it.
-Hank-
