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Interactions with alcohol, tobacco or other drugs
• It is very important that you follow your doctor’s instructions when taking any medication
that has been prescribed to you.
• Before being prescribed medication, it is important to tell your doctor about your alcohol,
tobacco or other drug use so that they may give you the best possible care. Alcohol,
tobacco and other drugs can interact with some prescription medications, and this
interaction may alter the effectiveness of the medication. Mixing prescribed medications
with alcohol or other drugs can also have dangerous consequences including overdose
and possibly death.
• If you use alcohol, tobacco or other drugs and are on medication, let your doctor know if
you are planning to stop using alcohol, tobacco or other drugs. When you stop drinking,
smoking or using, the blood concentrations of other medications can also be affected.
The doctor may need to adjust the dose of your medication.
Tips for staying well
There are a number of things you can do to look after yourself:
•
Recognise early warning signs.
Warning signs are signals that you may be more
likely to experience an episode of depression or mania. You may recognise that you
are changing in how you think, act or feel. Some common warning signs for depression
include wanting to stay in bed longer or having trouble sleeping, skipping meals or eating
unhealthily, having difficulty concentrating, feeling irritable or stressed, and wanting
to spend a lot of time alone or feeling teary. Early warning signs of mania include not
sleeping well, jumbled or multiplied thoughts, a sense of urgency towards your goals,
feeling very energetic and much more impulsive than usual for you, and feeling agitated
or emotionally out of control. You can learn to identify your warning signs by thinking
about the signs and symptoms you experienced when you became unwell in the past.
•
Take care of yourself.
Make sure you eat healthily and get regular exercise. Symptoms
of depression can lead to stress and anxiety, and exercise can help reduce these by
giving you an outlet for the stress that has built up in your body.
•
Plan to do something you enjoy each day.
This doesn’t have to be big or expensive,
as long as it is enjoyable and provides something to look forward to that will take your
mind off your worries.
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