The Story of When I Mixed Alcohol and Stimulants

One of the worst experiences I’ve ever had was the day I accidentally mixed methylphenidate with alcohol.

It was an experience that I would never like to repeat again.

My relationship with alcohol through the years

For as long as I can remember, I’ve never really liked the taste of alcohol; but for a while in my teens and early twenties, I succumbed to peer pressure and drank much more than I am proud of. Luckily, as I reached my late twenties I became much more strong-headed and confident, which meant that I started to drink less and less.

By the time I was diagnosed with narcolepsy at the age of 28, having to radically reduce my alcohol intake wasn’t a challenge at all. However, there are moments in your life when you just want to have fun with your friends and end up returning to old habits.

I thought that it wouldn't hurt to take 1 pill

It was New Year’s Eve, and I had just arrived in London for the first time in 4 years after an 8-hour flight from Angola. To say I was exhausted would be an understatement.

By the time it came time to leave for the much-awaited party, I was almost dead on my feet, but I really didn’t want to disappoint my friends since we had been planning this for months. I thought that it wouldn’t hurt to take just 1 pill to wake me up so I could at least be awake enough to get in the party mood.

I started feeling dizzy and lightheaded

When we got to the party an hour later, I forgot all about the medication I had just taken and went to the bar with my friend. For a while, I felt great. I was wide awake and having fun. Two glasses of wine later, that’s when it happened: I started to feel extremely dizzy and lightheaded.

Maybe it was because I was tired. Maybe it was the fact that it had been a long time since I’d drunk alcohol. Either way, I had never had such a bad reaction so quickly to only 2 glasses of wine.

In trying to avoid ruining the night, I ended it

The only thing I can remember after that is waking up in my friend’s bedroom the next day. I had absolutely no recollection of what happened the night before. My friend filled me in and informed me that I had fainted and they had to call a cab to take me home.

In short, in trying to avoid ruining the night, I managed to end it completely.

I am careful not to mix stimulants with alcohol

I didn’t realise the reason behind my bad reaction until quite a few days later. That’s when I promised myself that I would never mix stimulants and alcohol again.

I had no idea that mixing these 2 things would have that kind of effect on me, but now, knowing what can happen, I am so careful when taking my medication.

Of course, this isn’t to say that this could happen to everyone, because we all react differently to medication — but it’s especially important to remember to never mix stimulants with alcohol.