Hello all. I have a boyfriend with Addison's disease. When we first started dating, he told me a little about the problem, and I read a little on it. He seemed to be living a very normal life. As a matter of fact, he is a very happy, outgoing person. However, this past week, he has been extremely tired no matter how much sleep he gets and seems kind of moody. One thing he does that I am trying to change, but it probably won't be successful, is he drinks alcohol...a lot. He isn't necessarily an alcoholic per se, but he generally has to have at least two drinks a day and when the weekend comes, he lives it up. He also sometimes forgets to take his medications.

Being a young person with fibromyalgia such as myself, I understand being young and wanting to have fun and not taking a bunch of pills just so that I can "be normal", but I realize I can do some things in moderation and recognize when I need to hold off.

My questions are...How does alcohol affect people with Addison's and what should I do about the situation. I want to be there for him, because I need my significant other there for me, but how do you help/change a person who seems like he doesn't want to change?

Help

Anna

Anna, Wow....I am surprised many people haven't replied to you already. Your boyfriend is playing Russian roulette with his life. First of all he has to take his medication every day & at the same times of day. I would be interested to know what he takes, how he splits it & what times of day. What has he done differently this week that could have caused him to be more tired? How long has he had addisons? Has his thyroid been checked? Does he have an emergency kit with the shot to give himself in case of a crisis? People around him should know how to do it also.

If a person has to drink every day & drinks allot on the weekend I would say they are an alcoholic. This doesn't go well with addisons. He is probably very dehydrated from not drinking as much water as alcohol. I have a drink about twice a month & drink a large glass of water with it or after it. Being dehydrated is very dangerous for us. He needs to drink water instead of all the alcoholic. Most of us drink "many" glasses of water a day.

You might tell him he could die in an instant if he doesn't take good care of himself.

Wishing you both well,
Wanda :)

Thanks for replying Wanda. I was actually getting frustrated that nobody answered. So, I didn't return to this site for a while.

I'm really not sure what his dose of medication is. I just know that he needs to take it at least 2 times a day and I know that he never takes it at the same time. I, and several of his friends have talked to him about the alcohol problem and it just makes things worse. I have done a lot of reading on alcoholism and am thinking that I will make a deal with him. I think I will tell him that I won't complain as long as he drinks the recommended water for every drink he has. Hopefully, he will get too full to have more alcohol. Though, I don't know how well that will work.

If you or anybody else has any suggestions, I will be happy to try them.

Thanks
Anna

Anna, Any chance he would read addisons info on the net. There is allot available & he needs to know how serious it is to not care for himself properly. Alcohol is dehydrating to anyone, but for us it is dangerous because dehydration can cause a crisis, coma & possible death if not treated. Our blood pressure can drop suddenly when a crisis occurs.

You cannot change him. He will have to do it. If you plan to continue seeing him you should know what meds he takes, how much & when. Is he wearing a MedicAlert bracelet?

Have you searched for other forums so you can talk to more people?

Wanda