# can you drink while on antidepressants?



## lostdude42 (Mar 30, 2011)

like get drunk or is that dangerous


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## Himi Jendrix (Mar 24, 2010)

You sure can. You might get more drunk than usual. 

Also alcohol basically washes out the SSRI so you experience both alcohol and SSRi withdrawal the next morning. It sucks but if you have benzo's its bearable. 

If you must drink then I recommend a long half life SSRI so that hangover isnt too bad. Alcohol essentially binds to SSRI and you pee most of it out.


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## barry1685 (May 25, 2011)

Himi Jendrix said:


> You sure can. You might get more drunk than usual.
> 
> Also alcohol basically washes out the SSRI so you experience both alcohol and SSRi withdrawal the next morning. It sucks but if you have benzo's its bearable.
> 
> If you must drink then I recommend a long half life SSRI so that hangover isnt too bad. Alcohol essentially binds to SSRI and you pee most of it out.


Could you take your pill before you pass out lol?


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## Himi Jendrix (Mar 24, 2010)

barry1685 said:


> Could you take your pill before you pass out lol?


It would still wash it out. What you can do is take a multivitamin or B-complex vitamin and this should eliminate most withdrawal by replenishing the vitamins that alcohol takes out of you.

Also if I take an SSRI before sleep it makes me dream weird. I dont like it so i take in in mornings.


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## lostdude42 (Mar 30, 2011)

what if you miss your first pill in the morning by a few hours every now and then? Is there side effects


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## F1X3R (Jul 20, 2009)

No, if you miss a pill here or there it won't matter. After a few days, stopping them without weaning yourself off will probably lead to side effects like mood swings. I went cold turkey once and I couldn't believe how easily I was angered.


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## Xande (Jul 18, 2011)

Everyone is affected differently. I can drink a few drinks (like 2-3) and be fine. Anything more than that especially in the 5-6 drink range, then I'm more prone to blacking out, although sometimes I'm fine haha.


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## Nogy (Feb 13, 2011)

Like xande said, it seems to effect everyone differently. Im on paxil and alcohol effects me no differently than it always has...i can get drunk and have no problems. And i definately don't go through ssri withdrawal the next morning like someone mentioned would happen


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## swim (Apr 4, 2011)

SSRIs are the worst for boozing, the day after you get really really sick and don't want to eat a thing as opposed to SNRIs which don't seem to boost your hangover.


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## DK3 (Sep 21, 2011)

lostdude42 said:


> like get drunk or is that dangerous


It's not usually dangerous from an interaction point of view, but it's not recommended to drink to excess because it can make some anti-depressants less effective or complicate treatment..

Alcohol is a depressant (doesn't mean it makes you depressed, it's a term used to describe its mode of action on the brain) so if you drink to excess and regularly, it can make your depression/anxiety symptoms worse when you're sober.

Then you won't know whether the drug is ineffective or it's because of the drinking. It just complicates treating depression or anxiety so doctors only recommend you normally drink in moderation or avoid alcohol at altogether if you can, at least until the med has had time to work properly.


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## CD700 (Apr 22, 2010)

I black out and do crazy stuff when I mix the two


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## AussiePea (Mar 27, 2007)

Never had an issue with alcohol and SSRI's, but might be different for you.


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## euphoria (Jan 21, 2009)

You might get drunk a bit more easily, but there's no major interaction. Alcohol has, however, always knocked out SSRIs' effects for precisely 2 days when I've been drinking.


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## Himi Jendrix (Mar 24, 2010)

Nogy said:


> Like xande said, it seems to effect everyone differently. Im on paxil and alcohol effects me no differently than it always has...i can get drunk and have no problems. And i definately don't go through ssri withdrawal the next morning like someone mentioned would happen


Well, your full of crap bud. I have seen the effects with my own two eyes. And I have also felt the effect.

Alcohol washes out SSRIs. It binds to the compound and you pee it out.


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## swim (Apr 4, 2011)

opinion is divided


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## Nogy (Feb 13, 2011)

Himi Jendrix said:


> Well, your full of crap bud. I have seen the effects with my own two eyes. And I have also felt the effect.
> 
> Alcohol washes out SSRIs. It binds to the compound and you pee it out.


Im just stating what happens to me in my experience...i've no reason to lie. If you don't believe me, thats fine. But i've been on paxil for 2 years and i've been drunk 100 times or more since then. And i've also withdrew from paxil cold turkey before. And the day after drinking is nothing like withdrawing.


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## Dpbthgt (Jul 14, 2011)

Now that I'm on Paxil alcohol isn't nearly as fun. I think it's because I feel so much better normally than I did before. Alcohol used to make me feel so happy and social. Now when I drink I just get all the negative effects.


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## Resonance (Feb 11, 2010)

Sure you can but you may get totally wasted after drinking only a small amount and then get arrested.

...Not that happened to me or anything...:roll


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## euphoria (Jan 21, 2009)

Himi Jendrix said:


> Alcohol washes out SSRIs. It binds to the compound and you pee it out.


I've felt the loss of SSRI efficacy after drinking, but what's your source for "binding to the compound"? Or do you just mean the fact that alcohol's a diuretic and will increase urination, which I assume would dilute the med concentrations after you rehydrate.

The alcohol-SSRI "washing out" could have something to do with tryptophan metabolism,



> Examined the effects of acute ethanol consumption by normal male volunteers on tryptophan (TR) availability to the brain and related aspects of TR metabolism and disposition. 32 Ss (aged 22-35 yrs), who had fasted overnight, were administered ethanol. Their blood ethanol concentration was assessed before and after ethanol administration. Results show that acute ethanol consumption lowered circulating TR concentration and availability to the brain. This decrease in TR concentration was not associated with altered binding to albumin and may therefore be due to enhancement of hepatic TR pyrrolase activity. It is suggested that, under these conditions brain serotonin synthesis is likely to be impaired, and as a result, a possible depletion of brain serotonin in susceptible individuals may induce aggressive behavior after alcohol consumption. Implications for alcohol-induced aggressive behavior and depression are discussed.
> 
> doi: 10.1055/s-2007-979626


I also noticed that after drinking only 2 pints of beer during MAOI withdrawal, the next day I felt absolutely dire, as if the withdrawal was doubled.


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## GSH (Jul 16, 2009)

You can but look for a hell of a hangover.

Paxil is awesome to drink on but its one hell of a hangover the next day.



euphoria said:


> You might get drunk a bit more easily, but there's no major interaction. Alcohol has, however, always knocked out SSRIs' effects for precisely 2 days when I've been drinking.


Took me a little longer to feel normal (2-3days)afterwards guess it depends on how much you drink


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## Xande (Jul 18, 2011)

Nogy said:


> Im just stating what happens to me in my experience...i've no reason to lie. If you don't believe me, thats fine. But i've been on paxil for 2 years and i've been drunk 100 times or more since then. And i've also withdrew from paxil cold turkey before. And the day after drinking is nothing like withdrawing.


*Yup, although I'm more prone to blacking, I never experienced any decrease in the anti-depressant effects of Lexapro. Nor have I ever gotten a bad hangover. Just feel thirsty and a tired next day. Worst hangover I ever had was when when I drank on anti-biotics, that effin sucked haha. *



Resonance said:


> Sure you can but you may get totally wasted after drinking only a small amount and then get arrested.
> 
> ...Not that happened to me or anything...:roll


*Yeah when I've blacked out on SSRI's almost got arrested twice. I really lucked out those two times.*


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## ssabmud (Oct 7, 2011)

You should not drink while taking any medication, you risk damaging your liver and kidneys. Not to mention everyone is different and some people should not drink anyway (instant butthead). But drinking can intense the effects of the pills and send you into a 'black out' drunken state. NOT A RESPONSIBLE IDEA. ijs


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## QuietBoy99 (Sep 7, 2010)

My recommendation is to not get drunk while on these meds because that can be a dangerous combination.


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## Aries33 (Sep 22, 2011)

you can drink but i was told every standard drink was equal to 2 drinks , hard liquor gets you ****ed up nah, it may make you a whole lot sleeper but hey i use to drink and get really pissed you'll know how much is enough


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