# Fluoxetine and Alcohol



## Tangent

I am taking Fluoxetine (20mg/day) and the "patient information leaflet" that came with the pills says "avoid alcohol".

Now, when I was on Metronidazole, I got a warning from the GP about not drinking alcohol while I was on it, another warning from the pharmacist, and the patient information leaflet said "*WARNING! DO NOT CONSUME ALCOHOLIC DRINKS WHILE TAKING THIS MEDICINE! IF YOU HAVE CONSUMED ALCOHOL WHILE ON THIS MEDICINE TELL YOUR DOCTOR IMMEDIATELY!*"

None of this happened when I was given Fluoxetine, no warnings or anything, and the gentle "avoid alcohol" is just written in normal lettering. So does that mean that, actually, drinking small amounts of alcohol while I am on it won't do me much harm?

Hypothetically, if I were to consume very large amounts of alcohol quickly in a short space of time while I was on the drug, what would happen?


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## Ash09

Alcohol is fine with fluoxetine, in some people ssri's can cause sedation which is why they reccomend avoiding it, the only reason there is such a severe warning with metronidazole is because it can cause tachycardia.


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## db0255

Tangent said:


> I am taking Fluoxetine (20mg/day) and the "patient information leaflet" that came with the pills says "avoid alcohol".
> 
> Now, when I was on Metronidazole, I got a warning from the GP about not drinking alcohol while I was on it, another warning from the pharmacist, and the patient information leaflet said "*WARNING! DO NOT CONSUME ALCOHOLIC DRINKS WHILE TAKING THIS MEDICINE! IF YOU HAVE CONSUMED ALCOHOL WHILE ON THIS MEDICINE TELL YOUR DOCTOR IMMEDIATELY!*"
> 
> None of this happened when I was given Fluoxetine, no warnings or anything, and the gentle "avoid alcohol" is just written in normal lettering. So does that mean that, actually, drinking small amounts of alcohol while I am on it won't do me much harm?
> 
> Hypothetically, if I were to consume very large amounts of alcohol quickly in a short space of time while I was on the drug, what would happen?


Hypothetically if you were to drink on Prozac, not that much would happen except washing out the AD. You might also get drunk quicker, although I never really saw that. I always found with drinking that it was like I was just setting back my good response to Prozac, which makes sense since alcohol is a depressant.


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## zookeeper

It says avoid alcohol on almost all medication.


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## Raptors

DO NOT DRINK ON PROZAC

negates all effects of the drug


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## Giovanna

I couldn't drink a lot at one time on prozac. when i was on i might have had a glass of wine and i would get drunk really fast and feel like crap the next day.


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## tutliputli

I can only speak from experience here because it's different for each individual, but I really wouldn't recommend it. Prozac made me feel pretty bad anyway, but combined with alcohol I spent what was supposed to be a fun evening with friends in tears, feeling suicidal and completely detached from everyone. I never want to feel like that again. I know that probably sounds scary but I just wanted to tell you, since I consider you a friend  Will reply to PM soon.


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## jim_morrison

this is a bit off topic, as moclobemide obviously isn't related to prozac, but I just remembered that I used to get an absolutly bizarre reaction whenever I combined moclobemide with alcohol.


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## Tangent

Thank you to everyone who has posted - the advice and anecdotes have been very helpful and are much appreciated


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## TheWhiteGorilla

Very bad mix. You can black out after a few drinks and act like a total ***.


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## Black_Widow

I will admit, that during the pretty short time I was on this, I did drink a little alcohol. But deliberately only stuck to a moderate amount. Something along the lines of a can and a half of beer during one evening when I was seeing a couple of friends. Seeing as the drug hadn't yet had any effect on me by that point anyway, I decided to take the risk. Was absolutely fine after. If I was still on the drug though (which now I'm not) it's not the kind of thing I'd make a regular habit of doing though.


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## silverfish

Not a good combo. The alcohol can interact with it seriously to cause extreme reactions. So maybe cutting back is a good idea for the time being at least =)


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## aronf13

I have drunk heavily twice while on prozac and both times i've had panic attacks around 2 days after the drinking, one was straight depressed/anxiety and the other was a strange mixed episode of elation and anxiety 

has anyone else had this experience? 
I think I need to stay sober for a little bit because i know i should be looking out for possible developing hypomania or bipolar symptoms but it's hard to tell what's causing what if there's other chemicals interacting there


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## db0255

aronf13 said:


> I have drunk heavily twice while on prozac and both times i've had panic attacks around 2 days after the drinking, one was straight depressed/anxiety and the other was a strange mixed episode of elation and anxiety
> 
> has anyone else had this experience?
> I think I need to stay sober for a little bit because i know i should be looking out for possible developing hypomania or bipolar symptoms but it's hard to tell what's causing what if there's other chemicals interacting there


Yeah I got that too, for some reason alcohol seems to start panic attacks. Especially, a while after the drinking, like a day or two. Not good and takes a while to recover.


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## anxiousgirl79

tutliputli said:


> I can only speak from experience here because it's different for each individual, but I really wouldn't recommend it. Prozac made me feel pretty bad anyway, but combined with alcohol I spent what was supposed to be a fun evening with friends in tears, feeling suicidal and completely detached from everyone. I never want to feel like that again. I know that probably sounds scary but I just wanted to tell you, since I consider you a friend  Will reply to PM soon.


Exactly how alcohol made me feel while taking Zoloft and Celexa. It seemed to bring up every negative emotion and I would turn into a crying mess while drinking! Not sure about an SSRI or SNRI but alcohol can act with benzos and decrease your heart rate until the point of cardiac arrest.

Kaley


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## cens

*issues*

The main issue with drinking alcohol with SSRI's, and almost any other medication is that they are both metabolized in your liver. Drugs like SSRI's can be very hard on your liver, and so is alcohol. Mixing the two together increases the chances that you may damage it. Booze, like SSRI's are a recent invention and our bodies have had little time to evolve a healthy response to them.


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## Himi Jendrix

I take that fluoxetine at 20mg per day and I take Xanax 1mg too. I drink on it but i dont drink really heavy. 

Just like 3-4 beer worth and im pretty messed up. Prozac seems to lower tolerance to other drugs significantly. 

Also if you drink heavily you risk "washing out" the prozac as alcohol speeds up the metabolism of SSRI's. This presents one hellish nightmare of a hangover the next morning.


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## lawnmower

I have been on Fluxotine for over 2 years now. 4 months ago I had a relapse and started drinking daily. At first their was no problem, now I am back to where I was before I was put on the medication. In other words you can drink, you can go on a complete bender of a night and not worry.. Just do not drink daily because I am telling you for a fact it stops it working.. I admit I have a problem with alcohol, I always have had but i desperately look for a way to stop drinking again, because the 2 do not mix long term, hope this helps


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## Magic1557

A friend linked me this, just thought I would respond. Again SPEAK WITH YOUR DOCTOR FIRST. 

I have been on prozac since I was 16, im 25 now, and I have always had alcohol regularly with it. Again regularly is 2 to 3 times per week, I am a 25 year old 6ft, 220 lb male as well.

I was also on zyprexa with it for a period of 2 years and I am off that as well. But for the 9 years I have been on medication, I have been a social drinker I have noticed absolutely nothing as an issue. 

My doctor knows how much I drink, never lie to your doctor, and says it is fine as long as I do not to drive and that goes to anyone who drinks period. he also said because everyone has a different body chemistry it may make some people more drowsy, or others that do not agree with alcohol to begin with may be worse. But I have personally been okay with it. So If you drank before, I would stay on the meds 3 to 6 months just to make sure they agree with you and work first before u have a drink.(although I did not ><)

Fluoxetine is recommended, although it is techincally not a brand new generation ssri such as abilify, because it works for so many and has such a low contradiction level. Unless you are doing things like mushrooms or ecstacy which can easily make you go into serotonin syndrome since it dumps it into your brain (and I even have friends that have taken those things on it, their nuts, please do not do those things period with a mental disorder), generally most things agree quite well with the drug.

The misconception is people who say alcohol is a depressant, and prozac is an antidepressant is an invalid argument. Prozac is an ssri CLASSIFIED as an ANTIDEPRESSANT. It is used for many other things but when it comes down to it, it is what it is, a "selective serotonin reuptake inhibitor". You may have some issue with taking alcohol with it, effecting your GABA receptors, but most will not, people who take xanax and prozac together will have more of an issue than a social drinker having a beer with friends.

Sidenote: 30 million people in the US take an antidepressant, 315 million take some sort of prescription drug. To think that none of them make mixtures worse than prozac and beer is naive, just be careful and tell your doctor of your social activity, you have no one better to trust. 

Hope I helped some confused individuals, and ALWAYS consult your doctor!!

Thanks,

magic1557


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## hanzy

*Prozac and vodka*



aronf13 said:


> I have drunk heavily twice while on prozac and both times i've had panic attacks around 2 days after the drinking, one was straight depressed/anxiety and the other was a strange mixed episode of elation and anxiety
> 
> has anyone else had this experience?
> I think I need to stay sober for a little bit because i know i should be looking out for possible developing hypomania or bipolar symptoms but it's hard to tell what's causing what if there's other chemicals interacting there


I've only started prozac, I've been on my first night out since I started them - I drank quite a lot but no more than I usually do on a night out.

I usually struggle to feel the effect of alcohol whilst I drink it but get terrible hang overs.

Well I got extremely drunk on an amount of alcohol I can usually handle, I was in an alright mood, not low or anything, next day I was a little sick (as usual with my hangovers) but the day after (never had a two day hangover) I fainted, took a minor panic attack, couldn't eat...

The only side effect I've noticed since taking them normally is the loss of appetite so I don't know if this has added to the fainting episode.

I've had a beer and a few drinks at home and felt no bad effects except falling asleep.

I will most likely have another night where I test it and have a lot to drink but if the same happens again - I know I will be off it.:um


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## bazinga

If it helps, I had a nice drinking problem on fluoxetine, saphris, and lamotrigine. Drank like a beast.


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## derik

I was Prescribed Fluxotine by my GP about 9 months ago for Depression and anxity attacks.

I find now that having 40mg per day I can actually drink more (not good). before the tablets if I drank I would have terrible hangovers the next day, trembling and everthing....so that stopped me drinking to excess.

Now on fluxotine I can drink like a fish with not much hangover next day??????

The fluxotine seems to have worked for my anxity attacks, but I still feel depressed and more sleepy and lazy which just adds to the depression?

Maybe I should tell my GP? But I dont want to be trying all sorts of medication all the time?

I dont know if this is the norm for this medication?


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## GotAnxiety

I seen a study. That prozac reduces alcohol induced hyperactivity. So it good for alcohol withdraws. Id post it. But im on my crappy phone.


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## bazinga

Good lord, 42,908 views. That's a lot of views.


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## jnms

So, you want to know if you can mix your medications with alcohol? It seems like
alcohol is your only source of relief! And of course you need it... you don't
really care anymore if that is harmful or not... as life for people with social
anxiety or other mental disorders is not worth living....

I was in the same situation 4 months ago! I tried to find some relief in alcohol
because my life was not worth living anyway at the period. I didn't really care
if it was harmful or not. Unfortunately... even alcohol couldn't provide me any
relief... I was quite depressed at the period after many failed attempts to get
rid of my social anxiety. However, I found a new solution for my life! And it took
me some time to find it. I had always wanted to find a cure for my social anxiety
and OCD. I tried several self-help books, which didn't work for me. But one night,
as I was searching on the internet I found out a revolutionary method that can
cure any form of mental disorder including social anxiety or ocd! This is the only
method that can cure entirely any mental disorder because it deals with the cause
of all mental disorders. You can learn more here! :

Unique and Revolutionary Approach

You don't have to spend the rest of your life suffering from your mental disorder.
You can begin a new life, too! You can find peace and relief in your life.
You will not even need to use alcohol although you will not take medication any
longer.

It feels so good to be free from anxiety! You can experience that, too.

Since I don't have a mental illness anymore I am going to leave the forum.
I would like to talk more but nobody posts here anymore.
I am going to begin a new life.


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## Spungo

Raptors said:


> DO NOT DRINK ON PROZAC
> 
> negates all effects of the drug


Maybe so, but Prozac drunkess feels awesome. On Prozac, drinking a few beers would make me talk for hours about absolutely everything.

Nicotine is better on Prozac as well. I started carrying around a nicotine inhaler just so I can chain smoke everywhere I went.


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## anup

Don't drink more than quarter or more than 1 beer bottle if you have taken fluoxetine. It has happened with me I was vomiting and unconscious for more than 12 hours in bar.I thought that bar guy put something in drink.I was looted bar...they were handling me to police fortunately someone unknown cld my friends from my dialed list.They reached on spot after 1 hour took me to home ..I was unconscious.till morning.


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## michellerm

I am an 18 year old female and I'm on 30 mg or Prozac for anxiety. First time I drunk on Prozac I drunk 2/3 of a bottle of wine and felt really odd and detached and was crying for some of the night. I've only drunk in excess one other time and was fine and had a pretty fun night. Now I try to stick to 2 drinks and I'm all good with that but I guess everyone is different. That said, it definitely ****s you up the next day and be prepared for your medication not to work for about three days after which really sucks. I also feel really angry the day after I drink. And be wary, alcohol kind of becomes a truth elixir on prozac so you might find yourself spurting out some slightly offensive things to people or in the corner or a party boring someone about all the woes of your life (drunk people sometimes do this regardless of whether their on medication or not haha). I would recommend not drinking on Prozac but I find it difficult. I need to stop now cause though as it is making me slightly unhinged.


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## ellespirit

I no longer drink alcohol. Unfortunately I have to take a lot of meds.


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## mgrz

Prozac brought on the deepest-darkest depression for me when I went out in uni. Not necessarily immediately but it was almost guaranteed by the end of the night. I remember lying there with my eyes closed with a noisy head and feeling like I wanted to be dead.

Citalopram is a fun one to drink on I found. It made me pretty social. Effexor and alcohol don't necessarily mix badly for me but have a tendency to cause bad fatigued hangovers.


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## Shannonliver123

Can anyone help me I've been taking buspar for the last two months than they started me on Prozac for the last three weeks now I've been drinking for the last two months on these medication I'm not really a drinker acouple beers a night with boyfriend now I'm gettin the worst feelings n thoughts and am experiencing Flatt affect where I have no feeling at all n now I can't even have a happy thought I stopped everything will my feelings n good thoughts ever go back to normal it says it takes more serotonin out of ur brain which can cause worse thoughts affects and feelings will I b ok again after everything's out of my system or wat should I do that could help me please help


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