Hello

I was just wondering why is drinking bad when ur on meds? well i have been on paxil for years and i still drink and i have never gotten sick! but i guess its wrong for u emiontally as in it prevents ur meds from working to their full effect? i am just confused can someone please fill me in? thank you

There are 2 reasons:

1) A lot of people will experience nausea, vomiting, or a general bad feeling from drinking while on an SSRI. This is more likely to be true the more alcohol you drink.
2) Alcohol is a depressent, so while it may make you feel better temporarily, it sets back your treatment, ultimately.

I don't believe it prevents absorption of the medication, unless you drink and take the drug at a similar time of day.

what do u mean by it sets the treatment back? just curious thats what i find confusing

Alcohol IS a depressant, so it does prevent your meds from doing the job you are taking them for. That is the reason they say not to drink when taking an anti-depressant. You negate the effects of the AD.

Also, many people with depression "self medicate" that is "drink alcohol" when thier meds are not doing the job. If that is the case, then they need to change meds & not drink.

I always thought the reason for not drinking were:

a) you will get drunk REAL QUICK

b) sometimes the combination of Meds & Booze = Bad Bad Reactions to some people

I drink, socially... A few beers with friends... I do drink FAR LESS than I used to years ago... I think I am drinking only at 45% capacity now...

DEPRESSANT + ANTI-DEPRESSENT = ??

what do u mean by it sets the treatment back? just curious thats what i find confusing
I think what they mean is that you can feel more depressed than normal while on meds if you drink. I heard that alcohol does the opposite of what your meds are doing, so you almost feel like you didn't take them. My experience with meds/drinking:
I got VERY sick in the beginning of my treatment if I drank. Later on, I could have one drink or so and be ok. But, sometimes, the next day, I'd feel depressed, eventhough I had taken my medication. I'd also get a BAD BAD hangover if I drank too much (more than two drinks).
Erin

I would avoid drinking too much while on meds. I stopped drinking around the time I started Lexapro, and kept dry for 8 weeks. The weekend I drank I felt ok (drank quite a bit of beer), but the next day I was an emotional wreck and started crying uncontrollably.
I think if you are depressed and/or on meds, you shouldn't drink--or at least be responsible and don't have more than a few. I learned my lesson.

I would avoid drinking too much while on meds. I stopped drinking around the time I started Lexapro, and kept dry for 8 weeks. The weekend I drank I felt ok (drank quite a bit of beer), but the next day I was an emotional wreck and started crying uncontrollably.
I think if you are depressed and/or on meds, you shouldn't drink--or at least be responsible and don't have more than a few. I learned my lesson.


i'm on lexapro and my doctor said that having a drink or two was not a bad thing physically. she told me not to go get pissed every weekend, but there was no shown connection between lexapro and alcohol poisening. i did drink one time and was not sick or anything, but i had nightmares about people dieing and the next day i was completely off.

My dr. says it's okay to have a couple drinks. If it's socially it should be okay. If it's a 6 pack every night then you're in trouble. It also depends on what meds you're talking about. Wellbutrin is bad if you drink too much on it because it can cause seizures.

I'm on effexor and at first when I had a couple drink I would get tired and not want another drink. Now, after being on effexor for 3-4 months, I can drink two drinks and have fun. I don't feel depressed after or during. I'm sure everyone is different too.

If your dr. says it's okay to have a couple drinks every now and then (socially) then do it and see how you feel. If you feel like ya wanna shoot your dog the day after then I'd say stay away hehe.

Just do things in moderation, not excessive and you should be okay but don't take any of my advice until you have spoken to your doctor.

well i am young and the thing is my friends are always partying on the weekend i dont wanna stay in and i usually drink and party aslo when i go out that is the problem the next day i dont feel "terrible" but i dont feel exactly "great" and i have a lot of drinks as well but still never get sick

well i am young and the thing is my friends are always partying on the weekend i dont wanna stay in and i usually drink and party aslo when i go out that is the problem the next day i dont feel "terrible" but i dont feel exactly "great" and i have a lot of drinks as well but still never get sick

If you can drink and feel NORMAL the next day (as if you didn't drink the day before), then I would suspect you are good to go...

Drink a few, have fun, and enjoy life... :)

Don't over do it! :nono:

That can get you in to all sorts of problems... :eek:

Hello

I was just wondering why is drinking bad when ur on meds? well i have been on paxil for years and i still drink and i have never gotten sick! but i guess its wrong for u emiontally as in it prevents ur meds from working to their full effect? i am just confused can someone please fill me in? thank you
Hey There,
Just pay special attention to what all these folks have written when it comes to the whole drinking while your on meds thing...They pretty much hit it on the nose! Exactly how my psychiatrist explained it to me...But I also have to add my personal experience here. For some ungodly reason I have really drank a lot more since being on AD's, especially the last couple years. I have just been hanging out with my friends, especially after work on Fridays we all go out and have fun. I have noticed that alcohol affects me totally different since I have been on celexa. I get drunk really quickly and it is a weird kinda drunk where I am just out-of-it, and it doesn't take me long, maybe a few drinks, to get there. And it hits me like a wall. I'm fine one minute and wasted the next. AND, another HUGE difference...I will, a lot of time, puke later on! I never got sick from drinking before, I mean maybe once or twice my entire life (I'm 37), but now, eeewww, I get sick and have terrible hang-overs the whole next day. That's when I am mad at myself and say I'm never gonna do that again...yeah right! Soooo, there you have it! That's what happens to me! And I thought it was just because I was getting a bit older and just couldn't hang with the big boys anymore!! Ha-ha! So, its just probably not a good idea while on meds to indulge...too much anyway, so be careful, and good luck...

Well, I will tell you what my psychiatrist told me. He said that going out with your coworkers for happy hour and having a beer or two is okay. Going out and having a glass of wine with dinner is okay. The purpose of antidepressant medication is to allow the recovering depressive to live as much of a normal life as possible on the medication. He went on to add that alcohol is indeed a depressive drug. So, it would be like waling upwards on a downward escalator. It sort of defeats the purpose. The other thing that comes to mind is something that I know in regards to antibiotics and alcohol. It is not good to drink alcohol and take antibiotics because the alcohol leeches the antibiotics out of the body. I would guess that the same could be true for antibiotics. It takes a while for the antidepressant drugs to build up in your body and consuming alcohol might help to leech them out setting you farther behind in your struggle to get out of the depressive pit you find yourself in. Good Luck.