[purplepearl]

Anyone else experience a decrease in the amount of alcohol it takes to get "drunk" when on anti-depressants? I used to be able to "hold" my alcohol well and now it seems I get drunk really easy and quickly. I'm not sure if this is a problem or not.

[Altered Moment]

What antidepressant do you take?

The SSRI's and SSNRI's are not known to have a big interaction with alcohol but everyone is different.

It's possible that your tolerance for alcohol just dropped. This happened to me in my twenties. I mean it happened fast. I could drink a 1/5 of whiskey and then one day 6 beers would get me super drunk and I never got that high tolerance back.

Also it is not a good idea to drink if you have depression because in the long run it makes depression worse. It works in the short run to cope but not in the long run. Trust me.

It is certainly possible that it is the AD causing it. I don't think I have heard of it though.

[ManOfConstantSorrow]

Originally Posted by purplepearl

Anyone else experience a decrease in the amount of alcohol it takes to get "drunk" when on anti-depressants? I used to be able to "hold" my alcohol well and now it seems I get drunk really easy and quickly. I'm not sure if this is a problem or not.

Quite the contrary in my case - both the effect and 'reward' of alcohol have been reduced to negligible levels by five months of citalopram. This apparently is a common effect of this AD. Previously I found alcohol had no effect when I was depressed, it could mask anxiety and the although I have never actually liked being drunk as such, moderate inebriation was not unpleasant in social situations.

I still like a modest glass with my dinner from time to time but that is it. As alcohol is heavily taxed that saves a lot of money, helps with my girth and my driving licence is not imperilled.