Drinking alcohol while on psych meds

I know that some drug info says that you should not drink while taking psych meds, but is it really that bad? I like to go out and have a few drinks socially, and I'm wondering if that causes interactions? I also know that alcohol is a depressant, but it relaxes me. any thoughts?

Thanks, Binti

My experience w alcohol and meds has been that it intensifies the effect of the alcohol....not sure what you are on...so not sure what your reaction will be.
Might want to check w your pdoc?

Absolutely check with your doc or pharmacist BEFORE you drink. Some drugs are okay with alcohol but others are not. I asked my pdoc last December if I could drink alcohol in moderation with my current drugs and he said it was okay. Also you would want to avoid alcohol entirely if you are alcoholic.

Hi, I've been on depression meds and antipsychiotics for about 10 years. I've always drank with them. One exception, I quit for close to 2 years. I've never had any bad experiences while drinking on meds. Years ago, after a night of drinking, I would become depressed the next day or two. I no longer have that problem as much or at all lately.
The weird thing about drinking on meds is that I seem to have a high tolerance. I can handle my alcohol well. I don't ever get drunk. But I guess I know when I have had enough. I can drink about 6 or 7 beers without feeling too buzzed or anything. I'm an average sized woman. I'm not saying go out and drink by telling you this either! This is just my experience.
Also, I do not drink when I'm depressed. I know it will not make me feel better, only worse. I drink to enhance my good mood and because I like the taste.
I currently take 6 different meds. I'm sure a couple of them say don't drink. My pdoc knows I drink a couple of beers here and there. She had no comment.
The only thing I would mention again is the depression I got after drinking. That's something that can happen. When I quit drinking for 2 years, my depression improved.
Hope that helped some.

One drug I am on, Cymbalta, does not intensify the effects of alcohol as some other psych meds do. However, some people in trials had liver failure while on it. So drinking is a risk with this medication. There is no generic "OK" or "not OK" that we can give you. Each person's tolerance and each drug's interaction is different. The best thing to do is to avoid, as alcohol is a depressant. A little drinking in moderation? Better check with doc first. Might not be worth the risk.

I had a beloved aunt who lost her eyesight to diabetes. She told me once, when I was considering taking a piece of candy (I am diabetic too), "It's not that great. It's not worth it." I still remember that. She learned the hard way.

thanks for the replies. I'm afraid to ask my pdoc about the drinking because I don't want him to tell me that I cannot drink, but I guess I'll try to bring it up. I don't want to do any damage to myself...

binti

Yeah, I have had good and bad experiences with drinking on my psych meds. Lithium seems to remove my ability to tell how much I've drank and I've actually had blackouts on lithium several times; never happened off lithium. Other meds seem to increase my tolerance and make it harder to get intoxicated.

Now that being said, if you have mental illness your best bet is to not drink at all. I think there is no surprise that my most stable times came with little or no drinking.

Lamictal intensifies the effect of alcohol. It's the only drug I'm on, and today, I drank and my tolerance is about half of what it used to be.

Okay, if you shouldn't drink, you shouldn't drink! His telling you or not is not the criteria! Do you want to get better or potentially harm yourself? Why take the meds at all if you aren't going to use them correctly?

Hi Binti

I agree with the other posters' comments: you should talk to your psychiatrist or pharmacist about any adverse reactions with your meds combined with alcohol. If you listed your meds I might be able to give you an idea of what they might say - but I am not a medical professional.

Better to ask than to find out later in the ER that mixing the two was a bad idea.

Jerry

Hi, Jerry, and thanks for your post. I take Effexor xr, Abilify, and Luvox. it is the Abilify that says avoid etoh, but after doing some research I have found out that Abilify is used to treat alcoholism so obviously, people drink while on it. I am going to talk to my doctor when I see him next month. I've heard that the Abilify intensifies the sedating effects of etoh.

Binti

Binti - I did a little more research and basically came up with what you did: avoid alcohol when on Abilify because it can greatly increase the effects of both - meaning, you will get drunk much faster and the side effects of Abilify will increase greatly = more sedation, etc. So, I'd wait until you talk to your doctor. Gotta be careful.

Keep us informed.

Jerry

Hi,
My experience with Zoloft and alcohol was that I became addicted to alcohol...zoloft triggered bipolar rapid cycling, and i used alcohol as a mood stabilizer almost unconsciously. By the time my doctor realized I was bipolar and attempted to put me on a mood stabilizer, I was already addicted to alcohol, and it was impossible to take any mood stabilizer. getting drunk on valproate is one of the worst experience i remember, i was in shock. i stopped to drink when i quit zoloft....but i had taken it for 4 years and now my liver is not working properly (and i'm 24)...:/

chocos421,

first off, I want to say to all that it is highly recommended NOT TO drink alcohol while on psych medication, let alone having a mood disorder. However, chochos, EVERYTHING you mentioned in this posting, I have the same experiences. Alcohol affects me (or doesn't affect me) in the same way. However, if I notice my mood is "off" or my meds are being adjusted (i'm bipolar so once in a while that is neccessary), I will not drink because it is important for me to tell if the change in meds are working so I don't chance it but I can honestly say, alcohol does not cause me any problems. I am on 3 meds, Again, it is recommended not to engage in it.

All I can offer is anecdotal experience. When I was working as a musician the drinks were free. I'd have one drink, on rare occasions two. I was taking Prozac (20mg?) and .5mg clonazopam. I didn't have any adverse reaction and never felt the slightest bit inebriated. Your mileage may vary
I've never been a heavy drinker and have been drunk maybe twice in my entire life. I agree w/ Jerry and others...check w/ your doctor. Don't take unnecessary risks.

My alcohol tolerance is through the roof now. I drank 10 beers without getting much of a glow. I know its not good to drink while on psych meds. What has me worried, is why I can consume so much alcohol now. Is my liver working overtime to eliminate impurities? Has the long term use of my psych meds responsible for this.

Any insight would be appreciated.

EDIT - Also concerned that my psych meds may not be getting fully absorbed into my system, due to my liver eliminating them.

There is no research on the effects of alcohol on many of the meds. On escitalopram, i drink alcohol, and it seems to be fine. I know Effexor is supposed to be okay with alcohol. When i took Seroquel (quetiapine) i felt as if it made me feel awful the next day with alcohol. If you only have two drinks e.g. 1/3 bottle wine, it should be fine unless you are specifically warned not to. Even then, the doctor may be overly cautious and unrealistic - you need to ask if they actually know about the effects of alcohol on the drug.

just dont drink a lot . because the hangover,s are twice as bad

I've never had problems due to drinking while on Wellbutrin that weren't the kind of problems that come with drinking in general. So no increase in side effects or anything, as far as I can tell. And I've definitely done my share of binge drinking while on Wellbutrin. And Effexor, Zoloft, and Prozac - I don't remember any problems with any of them that were related to alcohol. Of course, I did start hallucinating on a therapeutic dose of Prozac, but that was just the SSRI's reacting badly with my brains.

So as everyone says, YMMV and check with the pdocs first.

I've decided that I can drink but not get drunk, so I limit myself to two in a sitting and more often it's one. I've talked with my pdoc and he recommends one and accepts two. He specializes in addictions, so he help me avoid the alcoholism that runs in my family.

No,
Drinking while on meds is not good.
There are so many people who overdose who don't intend to
but they are gone now.

I take a few meds myself and i drank one time n had a seizure. i dont remember any of it. my boyfriend told me he had to give me cpr because i wasnt breathing. i really dont remember.

when i was younger i was on a mission, with drink an meds not wrekky drugs benzo,s, ATIVAN just 1mg you never get drunk , do you know why ?? you already are. Drink all night an you dont get any higher , Just make a compleat nob of yourself. I lost count of the fights i won , mostly lost. People thought i was a death before dishoner guy . The truth was i was numb to the beatings, so the other guy usually gave up through exhaustion not because i was winning. nowdays i stick to a couple of stella,s. dont you find with alcohol an meds you face gets red fast as the 2 mix togeather, makeing you look a freak