Can i drink Alcohol while taking Antidepressants & Anti-Anxiety medication?
Alcohol is itself a central nervous system depressant. When it is consumed in conjunction with other mood altering substances (like antidepressants or anxiolytics) they often tend to multiply the effect of each other. In medical terms, this is called a synergistic effect. The reason it is not at all advisable to mix substances is because it is not possible to predict the net result of the combination. Alcohol and mood altering medication consumed together has been the cause of many deaths, the ones among celebrities are better known. As the combined effect is not possible to predict, and since there is a time lapse between actual consumption and subsequent effect, people often push their systems and organs to beyond the threshold for survival without realizing it, resulting in critical damage, and often fatal tragedy. Commonly alcohol is seen as a stimulant, or a lubricant, but what it does is gently turn off the higher centers of your brain, the ones responsible for judgment, balance,
You can, but its not advisable. Basically it’ll slow down or stop altogether the positive effects of your medication while the alcohol is in your system, and then afterwards alcohol is a depressant, so as well as having less powerful medication in your system, it’ll have to work twice as hard. If you must drink then just do it in moderation and not too often and you should be fine.
Frankly speaking, you can. You will get drunk even faster than without anti-depressants. Believe me, from my experience. Something for you to know: Negative emotions (like sadness, stress, anger, etc.) causes your Serotonin production to be low; when your Serotonin level is low, you are more prone to getting Anxiety, Panic Attacks, Depression, etc. Medication like Antidepressants (SSRI – Selective Serotonin Reuptake Inhibitor) helps to boost Serotonin level. But there are natural ways to do it without medication. There’s this strange herb called “St John’s Wort” – it is said to be more effective than Prozac. No, it is not for mild depression only and ignore those sayings. In fact, it does help anxiety and panic-attacks as St John’s Wort works like prozac. Other natural ways will be exercise, diet, more exposure to light, etc. The problem is that, even if your Serotonin is balanced… you have that “learned behavior” in your mind. You need to break that initial cycle to destroy that lea
Hello, (ANS) I come from a medical family & my father was a GP (family doctor) for over 35 years in Liverpool. I can clearly tell you that you, that the advise from a doctor would be to avoid drinking any alcohol if your on anti depressants or anti anxiety medications. a) Alcohol is a mild depressant anyway so would only increase in the short term that sense of feeling down. b) Alcohol might increase your sense of anxiety because it removes any inhibitions again in the short term. Would tend to increase things like panic attacks etc. c) If you doubt what I’m saying you only have to look on the drug makers data sheet or information sheet that comes with your tablets. I think you will find they both say avoid taking alcohol whilst taking these treatments. Ivan.
