Hello. Does anyone drink alcohol while on antidepressants?

[Alpaca2884]

By drink I mean the occasional drink or two when going out.

[Hidden]

I do on occasion. Have to drink plenty of water while doing it or will get dehydrated fast. Other than that theres no issues.

[Alpaca2884 in reply to Hidden]

Great. Thank you

[Missy_D]

I do, and it's more than occasional (depending on ones definition of occassional). Before anyone lectures 🙄 I know I shouldn't but no one knows my story. As long as you are aware that a) alcohol is a depressent b) it will make your medication less effective all the while there is alcohol in your system c) antidepressant medication and alcohol both can make you dehydrated so drink plenty of water, then an occasional drink won't hurt (in my opinion). The purist on here will say you shouldn't mix but hey we all have to live a little x

[Marshall64 in reply to Missy_D]

Agree. That has been my experience although I rarely drink anymore.

[Hidden]

I limit myself to just one drink! My doc says it's okay to have just one.

[FearIsALiar]

I don’t. I thought you weren’t supposed to

[Hidden in reply to FearIsALiar]

It's not recommended but it's not so bad. Just have to be more careful

[FearIsALiar in reply to Hidden]

Yeah antidepressants and alcohol do not mix well so I will pass. I have health anxiety so I worry something awful will happen if I do drink and have my meds

[Agora1 in reply to FearIsALiar]

Hi...never mix benzos with alcohol. Both are suppressants and can make

it difficult to breathe. If this happens, call 911 :)xx

[FearIsALiar in reply to Agora1]

Thanks agora!

[NiceManSeeksRomance]

I agree with 1. Consult doctor and pharmacist. 2. Check regarding which type you are on, and dose. SSRIs shouuld be ok? 3. Yes, caution with moderation and dose. 4. Yes one counteracts other. 5. Water makes sense. 6. Consult.drugs.com. 7. Stay aware of why, just like any drinker.

Overall it should be ok in moderation.

Note: this may be controversial but from my experience long term use of antidepressant meds has risks. Most may believe otherwise but it should be reevaluated every 6 months to a year.

[Alpaca2884 in reply to NiceManSeeksRomance]

Thanks. I agree. Doesn’t hurt to be reevaluated every 6 months or so. I just switched off of my Zoloft. I was on it for 20 years until it started not working well anymore.

[tinycrumbs]

Yeah, I have at least one beer almost every day, & am on 150mg Zoloft & it's been fine. In fact, since increasing my dosage from 100mg up to 150mg, I don't feel like drinking as much, which has been a positive improvement. Since the dosage seems to be working, I'm less inclined to self-medicate with alcohol, or cannabis for that matter.However, about 10 years ago while on Prozac & Ativan (awful zombie combo for me), if I had more than 1 drink, I'd lose all grip on my faculties. Those were some scary times.

[Alpaca2884 in reply to tinycrumbs]

Thanks. Glad to hear you are doing well on your Zoloft and not feeling the need to self medicate. I too took Zoloft 150mg for 20 years. It worked very good for me. I am now on pristiq due to Zoloft eventually having a poop out effect.

[Hidden]

I don’t drink but I would check with your doctor. I’ve not asked this question but it’s a good one

[Laurennnnnnn]

I have and it seems to make both the pill and alcohol hit harder so I feel sleepier/drunker fast

[Lodubs]

Yup