Hey Guys
It says on my medication fluxotine or whatever that im not allowed to drink alcohol? Im a depressed uni student and to be honest alcohol is keeping me going a heck of a lot, i cant not drink it. Advice? xxx
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Alcohol And Prozac?
Started by
Emmaz
, May 04 2012 03:54 PM
17 replies to this topic
#1
Emmaz
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#2
RitaBrownEyes
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Posted 04 May 2012 - 11:25 PM
I don't know what would happen if you mixed the two however... alcohol is a depressant. I used to party a lot with my friends (I'm 21) and it was perfectly normal drinking alcohol makes me a happy drunk but then eventually it starts catching up to me and I suffered one of my lowest episodes of depression and I couldn't pick myself up for a while. Now I can't drink at all because it just makes me feel much more depressed.
From what I know... fluoxetine can cause fatigue and sedation.. I've had experience with that but if you drink alcohol with a medication that can cause fatigue it's never good.
I knew someone who died (she was 24 and perfectly healthy) who took anti depressants because she drank one night with them and stopped breathing in her sleep. I don't know what type of anti- depressants but I don't think it's worth the risk...
From what I know... fluoxetine can cause fatigue and sedation.. I've had experience with that but if you drink alcohol with a medication that can cause fatigue it's never good.
I knew someone who died (she was 24 and perfectly healthy) who took anti depressants because she drank one night with them and stopped breathing in her sleep. I don't know what type of anti- depressants but I don't think it's worth the risk...
<.< ~ I tend to ramble a lot but there's always a point in what I post somewhere ~ >.>
#3
dawn28
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Posted 04 May 2012 - 11:52 PM
Its not that you can't drink, its that you should not drink. Why? Because it will only make your depression worse. I am not just saying that, i know from experience it will make you feel worse. If you truley want to feel better and less depressed try to stay away from alcohol.
#4
LilyRain
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Posted 05 May 2012 - 02:15 PM
What if you only drink occasionally? I generally only have a glass maybe once or twice a month, if that. Would that affect it?
#5
Emmaz
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Posted 06 May 2012 - 05:55 PM
I appreciate the replys guys... the thing is as much as it says shouldn't drink alcohol, alcohol is a depressant, dont mix with medication... it is hard to think of that when you drink to numb the pain... hmm.
#6
Emmaz
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#7
Spiritual_Wanderer
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Posted 07 May 2012 - 02:44 PM
One of the main reasons you are advised not to drink with on psychiatric meds (other then alcohol being a depressant which can make things worse) is because it's harder on your liver. Both meds and alcohol are taxing on your liver. I am on prozac and I still drink. I am not proud of it. It is easy to use it as a method of self-medicating. Best to avoid it because what now is a drink here and there can, in a couple years, turn into substance abuse and dependence.
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#8
strnm
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Posted 27 June 2012 - 10:18 PM
I take generic Prozac and generic Wellbutrin Sr and my doctor gave me what I think is good advice about antidepressants and alcohol: Always try to keep it to 3 drinks or less. I notice that when I drink on these meds I get a little drunker, faster, so what I've done is really scale back my drinking. It seems to work for me and I don't have bad side effects from drinking on my meds.
Edited by Spiritual_Wanderer, 28 June 2012 - 10:52 AM.
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#9
LilyRain
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Posted 28 June 2012 - 11:57 AM
I'm not really at risk for alcohol abuse (I can barely stand the flavor to finish even one fruity cocktail), but I've been nervous so I've essentially abstained. I suppose a lot of people drink some and are totally fine, so maybe I should lighten up a little bit.
#10
TurtleAU
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Posted 08 July 2012 - 03:33 AM
I found that when I mixed the two when I first started taking prozac I broke into an uncontrollable rage.
Now I've found that I just get drunk easier.
Now I've found that I just get drunk easier.
#11
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Posted 19 July 2012 - 09:19 AM
I personally have drank on Lexapro, Lyrica, Xanax, Valium etc etc Yes you feel like complete and utter horrible the next day and the hangovers are worse but it hasnt stopped me over the past 6years
#12
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Posted 19 July 2012 - 08:34 PM
From my experience, alcohol completely negates the effect of Prozac. It would take several days to a week of abstaining before the good effects returned. Also, it is metabolized through the liver and you could be unecessarily over burdoning you liver with the mixture.
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God will give you no more than you can handle. This is all a test to see if you are really ready for the good things that are going to come your way. All this pain is going to come back and make me stronger.-Clarence Clemmons 1942-2011
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#13
Epictetus
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Posted 19 July 2012 - 08:51 PM
Hi Emmaz,
I like your screen avatar.
There are several reasons why alcohol and anti-depressants like Prozac are a bad combination:
1. As others here have mentioned, alcohol can counteract the actions of the Prozac. Both drinking alcohol and Prozac cross the blood brain barrier. Depression causes biological disturbances in sleep. One of the effects of Prozac is to restore healthy sleep architecture as part of the healing process. Alcohol can provide sedation but disrupts sleep architecture at the very time one is taking Prozac to restore it. This is just example...
2. Your thought processes and mental alertness can be impaired, sometimes severely, sometimes paradoxically.
3. Combining the two can cause dangerous side effects, even paradoxical and unforeseen side effects
4. As mentioned above, liver toxicity
5. People with depression are at high risk for alcohol abuse and addition and so it is best to exercise great caution concerning the consumption of alcohol for this reason alone.
Sorry I couldn't be more helpful. I wish you the best!!!
I like your screen avatar.
There are several reasons why alcohol and anti-depressants like Prozac are a bad combination:
1. As others here have mentioned, alcohol can counteract the actions of the Prozac. Both drinking alcohol and Prozac cross the blood brain barrier. Depression causes biological disturbances in sleep. One of the effects of Prozac is to restore healthy sleep architecture as part of the healing process. Alcohol can provide sedation but disrupts sleep architecture at the very time one is taking Prozac to restore it. This is just example...
2. Your thought processes and mental alertness can be impaired, sometimes severely, sometimes paradoxically.
3. Combining the two can cause dangerous side effects, even paradoxical and unforeseen side effects
4. As mentioned above, liver toxicity
5. People with depression are at high risk for alcohol abuse and addition and so it is best to exercise great caution concerning the consumption of alcohol for this reason alone.
Sorry I couldn't be more helpful. I wish you the best!!!
Edited by Ep1ctetus, 19 July 2012 - 08:53 PM.
Mental Illness is a serious health condition not to be trifled with. It requires treament by highly trained, experienced, qualified and Board-certified physicians, physician- specialists, and mental health professionals. There is no substitute for this professional care. I am not a mental health professional, only a fellow sufferer.
"A man is really ethical when he obeys the constraint laid on him to help all life which he is able to help, and when he goes out of his way to avoid injuring anything living. He does not ask how far this or that life deserves compassion as valuable in itself, how far it is capable of feeling. To him, life itself is sacred. He shatters no ice crystal that sparkles in the sun, tears no leaf from its tree, breaks off no flower, and is careful not to crush any insect as he walks. If he works by lamplight on a summer evening, he prefers to keep the window shut and breathe stifling air rather than see insect after insect fall on his table with singed and sinking wings. If he goes out into the street after a rain storm and sees a worm which has strayed there, he reflects that it will surely dry up in the sunlight, if it does not quickly regain the damp soil into which it can creep, and so he helps it back to the lush grass. Should he pass an insect which has fallen into a pool, he spares the time to reach it a leaf or a stalk on which it may clamor and save itself. Animals suffer as much as we do. We must fight against the spirit of unconscious cruelty with which we treat the animals. " Dr. Albert Schweitzer.
"Compassion, in which all ethics must take root, can only attain its full breadth and depth if it embraces all living creatures and does not limit itself to mankind." Dr. Albert Scheweiter.
"A man is really ethical when he obeys the constraint laid on him to help all life which he is able to help, and when he goes out of his way to avoid injuring anything living. He does not ask how far this or that life deserves compassion as valuable in itself, how far it is capable of feeling. To him, life itself is sacred. He shatters no ice crystal that sparkles in the sun, tears no leaf from its tree, breaks off no flower, and is careful not to crush any insect as he walks. If he works by lamplight on a summer evening, he prefers to keep the window shut and breathe stifling air rather than see insect after insect fall on his table with singed and sinking wings. If he goes out into the street after a rain storm and sees a worm which has strayed there, he reflects that it will surely dry up in the sunlight, if it does not quickly regain the damp soil into which it can creep, and so he helps it back to the lush grass. Should he pass an insect which has fallen into a pool, he spares the time to reach it a leaf or a stalk on which it may clamor and save itself. Animals suffer as much as we do. We must fight against the spirit of unconscious cruelty with which we treat the animals. " Dr. Albert Schweitzer.
"Compassion, in which all ethics must take root, can only attain its full breadth and depth if it embraces all living creatures and does not limit itself to mankind." Dr. Albert Scheweiter.
#14
Sapphire11
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Posted 26 September 2012 - 04:11 AM
From my experience I would avoid alcohol, I've been on Prozac for 2 months and had a large number of drinks on Saturday night and although I didn't have a hangover I felt so low on Sunday it reminded me of how I felt before taking Prozac and finally today after 3 days I feel back to normal. It's reminded me its not worth it for feeling like crap for days after.
#15
Hope4theBest
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Posted 13 October 2012 - 05:54 PM
Alcohol is a depressant.
My ex BIL was manic- His dr prescribed Prozac and he drank-alot.
I think some people drink alot to counter-act the manic feeling,( i.e. if they should not be on Prozac in the first place.) My brother in law was not depressed, imo he was manic.
I wouldnt recommend it but its jmo.
My ex BIL was manic- His dr prescribed Prozac and he drank-alot.
I think some people drink alot to counter-act the manic feeling,( i.e. if they should not be on Prozac in the first place.) My brother in law was not depressed, imo he was manic.
I wouldnt recommend it but its jmo.
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#16
tokyoswoon
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Posted 13 October 2012 - 11:25 PM
I am also on Prozac and made the choice to quit drinking. I have been sober for almost a week, and as someone who likes to drink, it's been tough. I've found my depression to be much worse when I was using substances and drinking so I'd like to see what the Prozac can do for me without the alcohol being involved.
#17
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Posted 14 October 2012 - 07:28 PM
I am also on Prozac and made the choice to quit drinking. I have been sober for almost a week, and as someone who likes to drink, it's been tough. I've found my depression to be much worse when I was using substances and drinking so I'd like to see what the Prozac can do for me without the alcohol being involved.
I'm glad to hear you're staying sober! I don't drink much, I find that it messes with my meds a bit and makes me feel sad again.
#18
sober4life
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Posted 14 October 2012 - 11:38 PM
Mixing alcohol and medication can be serious. I know someone who died from mixing medications with alcohol.
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