Alcohol And Anti-Depressants Do Not Mix / Educational Video PSA

Alcohol And Anti-Depressants Do Not Mix / Educational Video. If you are taking antidepressants, you should talk to your doctor before drinking alcohol. The drug you are taking and your current emotional and physical state should be considered in deciding if you can safely drink alcohol while taking your medication. But generally, mixing antidepressants and alcohol is discouraged. A few things could happen if you mix antidepressants and alcohol. First, your medication may become ineffective in treating your depression. Alcohol acts a depressant, so by drinking it, you could counteract effects of your medication and lessen their benefit. The side effects from your medication could also worsen. Some antidepressants cause drowsiness, and so does alcohol. Mixing the two could make you sleepy, which is dangerous in situations where you need to be alert, such as driving, or at work. Studies have proved that even social drinking may impair your ability to react quickly and remain alert while driving, even hours after consuming a single alcoholic drink. Finally, if you are taking an antidepressant that is a monoamine oxidase inhibitor (MAOI), mixing it with alcohol can be very dangerous. The combination can cause a dangerous spike in blood pressure, leading to a stroke. Your doctor may tell you to avoid both alcohol and certain types of foods which may also interact with your medicine, such as cheeses and certain meats, if you are on an MAOI. Antidepressants are not the only medications that could dangerously interact with alcohol. Whenever you are prescribed a new medication, talk to your doctor about consuming alcoholic drinks. Try not to drink alcohol. Alcohol on its own can make your depression worse, but it can also make you slow and drowsy if you are taking antidepressants. This can lead to problems with driving - or with anything you need to concentrate on. Video clip from the public domain

Category:

Education

Tags:

• anti-depressants
• antidepressants
• alcohol
• anti-depressant
• antidepressant
• alcohols
• alcoholic
• drinks
• ethanol
• beer
• wine
• alcoholics
• drink
• medication
• medications
• psychiatrist
• depressant
• depressants
• social
• drinking
• side
• effects
• reactions
• drowsiness

[RubenHoyos82]

If only Whitney Houston heeded this advice, she would have been alive today. You will be truly missed.

[pnoidd]

I take Anti-Depressants and drink heavily, i've experienced none of the points you have made.

[babybluehashyo]

A coma sounds nice... Death, even better. Hand the the frikin drugs already.

[unholyimage]

The odd thing is I find that hangovers are greatly reduced with Lexapro as well as the time of my intoxication. I realize that this can be dangerous. My greatest concern is how the elevation of liver enzymes caused by SSRI's could interact with alcohol...

[itzamia]

@enslavetherich mixes pretty good with sour mix and a splash of coke.

[tex959]

Although I agree with almost everything you said, a chemical depressant usually indicates something that sedates/reduces function of the nervous system or another part of your body. There is a difference when referring to psychological depression and a physical one. Although I agree that Alcohol can certainly make you psychologically depressed especially during withdraw/hangover phase. I also agree that alcohol should never be mixed with psych meds. 

[enslavetherich]

Alcohol doesn't mix with anything...