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Dr. Bob is Robert Hsiung, MD,
bob@dr-bob.orgShown: posts 1 to 16 of 16. This is the beginning of the thread.
Posted by KARAsweet on July 24, 2001, at 11:35:47
I know it's not good to mix, but what kinds of experiences have any of you had when drinking and being on an SSRI?
Depressants + Anti-Depressants = don't mix..
but I do like to have the occasional drink, unfortunately.
Posted by irishcatholic on July 24, 2001, at 12:50:41
In reply to Alcohol and Anti-Depressants, posted by KARAsweet on July 24, 2001, at 11:35:47
I too would like more info on this.
Assume the warnings on the meds are just for liability reasons?
I'm not talking alcoholism here, just a glass of wine at dinner..
Posted by kid_A on July 24, 2001, at 12:52:47
In reply to Alcohol and Anti-Depressants, posted by KARAsweet on July 24, 2001, at 11:35:47
> I know it's not good to mix, but what kinds of experiences have any of you had when drinking and being on an SSRI?
>
> Depressants + Anti-Depressants = don't mix..
>
> but I do like to have the occasional drink, unfortunately.Though effexor is atypical to ssri's like paxil or prozac, I can say that (for me) when it was combined (though taken much earlier in the day)with alcohol, you just seem to get -more- drunk, and drunk very quickly...
When I started on effexor, I had a bit of a wild evening on alcohol... It probably wasn't the best idea in the world, but lately its been managable... Just watch your consumption... I dont believe that alcohol affects the efficiency of ssri's...
Posted by 16# on July 24, 2001, at 13:11:59
In reply to Alcohol and Anti-Depressants, posted by KARAsweet on July 24, 2001, at 11:35:47
My experience: hangovers are much worse with SSRIs than w/o. Also, the alcohol undermines the effectiveness of the drugs. If you can limit yourself to one drink, you will be okay probably. If you cannot, now would be a good time to explore abstainance. Ask your doctor about Neurontin which curbs alcohol cravings for many people such as myself.
Posted by jojo on July 24, 2001, at 13:32:58
In reply to Alcohol and Anti-Depressants, posted by KARAsweet on July 24, 2001, at 11:35:47
> I know it's not good to mix, but what kinds of experiences have any of you had when drinking and being on an SSRI?
>
> Depressants + Anti-Depressants = don't mix..
>
> but I do like to have the occasional drink, unfortunately.I have not noticed any additive effects of alcohol and SSRIs, but it appears that they are both degraded by some of the same sets of P450 liver enzymes, whose activity is induced by taking these drugs. Therefore, it could be expected that taking one will decrease the serum level of the other, by induction of these enzymes.
BTW, following the "Use of alcohol with this drug cannot be recommended" insert statement, which I believe is a legal, not medical document, could be deadly for pathological alcohol users with depression, or for any other reason, such as anorexia, who are prescribed SSRIs, and are afraid to take them because they
are not able to give up the use of alcohol. My non-professional advice is to take the SSRI (or Neurontin, if prescribed), and do the best that you can with the alcohol.
Posted by pellmell on July 24, 2001, at 13:44:10
In reply to Alcohol and Anti-Depressants, posted by KARAsweet on July 24, 2001, at 11:35:47
> I know it's not good to mix, but what kinds of experiences have any of you had when drinking and being on an SSRI?
>
> Depressants + Anti-Depressants = don't mix..
>
> but I do like to have the occasional drink, unfortunately.In my experience:
^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^
Prozac, Zoloft, Serzone, Effexor - no problems.
I know for sure that (at least in preclinical blah blah) Effexor and ethanol leave each other alone when they're sharing your brain.Wellbutrin - I got drunk after imbibing much less C2H5OH than it took to get me there before. And it was an unpleasant, bloated queasy-drunk. Bleh. Smoking (cigarettes) isn't much fun on this stuff, either.
Remeron - Yowch. Like Wellbutrin, only much, much worse. I'd get very, very dizzy. I think it's Remeron's H1 blocking action that magnifies the effects of alcohol. One night, after an excessive but not unreasonable number of drinks, I took a dose and within fifteen minutes was hanging over a trash can.
Lithium (+Zoloft) - Hehehe. This was fun to drink on. I was a cheap date, and without the bloating and queasiness that Wellbutrin and Remeron caused.
Of course, YMMV. Drink carefully (and don't spill ;)), even though the "don't drink" label your pharmacy puts on your prescription bottle is probably just an extra cautious precaution.
-pm
Posted by kid_A on July 24, 2001, at 14:11:51
In reply to Re: Alcohol and Anti-Depressants, posted by pellmell on July 24, 2001, at 13:44:10
> Prozac, Zoloft, Serzone, Effexor - no problems.
> I know for sure that (at least in preclinical blah blah) Effexor and ethanol leave each other alone when they're sharing your brain.Indeed, my thoughts exactly, can anyone who stated otherwise in this thread cite any information that infers that alcohol effects the peak plasma level of any particular ssri...?
Posted by KARAsweet on July 24, 2001, at 14:12:38
In reply to Re: Alcohol and Anti-Depressants, posted by pellmell on July 24, 2001, at 13:44:10
I'm also curious if it depends on your dosage and how high you are..
with zoloft I was up to 150 mg and alcohol did NOT mix well..
celexa I could drink for a while and be ok, then all of a sudden I'd black out..
now I'm on prozac and it's ok - I just have to moderate what I drink otherwise I won't remember much.
Thanks for some of the posts and information! Everyone be careful if you do decide to drink while on medication.
Posted by jojo on July 24, 2001, at 14:13:27
In reply to Re: Alcohol and Anti-Depressants, posted by pellmell on July 24, 2001, at 13:44:10
> > I know it's not good to mix, but what kinds of experiences have any of you had when drinking and being on an SSRI?
> >
> > Depressants + Anti-Depressants = don't mix..
> >
> > but I do like to have the occasional drink, unfortunately.
>
> In my experience:
> ^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^
> Prozac, Zoloft, Serzone, Effexor - no problems.
> I know for sure that (at least in preclinical blah blah) Effexor and ethanol leave each other alone when they're sharing your brain.
>
> Wellbutrin - I got drunk after imbibing much less C2H5OH than it took to get me there before. And it was an unpleasant, bloated queasy-drunk. Bleh. Smoking (cigarettes) isn't much fun on this stuff, either.
>
> Remeron - Yowch. Like Wellbutrin, only much, much worse. I'd get very, very dizzy. I think it's Remeron's H1 blocking action that magnifies the effects of alcohol. One night, after an excessive but not unreasonable number of drinks, I took a dose and within fifteen minutes was hanging over a trash can.
>
> Lithium (+Zoloft) - Hehehe. This was fun to drink on. I was a cheap date, and without the bloating and queasiness that Wellbutrin and Remeron caused.
>
> Of course, YMMV. Drink carefully (and don't spill ;)), even though the "don't drink" label your pharmacy puts on your prescription bottle is probably just an extra cautious precaution.
>
> -pmI got a prescription for Ambien (As far as I know, used exclusively for induction of sleep), and the pharmacist put a label on it that said (Caution: May cause drowsiness). I said to him, "Does that mean that it may NOT cause drowsiness?). He didn't mind. He just smiled.
What song are those last two sentences from? Anyone know? Could it be American Pie?
Posted by kid_A on July 24, 2001, at 14:28:07
In reply to Re: Alcohol and Anti-Depressants » pellmell, posted by jojo on July 24, 2001, at 14:13:27
> I got a prescription for Ambien (As far as I know, used exclusively for induction of sleep), and the pharmacist put a label on it that said (Caution: May cause drowsiness). I said to him, "Does that mean that it may NOT cause drowsiness?).
How often do you take your Ambien? I suppose because I just may be a deviant drugdealer I can only get a total of 14 in one month that my insurance will cover... Obviously I don't take it every night... Just wondering what your dosage schedule is...
"May cause drowsiness..." lol....
ps. just to make this post relevant to the thread: ambien + alcohol = wake up next day at 4 in the afternoon... :)
Posted by pellmell on July 24, 2001, at 14:30:33
In reply to Re: Alcohol and Anti-Depressants, posted by KARAsweet on July 24, 2001, at 14:12:38
> I'm also curious if it depends on your dosage and how high you are..
>
> with zoloft I was up to 150 mg and alcohol did NOT mix well..
>I was on 200mg, and taking 900mg of lithium along with it after the second month. (As an aside, I think the hypothesis that LiO2 potentiates second-messenger systems has some merit: I started feeling better three days after it was added to the Zoloft. Of course, this evidence is highly antecdotal ;)) That was my first (diagnosed) major depressive episode, which was more than three years ago... Hmm. Maybe I don't remember me and Zoloft and alcohol as well as I thought. Anyway, like I said, YMMV.
>
> Thanks for some of the posts and information! Everyone be careful if you do decide to drink while on medication.
>Definitely good advice. I didn't mean to sound so gung-ho in my last post. Heh.
-pm
Posted by pellmell on July 24, 2001, at 14:32:55
In reply to Re: Alcohol and Anti-Depressants » pellmell, posted by jojo on July 24, 2001, at 14:13:27
>
> I got a prescription for Ambien (As far as I know, used exclusively for induction of sleep), and the pharmacist put a label on it that said (Caution: May cause drowsiness). I said to him, "Does that mean that it may NOT cause drowsiness?). He didn't mind. He just smiled.
>Hehehe... :) When I start cracking jokes to pharmacists, it's a certain sign that I'm feeling better. I hope it's the same for you.
-pm
Posted by Sierra on July 24, 2001, at 16:43:39
In reply to Alcohol and Anti-Depressants, posted by KARAsweet on July 24, 2001, at 11:35:47
I was on prozac for 8 years and could drink moderately without a problem. The first three of the years were during college and I found that I just had a hard time the next day. I have since changed medications and take effexor xr. I have found that I can only have about one drink a week or I will lapse into depression as if I was taking no medication at all. I have heard this extreme reaction only happens to a small percentage. I recommend starting with a drink at dinner and observe how you feel over the next couple of days. You may find that a moderate amount of alcohol has little to no effect on you.
Posted by L.Marie on July 24, 2001, at 19:20:53
In reply to Alcohol and Anti-Depressants, posted by KARAsweet on July 24, 2001, at 11:35:47
From all these post, it seems that alcohol + AD effect everyone differently.
Celexa: I was able to drink tons more than normal without feeling drunk or buzzed. It was a strange feeling - I was usually a lightweight - (two glasses of wine), but I was able to drink liquor with no prob.
Zoloft: 1/2 glass of wine and I'm drunk. I don't drink any more - the taste of alcohol has become unbearable.
Posted by jojo on July 24, 2001, at 21:38:35
In reply to Re: Alcohol and Anti-Depressants » jojo, posted by kid_A on July 24, 2001, at 14:28:07
> > I got a prescription for Ambien (As far as I know, used exclusively for induction of sleep), and the pharmacist put a label on it that said (Caution: May cause drowsiness). I said to him, "Does that mean that it may NOT cause drowsiness?).
>
> How often do you take your Ambien? I suppose because I just may be a deviant drugdealer I can only get a total of 14 in one month that my insurance will cover... Obviously I don't take it every night... Just wondering what your dosage schedule is...
>
> "May cause drowsiness..." lol....
>
> ps. just to make this post relevant to the
thread: ambien + alcohol = wake up next day at
4 in the afternoon... :)Every night I take 10 mg. of Valium about 10 PM,
and then 10 mg of Ambien around 11:15, and, if necessary, I may take another
10 mg. of either Valium or Ambien an hour later.
After 2AM,all bets are off, and I'll add another one of the above
and possibly a glass of wine. About
a year ago I had severe insomnia, and took 20 mg.
of Valium and 30 mg.of Ambien every night. The insurance
company was very unhappy with this, but after
many communications, we convinced them that that
combination was the safest of the alternatives,
and they paid for 90 x 10 mg. per month.
Posted by kid_A on July 24, 2001, at 23:15:57
In reply to Re: Alcohol and Anti-Depressants, posted by jojo on July 24, 2001, at 21:38:35
> >
> Every night I take 10 mg. of Valium about 10 PM,
> and then 10 mg of Ambien around 11:15, and, if necessary, I may take another
> 10 mg. of either Valium or Ambien an hour later.
> After 2AM,all bets are off, and I'll add another one of the above
> and possibly a glass of wine. About
> a year ago I had severe insomnia, and took 20 mg.
> of Valium and 30 mg.of Ambien every night. The insurance
> company was very unhappy with this, but after
> many communications, we convinced them that that
> combination was the safest of the alternatives,
> and they paid for 90 x 10 mg. per month.Wow, reason with an insurance company, I didn't know they were capable of reason...
Your insomina is much more extreme than mine, which wears it head haloed with pair of quotation marks, like, i have "inomnia", in that -mostly- accept when i am having a minor incidence of anxiety, i can get to sleep fine, but i wake up constantly and early... never a full nights rest...
Are you being perscribed anything else for the insomnia beside ambien? Ambien will definitely help you sleep, but doctors seem to think that there is an underlyng reason why we are noot sleeping well that relates to our mental well being...
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