margo

Hi Not ME! and welcome to the forums. See post #13 above for the quote from the official Paxil website of SmithKline Beecham regarding the use of alcohol while taking Paxil.

I have not heard of such extreme reactions, but that doesn't mean it can't happen. I strongly advise you to talk to your doctor about coming off Paxil first - don't attempt to do this alone. Coming off too quickly can be really unpleasant and a slow taper is best. In the meantime, I think it would be smart to avoid alcohol for now.

DaVinci2

I stayed off alcohol (At first) even though for some reason I craved it a bit more. I'm not addicted to alcohol but it was almost as though the meds made me want it more. Maybe that was in my head because I knew I WASN'T suppose to drink. My doctor told me that there were no serious adverse reactions. He said that if you have alcohol that one of the side-effects would be that you wouldn't be able to have a deep sleep and you would wake up the next day quite tired. This is true if you drink too much. I had one bad experience where I told myself "Just a glass of wine" but I didn't stick with that 1 glass. I drank quite a bit (Not as much as I could've) and had the worst sleep ever even though I drank plenty of water and felt good going to bed. Sleep is important in dealing with depression or anxiety I believe so that's why alcohol should be avoided. From what I've learned, a beer or glass of wine here and there won't cause any serious problems if you have a high tolerance for alcohol, but it certainly is counter productive.

In the end I think it's a personal choice. If I think I can have a glass of wine with my wife and stick to 1 glass, I'm fine. If I go to a party where there are a lot of people and friends with lots of beer, wine and cocktails being passed around, I'll stick with my diet coke and say it's a rum and coke. As for my business meeting occasions, I'm able to sip on a beer and say I drank too much the day before or something.

elizabeth1979

Interesting.

fuster

Hello, DaVinci2:

If you get a Coke or Pepsi on the rocks with a twist of lemon, no one can tell whether or not there is alcohol in there. If there is that social thing about others feeling insulted, etc., try getting the pop on the rocks with a twist of lemon. What is the worst that can happen? Maybe they ask you what you are drinking? Maybe you have to fudge a little on that answer. Better than the other alternative, right?

pedagogue

Good advice Fuster!

I sometimes drink socially and in a business setting, and it has never been a problem with anyone if I decide not to drink. It shouldn't take an explanation, but if you really don't want to deal with it, do the coke/diet coke idea. I always get a lime in mine anyway, so it is no different....well, minus the extra $4-$6 for the alcohol.

As for the Paxil + Alcohol.....it is probably best to not do it. "Can" you....probably, ,"should" you...probably not. The actual pharmacodynamics / pharmacokinetics is dependent on the person, dosage, frequency, alcohol intake, metabolism, etc. It can really vary, but there really isn't a good outcome, just a lack of a bad one.

-p

DaVinci2

There is no coke drink available at the Japanese style bars. It's beer, sake, wine, whisky (Without the coke). It's not the same drink menu as America. No vodka, rum, gin...unless you go to an American owned/themed bar. And, it's customary for the person paying for the dinner, usually my boss/client to do the orderiing.

cheeseburglar

This is what I'm getting too, people don't understand the culture. I think since this question is leveled at a board on soberrecovery, people are thinking maybe everyone's in recovery? I just got here via google.

In Japan, it's not really okay to be the odd man out. "The nail that sticks up gets hammered down" is the oft repeated phrase meaning just the opposite of "the squeaky wheel gets the grease". Anyone who's different or "does their own thing" is quickly dealt with, or ostracized. This will severely hurt your pocketbook if you work with Japanese citizens.

Since noone gets help here and noone with a problem wants to be noticed, admitting you take any medication means you're worse than weird and we're back to the previously mentioned issue.

Drinking with your boss and customers is not optional. You can in some cases decide how much or little to drink, but you can't turn it down. If you're going to have your own way, you must not want to progress and you'd better find another job where you can "play ball". Though I can't think of a job in Japan that doesn't entail drinking with the boss, whether you're male or female.

That aside, I too ended up wanting to drink more on Paxil. I'd get a interesting side effect that made smells stronger and made we want to be outside more. I think the Paxil can make the alcohol's effect much stronger and sometimes I'd end up in trouble where I wouldn't normally. I tried Wellbutrin/Zyban instead which gave me a rash, instantly stopped me wanting to drink so much and helped me take off the weight that Paxil put on. But it didn't help my anxiety at all so now I'm mixing both.

Does it do more damage? I haven't found anything on wikipedia or the net that says it does, and an advisement on a label is a pretty weak caution. They use other warnings when something is too dangerous to do while operating heavy machinery for example. Buyer beware though, drinking with Paxil comes on strong after you've been drinking a while sometimes and there's no refund if you embarrass yourself or someone calls the cops. =)

sparklingeyes

My fiancée died while he was on Paxil and drinking. They found him slumped over the steering wheel in his Fed Ex truck. Three days later his sister died from asphyxiation after drinking excessively. Alcohol is deadly.