Do not mix anti depressants with alcohol
 

No matter what anyone says about medication and drinking, no amount is safe
I used to be one of those people that ignored the warnings so I could drink. I've always had bad depression even before I started drinking but looking back on it now I can see the difference the alcohol was doing to me.
Alcohol is a depressant and will cancel out any positive effects your medication could be giving you.
I was mixing my medication with alcohol for 6 months and I have had 4 mental break downs or whatever you want to call it in that time, the last one landed me in hospital because I broke down and self harmed bad enough for treatment. I was drinking at the time.
I've rambled on enough, I just want people to think about what they are doing to themselves before something bad happens.

A good message for sure :)

I'm sorry you had to go through that TheOwl - how are you doing now?

D

I'm ok now, thanks :)

I just got on pristiq a month ago. The first two weeks drank every night, and smoked pot every day. Week three daily weed only and week four except I drank twice. Finishing week four with the total realization I'm an alcoholic, and addict, and today is my first day sober.
I thought the SNRI would make drinking better like it used to be years ago, and it was the first week. The second week I couldn't do much the day after drinking, and started feeling guilty for not taking the opportunity to get sober with the medication kicking in. Week three I realized I had a problem and didn't drink but smoked weed nightly. Week four realized I need meetings and help with both drinking and marijuana. Started utilizing this site.
I'm glad your doing ok. I've been hospitalized twice in the past 10 years due to meds and drinking in my life. Thanks for the reminder. Your not alone. It's very painful to go through.

Yes it is really dangerous to mix alcohol and psychotropic medication.

Unfortunately my alcoholic nature won out over reason a lot of the time and I ended up getting into a lot of trouble.

agree

I've been on sertraline (zoloft) for the last twenty years. When I was drinking, they did no good at all. After I got sober for good, the meds worked as they should. :)

This was my experience as well. Drinking alcoholically will cancel out the antidepressants, because of the effect large amounts of alcohol has on the brain. I know mine stopped working as soon as I started drinking too much.

Yes, there is still definitely that morning after crash regardless of any medications. I find it damages my self-esteem the next day as well. I feel like I was weak again and have hurt people and embarrassed them and myself, leading to further feelings of shittiness about myself in general.

I am a bipolar alcoholic that goes through intense drinking binges. The alcohol ruins the calming effects of mood stabilizers as well. Drinking while on meds has had huge repercussions in my life. I was recently drinking through a period of mania and destroyed my closest friendship. I was saying totally bizarre things, scaring and embarrassing her. I personally start yelling out rambling ideas like a lunatic when I'm drunk on my meds.

Even my neighbors are afraid of me, and laugh at me and scatter away from me because of the crazy behavior I've had walking down the street in a drunken mania :( Then, again, there is an overwhelming sense of shame the next day. It definitely takes a total commitment to health to make all this work!

Welcome to SR MerryBee! Thanks for sharing your experience :wink:

I was at my absolute worst angry manic mess when I was mixing alcohol and Zoloft. This was before we knew I was bipolar. I did better when I got on mood stabilizers, but alcohol basically undid the good the meds were doing. I couldn't get my anxiety under control at all. My psychiatrist actually refused to adjust my meds at one point because he said my problem wasn't the meds, it was the drinking. It is so much better now.