Can You Drink Alcohol While Taking Prozac
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It's winter, the days are getting shorter, and it always seems dark. Suddenly, our interests become less exciting, we don’t have the energy to socialize, and everything feels a little dull and gray.
This is an incredibly common scenario — hundreds of millions of people worldwide experience depression every year, and many more go undiagnosed. Luckily, there is a huge variety of treatments to help ease symptoms. The most common medication used to treat depression is called fluoxetine, also known as Prozac. It works quickly: symptoms typically start to improve after a few weeks, and for many of us, the color starts to come back into life.
Let’s imagine that we start taking Prozac, start to feel better, and decide to resume our life. Things are looking up, and we finally feel up to socializing. So, we decide to accept our friend’s invitation to a cocktail party — but is it safe to drink alcohol while we are on Prozac?
In this blog, we’ll learn how Prozac interacts with alcohol and worsens depression. Let’s look at the science and explore alcohol-free activities that can help us cope with depression.
Selective serotonin reuptake inhibitors (SSRIs) are a class of medication commonly used to treat depression and anxiety disorders. Common SSRI medications include Lexapro, Prozac, Zoloft, or Paxil. The U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) has approved the use of SSRIs to treat the following conditions:
SSRIs work by boosting the effectiveness of the neurotransmitter serotonin, which plays a critical role in regulating our mood, emotions, appetite, memory, sleep, and social behavior. Serotonin is often referred to as the “happy” chemical. That happiness we feel from spending time with a friend or walking in nature is the result of an increase in serotonin in the brain.
After being produced, serotonin latches onto nearby neurons to trigger signals to different parts of our brain. Our body often produces more serotonin than we actually need, and our brain remedies this surplus through a natural process called reuptake, in which it reabsorbs and recycles the extra serotonin. SSRIs inhibit the reuptake of serotonin, leaving more hanging around to latch onto brain cells and boosting signal triggering.
People with depression and anxiety disorders often have a reduction in serotonin production. By inhibiting the reuptake process, SSRIs help give that smaller amount a chance to bind to nearby cells before reuptake can happen.
Prozac is an SSRI prescribed to treat depression, OCD, and panic disorders. It helps people with mood disorders, but as with all medications, there are trade-offs. Some common side effects associated with Prozac include the following:
Not everyone will experience these side effects, although most of us will experience at least one. If they are too unpleasant, our doctor may recommend discontinuing the medication, after which the side effects should clear up.
Minor side effects are common with Prozac, however, there are also some serious potential side effects that require immediate medical attention.
Speak with your doctor or pharmacist if you are concerned about the side effects associated with your Prozac prescription — and always be honest about what substances you are taking.
Coping with alcohol may seem like a good solution because of the temporary relief it provides. However, drinking alcohol will actually make our depression worse! Here are some reasons why:
When we drink regularly, our brain compensates for the increased dopamine, GABA, and serotonin. Our brain adapts to this new chemical landscape altering the receptors available to these neurotransmitters, making it harder for us to have those positive feelings. These changes in our brain make us more susceptible to depression (luckily, this effect is reversible!).
All of this neurochemical chaos is more dramatic when we introduce other drugs, including SSRIs.
As we’ve learned, alcohol and SSRIs both influence the function of serotonin by making it more effective. Increased serotonin levels in turn can increase levels of dopamine and GABA. When we introduce both substances in the brain, they amplify one another’s side effects, including the following:
While some alcohol-Prozac interactions are merely unpleasant, some can actually be dangerous.
The combination of alcohol and Prozac may not sound too threatening, but mixing the two can be extremely dangerous at heavy levels of use. As we previously learned, alcohol can enhance the side effects of Prozac. Let’s discover some of the dangers related to using an SSRI and alcohol at the same time.
Drinking alcohol while taking Prozac poses a serious risk to our overall health. Since most of these dangers aren’t necessarily life-threatening, is it safe to drink alcohol while taking Prozac?
While there’s no warning label on Prozac that says drinking alcohol is an immediate danger to our life, it’s not recommended to drink alcohol while on Prozac. Having a couple drinks while taking Prozac may not be life-threatening, but we might feel drunker faster or develop more intense feelings of depression or anxiety.
Ultimately, we are taking Prozac to improve our depression and anxiety. Alcohol is scientifically proven to increase depression and anxiety. If we want our symptoms to improve, it’s best to take a break from alcohol.
If we do want to drink, there are a few ways to mitigate risks and limit alcohol’s negative effects.
Following these tips will allow us to enjoy an occasional drink without counteracting the Prozac too much. However, for Prozac to be fully effective, it’s best to stop drinking altogether. Let’s talk about some other ways to unwind or have fun without alcohol!
As we learned, it is best not to drink alcohol while on Prozac. The good news is, there are still plenty of ways to be social and have fun without alcohol!
SSRIs such as Prozac are used to treat depression and anxiety disorders by blocking the reuptake of serotonin. Drinking alcohol with depression or anxiety can worsen symptoms and decrease the effectiveness of Prozac. For these reasons, it’s best to avoid drinking while taking Prozac. Thankfully, there are many ways to thrive without alcohol!
1. Is Prozac an SSRI?
Yes, Prozac (a.k.a. fluoxetine) is an SSRI. It’s used to treat depression and anxiety.
2. Is it bad to drink alcohol when depressed?
Yes! Drinking alcohol when depressed can make your symptoms of depression worse.
3. What happens if you drink alcohol on Prozac?
Drinking alcohol while on Prozac can lead to drowsiness, poor decision making, decreased motor coordination, and enhanced side effects.
4. Can I drink a little alcohol while on Prozac?
It is not recommended to drink while on Prozac, but if you stick to fewer than two drinks, avoid binge drinking, and give yourself alcohol-free recovery days, an occasional drink is unlikely to be life-threatening.
5. Can I skip my antidepressant to drink?
Do not skip your antidepressant medication without consulting your doctor! Abruptly stopping your antidepressant can lead to withdrawal or harmful effects.
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