Why You Don"t Mix Antidepressants and Alcohol
There are few reasons while you should avoid any alcohol while taking antidepressants.
First of all, both alcohol and antidepressants affect the same brain chemicals.
While alcoholcan counteract your medications for depression, the antidepressants make your intoxication with alcoholic beverages twice as strong.
There is a strong connection between alcoholism and depression.
Imagine, that you drink and your medication stops working, you get more depressed and drink more, increase your depression and anxiety plus adding to it other serious health problems which you can expect from overindulging in alcohol.
Alcohol on its own can trigger depression disorder as it naturally lowers serotonin and noradrenaline levels in your brain.
It also contributes to vitamin B (B6, B12, folic acid) deficiency, which we know can make us depressed.
Some researchers say that alcohol, and drugs and stress likewise may trigger our depression gene, but this study is just in the process of development.
Several side-effects which are common in most of the antidepressant medications are sleepiness, drowsiness and motor functions impairment (your body doesn't react as you want it to or reacts much slower).
Alcohol only makes them stronger.
So, if you had a drink, do not operate heavy machinery, do not attempt to drive, don't smoke or you might wake up to a burning house after falling asleep smoking.
Some of the antidepressants, especially older generation like monoamine oxidase inhibitors (Phenelzine, Isocarboxazid, Tranylcypromine) apart from Moclobemide, lead to build up of amino acids in your blood, especially tyrosine.
High amounts of tyrosine case your blood pressure to skyrocket, which may turn fatal and give you a stroke.
Guess what is full of tyrosine? Beer, ale and red wine (especially, Chianti).
However, some antidepressant medications may allow you to drink small amounts of alcohol safely.
These are Fluoxetine, Citalopram, Paroxetine and Sertraline.
But I would strongly recommend you to consult with your doctor first as a lot of it depends on how your body normally reacts to alcohol and how quickly your liver and kidneys process it.
Most importantly, remember that taking antidepressants have to be continuous, so you can not stop them for a week or so while going on holidays and expecting to consume plenty of alcohol.
Alcohol and these drugs interactions can worsen your side-effects and your intoxication, and it will make you depression symptoms more severe.
First of all, both alcohol and antidepressants affect the same brain chemicals.
While alcoholcan counteract your medications for depression, the antidepressants make your intoxication with alcoholic beverages twice as strong.
There is a strong connection between alcoholism and depression.
Imagine, that you drink and your medication stops working, you get more depressed and drink more, increase your depression and anxiety plus adding to it other serious health problems which you can expect from overindulging in alcohol.
Alcohol on its own can trigger depression disorder as it naturally lowers serotonin and noradrenaline levels in your brain.
It also contributes to vitamin B (B6, B12, folic acid) deficiency, which we know can make us depressed.
Some researchers say that alcohol, and drugs and stress likewise may trigger our depression gene, but this study is just in the process of development.
Several side-effects which are common in most of the antidepressant medications are sleepiness, drowsiness and motor functions impairment (your body doesn't react as you want it to or reacts much slower).
Alcohol only makes them stronger.
So, if you had a drink, do not operate heavy machinery, do not attempt to drive, don't smoke or you might wake up to a burning house after falling asleep smoking.
Some of the antidepressants, especially older generation like monoamine oxidase inhibitors (Phenelzine, Isocarboxazid, Tranylcypromine) apart from Moclobemide, lead to build up of amino acids in your blood, especially tyrosine.
High amounts of tyrosine case your blood pressure to skyrocket, which may turn fatal and give you a stroke.
Guess what is full of tyrosine? Beer, ale and red wine (especially, Chianti).
However, some antidepressant medications may allow you to drink small amounts of alcohol safely.
These are Fluoxetine, Citalopram, Paroxetine and Sertraline.
But I would strongly recommend you to consult with your doctor first as a lot of it depends on how your body normally reacts to alcohol and how quickly your liver and kidneys process it.
Most importantly, remember that taking antidepressants have to be continuous, so you can not stop them for a week or so while going on holidays and expecting to consume plenty of alcohol.
Alcohol and these drugs interactions can worsen your side-effects and your intoxication, and it will make you depression symptoms more severe.
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