Combinations - SSRI's + Alcohol

[Lehendakari]

I was started paxil for social anxiety. I think thats the best choice i've made in my life cause it really did me a normal person. I didn't go to a doctor, just read reports of people and auto-evaluate myself with social anxiety.

Anyway it start working pretty soon and its effects peak in 6 weeks. At that time I was so damn euphoric! Anxiety was 100% gone and when clubbing WOU!!!! Just a few dinks and I was superman. I could talk to any girl and make a good smart yet funny conversation, something that before paxil was impossible even with 300++ beers.

I realized I was pretty confident and people reacted in a very positive way to my behavior change. Girls I've never would have dreamed I had a chance were actually very esay to get and that was the best time of my life even though my sex drive was a bit out. (SORRY for my English)

Anyway, anyone had experienced this??? Alcohol + paxil = best combination ever.

[SmokeCrystal]

Paxil sure did lower alcohol tolerance, but after a short while swim found the effects got very negative. Swim found that this combo brought out a very dark, suicidal, and sometimes homicidal side that scared him greatly. Swim had to stop taking paxil, after a day of drinking that ended in a couple regrettable crimes being committed and a bicycle accident which left swim to regain consciousness some time later, lying in a puddle bleeding from the head and leg. If paxil doesn’t make you crazy, enjoy it. But be careful, problems from paxil are common.

[Richard_smoker]

hmm... zamu, just out of curiosity, how long have you been taking the drug? I guess I'm playing devil's advocate here, but I wonder if you are experiencing a manic episode from the SSRI? By any chance, during this time of euphoria and you having learned to be a great conversationalist without social inhibitions--have you been acting in ways that are increasingly reckless and daring compared to the way you were before?? have you ever found yourself doing strange things going on shopping sprees or getting speeding tickets or accidents?? You don't need to answer here, but you should think hard and be honest with yourself about the answers to these questions.

If you have--and actually, even if you haven't--you really need to see a doctor and have him/her monitor your moods and personality to make sure they're not really volatile without you even knowing it. Just like smoke said, taking these kinds of drugs can change your personality and make you do things you wouldn't normally do. I wouldn't worry about what the doc thinks. They shouldn't be concerned about giving you Paxil or any one its other relatives (that is, if you were worried about it to begin with--you said you didn't obtain the drug from a doctor). There are a lot of different options of drugs that are all very similar in action (all SSRIs), but certain ones have extremely weird and noticeable side effects based totally on the individual, and no one knows why different people react to different drugs the way they do. They can be really weird like that. And you don't want to be left stranded if this drug suddenly flips directions and takes you for a tailspin.

[Lehendakari]

Richard I took paxil for about 3 months, then I stopped because I was very confident and feeling great. I thought I had learn how to be happy.
There were a few withdrawal symptoms but nothing unbeareable.

The happy feeling last for another 3 moths including the alcohol induced euphoria. After 3 month I was myself again. Alcohol intake did not have any effect. I didnt feel bad but not as good as when on paxil. I started paxil again for another 3 months and quit. Im off it 2 years now.

As a matter of fact I did have an accident and a few tickets and when I look back I realize that my behavior was very dangerouse and that I did a lot of stupid things that I could have regret. My friends often comment on the fact that I was a different person and they were surprised. I didn't act weird when I wasn't drunk though.

I think overall Paxil did great for me. It made me a new positive person. Im off it 2 years now but I do miss that euphoric feeling and those nights of chatting with the ladys.

I'm still trying to find a good substitute (sceletium rhodiola picamilon kava).
No luck yet

[Richard_smoker]

Well, that all sounds like enough evidence to put a serious inquiry into bipolar disorder (aka manic-depressive). This disease has gotten so much bad press/bad publicity that it seems that no one wants to go to the doctor to get diagnosed and treated.

If this were your problem, it is likely that you might notice and remember predominant feelings of depression rather than elation in your normal drug-free state--with the obvious exception of when you were on the Paxil.

My point is that there are some new drugs out designed to treat BPD (i.e. you won't have to take lithium). These drugs are often targeted to stabilizing your moods--much like the Paxil, but without endangering yourself and others by causing mania or hypomania. Many times, physicians will prescribe an antidepressant like the one you were on in combination with something else. If you then have trouble with anxiety, sleep, aggravation/irritability, then they might throw in some clonazepam as well (klonopin). One good thing about these kinds of therapies is that when you find the one that works well for you, then you will stay on that regimen indefinitely... so no more 3 months up, 3 months down, 3 months regular, etc.

Just something to think about. I'm certainly not saying that you're bipolar. I believe that bipolarity is an extreme version of normal nature. Everything in life has its opposites. The earth is bipolar. If there's an up, there must be a down, etc. It's when your life is made complicated or if you or your loved ones are suffering from your sadness or inability to level-out... that's when a caring, thoughtful doc who listens, and an appropriate drug treatment can really do a phenomenal job--possibly giving you a new lease on life.

[Unsolved]

The best ssri to be on for drinking is zoloft hands down. It's been well know to lower tolerance to Alcohol. Plus I used to do it all the time and I never really had any bad side effects from doing this. The only thing I did notice however was the next day you do get some feelings of depression and maybe a little more hangover like symptoms.

[Lehendakari]

Actually paxil had an energizing effect on me when drunk. Alcohol on its own tends to make me drowsy and I don't feel too euphoric.

When I was on paxil it was a different story. I could drink a lot and have a lot of energy and euphoria. And a lot more disinhibition too.

Still trying to find a good substitute for paxil. No luck yet.

[mynameisshaun]

SWIM was recently prescribed 10mg Celexa ( SSRI ) 4 days ago. SWIM takes this everynight before he goes to sleep. Before being prescribed this SSRI, SWIM smoked marijuana everyday and also dabbled in Ecstasy, Alcohol, DXM, and cocaine bi weekly.

My question is this... SWIM is supposed to be attending a party in 3 days. He's debating wether or not he should drink alcohol considering the fact that he doesn't know how SSRI's will react to the alcohol. Would it be safe to do so in moderation?

Also, could someone tell me if SSRI's diminish the effects of marijuana, cocaine and alcohol?

I'm interested in any information that concerns the effects of SSRI's and the street drugs I have listed above in my post. Thank you so much.

[Abrad]

SSRIs with alcohol is fairly safe, you may feel a little more drunk. With ecstasy SSRIs will negate the positive effects of MDMA, leaving mostly negative side effects, jaw clenching, stimulation etc., not worth it IMO. SSRIs with DXM is a potentially lethal combination, stay away. No interaction with weed, SWIM isn't sure about cocaine but thinks it will not have any interaction because coke works on dopamine while SSRIs block the reuptake of serotonin. Maybe someone can elaborate on this though.

[kemistudent]

SSRI's and EtOH are not good together, but not so much because of intensifying effects, but rather diminished effects of the SSRI. Just like antibiotics, you have to take the SSRI's on a EtOH free diet, for them to be effective. Being you just started them I wouldn't stress over it any. I drank many nights on SSRI's, but then again, I also had my share of overly depressed days afterwards.

As far as any other drug, you may notice a dimished effect of cocaine and MD compounds as these drugs act on the same receptor sites as the SSRI's. The cocaine may be iffy though, the MD's, I know for sure will be dimished.

[Unsolved]

Yes and if your friend is very depressed please be careful. Mixing SSRI's and any kind of alcohol can cause depression the whole next day. I'm not sure why this happens but it is definetly noticable if you suffer from depression.

[skitz0frantic]

I was on paxil for a bit, and yeaaaaah, a few drinks and wow. I don't want to compare it to MDMA... nothing compares to MDMA haha, but the euphoric sense of ruling the world is definitly there. I DON'T recommened scoring some paxil pills for a night and drinking... it's an SSRI, takes AT LEAST two weeks to start working. If you're on them regularly, alcohol does have mad effect on you, it feels damn good.

---just a note.. reason I got off the paxil was I didnt like not feeling anything, happy,sad,mad.. u know. and let's just say delay beyond a reasonable point in the bedroom. I'l leave it at that, Peace.

[bewilderment]

I don't believe that if one begins to behave in a slightly manic way when on an SSRI then you are bipolar. If you begin to have psychotic episodes while on an SSRI then you probably are bipolar. I am not bipolar, but I find that when I take SSRI's I have a lot of increased energy and can sometimes behave in a somewhat hypomanic fashion. However, my wife does have bipolar disorder and when she took SSRI's she became delusional and began hallucinating. SSRI's can tend to have sort of amphetamine-like effects. I also behaved recklessly when I was on Zoloft for the first time. For example, I regularly sped up to 120mph on the interstate until I got caught...I was only going about 100mph that day in a 60mph zone, but I think the policeman had mercy on me because I'm a nice little white girl and I had my dog and my wife in the car with me. He cited me at about 90mph and gave me a $400 ticket though. But, I don't know maybe I'll develop bipolar later in life, but I certainly wouldn't consider myself so now. I've been on Paxil before, but it didn't have the same effect. I just felt dull.

As far as SSRI's and alcohol, I can say that Zoloft does decrease my tolerance to alcohol.

[nanobrain]

ah, SSRI's. overprescribed and misprescribed as fuck, for conditions ranging from neuropathic pain to god damn canine flipping depression, these cash cows pushed and milked by the Bigpharma are, i contend, the overall most toxic class of substances to be administered to a functioning human system. unethical, unnnecessary chemical brainwashing.

and paxil is one of the, if not the worst in this class. i am glad you are off that shit.

[Lehendakari]

Originally Posted by nanobrain

ah, SSRI's. overprescribed and misprescribed as fuck, for conditions ranging from neuropathic pain to god damn canine flipping depression, these cash cows pushed and milked by the Bigpharma are, i contend, the overall most toxic class of substances to be administered to a functioning human system. unethical, unnnecessary chemical brainwashing.

and paxil is one of the, if not the worst in this class. i am glad you are off that shit.

Actually, it saved my life and I know it's been helpful for a lot of people so I'm glad I took it but I sure know it's no harmless drug.

I'm not defending big pharma company's which I hate but I think paroxetine healing properties should be acknowledged.

I just took it for 6 moths. I stopped cause my mental performance was badly affected and thought I didn't need it anymore.

[Nagognog2]

Could you explain how your mental performance was affected from this drug? Such is valuble information for others that might be experiencing similar problems. And what was quitting taking it like? Did you have any withdrawl? Side-effects? Do tell, please.

[Lehendakari]

I wouldn't say paxil causes mental impairment. It's more like an amotivational syndrome. I just didn't give a damn about exams, work or any other activity which wasn't going out and meeting new people.

It turns off that alarm inside you that tells when to stop the fun and get to work. Other than that, I don't remember feeling dumber, just lacier and more irresponsible. My memory skills weren't affected either (I think).

The only side effect I got was delayed ejaculation and low libido. My friend MJ helped with that. I also felt "weird" when I yawned the first week of treatment.

Withdrawal: easy. A few annoying brain zaps which lasted for 2 weeks and vivid dreams. Libido is back. Easy ejaculation.

My advice: try to quit cold turkey and take small amounts when you feel uneasy. Try to hold it as much as possible. This should sort you out If you haven't been taking it for too long (3-6 moths).

After treatment: I spent 3 moths feeling good then I felt like my oldself but more socially phrone and optimistic

[leafySeaDragon]

Hey... I'm not sure if Zoloft is an SSRI (pretty sure it is).

Anyway, SWIM is supposed to be on a perscription of 150mg Zoloft a day... SWIM decided to suddenly stop taking it for a few weeks, just because a few rough times made SWIM basically "quit" everything, and not bother to deal with medication.

Also , SWIM has started drinking a lot more.

The question is, should SWIM try to go back on 150mg of Zoloft right away, after skipping nearly a month of doses? Also, has the Zoloft been "purged" from SWIM's body?

SWIM wonders this because SWIM seems to be more of a "heavyweight" drinker even though she is slight in stature, and requires more alcohol to get drunk than she did before taking Zoloft... SWIM isn't sure if the Zoloft has anything to do with this.

Sorry, SWIM does not know much... Any advice would be beneficial!

Reputation Comments on this post:

Using SWiM from the word go! Welcome aboard! Nice username too!

[Lehendakari]

Zoloft (as other ssri's) is known to lower dramatically alcohol tolerance. This doesn't mean necesarilly that you get pissed easier, it's just that booze feels more fun. If you quit cold turkey your tolerance probably increased due to some sort of rebound or withdrawal effect so you can drink more.

I have a few experiences with paroxetine (another ssri) and I can tell you alcohol is not the same since I quit. Paroxetine is also known to promote alcohol cravings even in non-alcoholic subjects.

I can't give you advice about resuming zoloft, you should probably talk to your doctor about that, but I can tell you ssri's induces changes in your brain biochemistry and it takes at least a month to return to baseline, depending on how long you've been taking it. I could feel paroxetine effects for 3 months after quiting.

It's good that you look for advice here, there is valuable information in the forum and please be carefully with ssri's and alcohol, they are both dangerous drugs.

[Nagognog2]

Is SWIM prescribed the zoloft for treating alcoholism? If not - do not take it to treat that.

What was the zoloft prescribed for? Has that situation changed? If so, then the zoloft should be discontinued. But now SWIM has a new problem - alcohol.

This is an issue that SWIM needs to bring up with the doctor, or another doctor for that matter. It sounds like SWIM and zoloft had a poor relationship with each other. A second opinion is certainly in order here. Drag SWIM to a new doctor and explain what you have explained here.

[Micklemouse]

I'll second Nag's advice there, & add a few questions & points too...

Firstly, under no circumstances restart SWiYour Zoloft (Sertraline, Lustral(tm) in Briton) at 150 mg. Starting on too high a dose may cause very pronounced side effects, especially with regards to over-stimulation & agitation. After a month or thereabouts most of the sertraline should be flushed out from SWiYour system (halflife 24-26 hours, metabolite Desmethylsertraline (a weak but still active SSRI) 62-104 hours), although factors such as ones own metabolism, diet & length of time on the medication may also play a part. Basically if SWiYou do restart Sertraline, it should be considered starting from scratch, & therefore should be done under medical supervision & from the lowest therapeutic dose (depending on what it has been prescribed 25 - 50 mg daily).

Again this should be discussed with a doctor, but does SWiYou really feel you need to re-start the antidepressant? Has there been a recurrence of symptoms, outside of the depressive qualities of alcohol? If SWiYou has done a successful cold turkey from it, without too many adverse effects - not recommended! - then well done! If SWiYou weren't entirely happy with how SWiYou felt on Sertraline (many people aren't!), then there is no reason why it should be re-started. If SWiYou feels that an antidepressant is still needed, talk to SWiYour doc about alternatives, telling him/her exactly what the problem was with the Sertraline, how long it's been since it was discontinued, how SWiYou've been since discontinuation - including the increased use of alcohol, any changes in mood, sleep, appetite, motivation, thought processes, etc. Any decent doc should be asking these questions anyway, but some don't - too busy, lazy, willing to hand out the Smarties to keep well in with Big Pharma, whatever.

It sounds to me like SWiYou're using alcohol as a form of self-medication (correct me if I'm wide of the mark), or have maybe become so used to being medicated that feeling normal & alive after antidepressants is a bit of a shock to the system. Keep an eye on the use of alcohol for this - remember that although alcohol can be stimulating, relaxing, & take the edge off the hum-drum & sometimes spiky reality of day-to-day life, it is also a powerful depressant, & relying on it could lead to a depressive episode which could have possibly been avoided. The trick here is awareness of Self, of symptoms, of one's relation with one's drug/ medication of choice, of when to stop, of when to get help if stopping becomes hard. Also, as Zamu pointed out, SSRI's do tend to lower tolerance to alcohol, & can have some odd reactions with it. It may be that SWiYou is just finding SWiYou're natural tolerance to alcohol, which changes over time anyway - with age, physical fitness, diet, mood, familiarity, flavour of alcohol.

SWiYou're allowed to have bad days - generally they pass if SWiYou lets them, & doesn't fall into the trap of thinking that one bad day means a relapse. It takes practise, but it can be done. That said, if a bad day turns into a bad week, or longer, & SWiYou finds themselves not getting out of bed, not eating, plagued by dark & unhelpful thoughts, whatever the warning signs & symtoms are for SWiYou, then get some help. It's nothing to be ashamed of. It happens. It's harsh, but it happens, & 99.9999% of the time it's dealable with & people come out of the other side.

Best of luck!

Reputation Comments on this post:

Another brilliant post Mouse!

[leafySeaDragon]

Originally, SWIM was perscribed Zoloft after being diagnosed with Borderline Personality Disorder... SWIM never really researched it, but it all started when SWIM had to go to the ER after purposely burning her hand in scalding water out of anger - so alcohol was not the prime factor.

However, now alcohol is likely a form of self-medication - SWIM never thought of it that way before but it does make sense.
SWIM might be building up a tolerance of sorts to alcohol. That seems more likely than Zoloft reacting to it, because wouldn't SWIM have more of a reaction to alcohol if that was the case?

Either way, SWIM is considering seeing the doctor again. Not sure about taking antidepressants, SWIM was worried that Zoloft would somehow magically take away her personality and creativity.

(SWIM thanks you for this help!!)

[Micklemouse]

Was that a one off? If so, a diagnosis of BPD after one isolated incident of self-harm is ridiculous! You deserve some sort of explanation from your doctor mate!

Gotta run now, but will post more later. Watch this space....

[Lehendakari]

Originally Posted by Micklemouse

Was that a one off? If so, a diagnosis of BPD after one isolated incident of self-harm is ridiculous! You deserve some sort of explanation from your doctor mate!

Gotta run now, but will post more later. Watch this space....

I totally agree, doctors are too prone to prescribe ssri's as lollipops and diagnose mental diseases without a minimum of research or listening.

Remember, alcohol and ssri are like hitting the tv when it's broken. Sometimes it fixes the problem but most probably it will get worse and worse. Don't know if this analogy makes sense to you but anyway BE CAREFUL.

Reputation Comments on this post:

Nice analogy mate! Wish I'd thought of it, & will be stealing it! ;-]

[Nahbus]

SWIM used to be perscribed Zoloft and drank all the time on it. Everytime he drank on Zoloft he would have a horrible hangover the next day, though. Other than that, he noticed nothing different.