If you start to have problems with your weight while taking fluoxetine, talk to your doctor or pharmacist. Your doctor will probably recommend reducing your dose gradually over several weeks if you have been taking fluoxetine for a long time. American Addiction Centers (AAC) is committed to delivering original, truthful, accurate, unbiased, and medically current information. We strive to create content that is clear, concise, and easy to understand. You can receive 24/7 text support right away and at your convenience. There is no obligation to enter treatment and you can opt out at any time.
If you are in a public place or do not have a secured ride home, this could lead to a dangerous situation for you. Combining alcohol with antidepressants could potentially be fatal. Alcohol can cause depression itself and also keeps some antidepressants from working as well as they should.
- Talk to your doctor or pharmacist if you’re unsure whether it’s safe for you to drive while taking fluoxetine.
- You should avoid or limit the use of alcohol while being treated with FLUoxetine.
- A doctor may recommend monitoring your liver enzymes to detect any issues.
- Medically supervised detox programs provide the medical support needed to ensure a safe and comfortable withdrawal from alcohol.
No long-term effects have been confirmed through research or studies. However, combining alcohol with selective serotonin reuptake inhibitors like Prozac can lead to several health risks. Mixing Prozac with brain-altering substances like alcohol can be harmful. In fact, it’s recommended that you avoid drinking alcohol while you’re on this medication.
Why is it bad to mix antidepressants and alcohol?
Prozac is metabolized by the liver and eliminated from the body via the kidneys. Mixing them can make it hard to distinguish what is causing symptoms, or it can make the side effects stronger.
Alcohol use impacts not only antidepressants but also depression itself.
Before beginning any new medication, it’s imperative to understand the drug and how it works thoroughly. It’s also essential to understand any side effects or interactions that may arise while taking the new medication. Some prescribed medications and over-the-counter drugs can have adverse reactions when taken with alcohol or other substances.
How long do you have to be off of Prozac before drinking?
When factoring in possible consequences of alcohol withdrawal, such as seizures and increased anxiety, the importance of a clinical setting increases. Withdrawal symptoms are serious, and adverse effects could occur if done alone. If you are addicted to alcohol, you may experience psychological and physical withdrawal symptoms when you try to stop or reduce how much you drink. Mixing alcohol with Prozac can worsen depression and alcohol abuse problems. It can also increase anxiety, potentially leading to suicidal thoughts and tendencies.
Prozac and Alcohol Effects
In larger amounts, alcohol or intoxication may lead to reckless or risky behavior, impaired judgment, depressive symptoms, and a lack of coordination. Short-term effects of excessive alcohol consumption include nausea, vomiting, and headaches. This antidepressant medication is a selective serotonin reuptake inhibitor (SSRI) [1]. Fluoxetine comes in capsules, tablets, and a liquid substance that is typically taken once per day. Drinking alcohol while taking antidepressants is generally not recommended because both of these substances can make you drowsy, less alert, and uncoordinated. However, since many patients are not willing to give up alcohol completely, it is important to combine alcohol and antidepressants in the safest way possible.
If you and your provider have discussed going off of Prozac, then you should probably wait around two weeks before drinking again if you wish to avoid mixing Prozac and alcohol. However, there are other considerations to make before making the decision to how to relax your mind after a ridiculously hard day at work drink again. Prozac and alcohol both pose certain risks to your health, with alcohol posing a higher risk to your liver overall. While research on liver damage from using Prozac and alcohol is minimal, there are other serious health risks to consider.
Therapy is important to treating symptoms of many different mental health disorders and conditions, but sometimes medications are needed to get symptoms under control. Prozac has been shown to successfully treat mental health conditions such as depression with fewer side effects than other antidepressants. While not common, liver injury has been linked to Prozac use in some people.
Antidepressants and alcohol: What’s the concern?
What’s more, mixing Prozac and alcohol comes with a risk of fluoxetine not working to its fullest. For example, if you are taking Prozac to treat depression, you run the risk of continued symptoms of depression when drinking alcohol. In some cases, it can even make symptoms of depression worse than when you started taking Prozac. Situated in the heart of St. Lucie County, our retreat-like environment provides a tranquil setting in which our patients can heal. We offer 24 hour mental health services provided by licensed professionals in various disciplines. The hospital has varying programs that can be tailored to patient needs, as well as the traditional 28 day inpatient treatment program for patients with dual diagnosis issues.
Researchers believe this is the most common cause of acute liver injury in the United States. For some, it’s deadly, especially when other variables expressive arts therapy are considered, including severe symptoms of depression. If you only drink occasionally, it is unlikely that you will experience alcohol withdrawal.
Drinking alcohol while taking Prozac can potentially make these side effects worse. Port St. Lucie Hospital is a 75-bed, inpatient mental health facility located on 20 acres near the beautiful Savannas Preserve. The easiest way to lookup drug information, identify pills, check interactions and set up your own personal medication records.
Prozac has many side effects, including the risk of suicidal thoughts. But it does suggest that the drug may reduce your desire to drink. If you are taking Prozac, you may be wondering how long you have to avoid alcohol. However, very rarely, they can be long lasting and may not get better even after stopping the medicine. Do not stop taking fluoxetine suddenly, or without talking to your doctor first. A few people may get sexual side effects, such as problems getting an erection or a lower sex drive.
Alcohol can interfere with the effectiveness of the medication and may exacerbate side effects. Major depressive disorder remains the most common psychiatric condition, affecting an estimated 10% to 15% of people in their lifetime. This mental is there a difference between a sober house and a halfway house health condition is also the most common co-occurring psychiatric disorder among people with alcohol use disorder or substance abuse. At Vertava Health, we offer effective inpatient polysubstance abuse addiction treatment programs.