Posted by Derek on March 8, 2000, at 14:08:58
In reply to Re: Celexa and Alcohol , posted by Vicky on January 25, 2000, at 15:31:56
> > > I'm taking celexa primarily for anxiety, about 2 and a half weeks now. A couple days ago I drank too many beers and my whole day was changed. I had panic attacks more frequently and became very depressed. My doctor did caution against drinking while on this medication. But, in my opinion, everyone's reaction to medicines and alcohol or just one or the other, will always be somewhat different. Everyone's a product of their lifestyle and habits.
> > Agreed...some people do seem to have lowered tolerance for alcohol on SSRIs, so you need to reassess your tolerance if you plan to drink because it may be different. And then there are people who just can't drink at all on these meds and others who don't notice any change.
> > Putting unnecessary restrictions on people (like dietary restrictions, etc.) leads to poor compliance with meds, so I think that absolute restrictions like "never drink alcohol with this" ought to be avoided.
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> I visited this thread because I've just started taking Celexa and have found that I suddenly became totally turned off on alcohol--even the idea of drinking it. I don't think it's just suggestion--I think it's the way I feel with the drug. I was a pretty steady drinker, too--I like a glass of wine! So this is a very noticeable change.
I had two beers six hours prior to my first 20 mlg pill. Several hours later I became extremely sleepy. After waking from a two hour nap I found myself having adverse reactions from either the combination of alcohol and the prescription or simply from the drug itself. My pupils were completely dialated. I was flush and sweating profusely. I had rapid heartrate and shortness of breath. While most of the discomfort wore off by the following morning, I continued to have hot flashes on the back of my neck.
Naturally, I discontinued taking the drug. I do tend to think my adverse reaction was more due to some kind of allergic reaction to the drug itself rather than the mixture of alcohol. Althouh I would have to agree with some of the other responses against the combination. The goal is to overcome the dibilitating nature of depression. Why compromise such a recovery unecessarily.
poster:Derek
thread:1460
URL: http://www.dr-bob.org/babble/20000302/msgs/26375.html