JuliannaMKH Posted November 4, 2006 Share Posted November 4, 2006 Hey y'all. My husband was recently prescribed effexor for anxiety and depression. The doc told him that if he wanted to have a few beers with it that was fine. (This is contrary to everything I've ever read about the drug.) Last night he had a whiskey sour and three beers. It was really scary last night because he was kind of passing out sitting up and acting more drugged than drunk. This morning he was still somewhat dopey and said that if he concentrated on one thing for too long he got double vision. I put him back in the bed and he's been sleeping for the last three hours. Oh, and I had a bad panic attack last night while he was sleeping because I was afraid he was going to die and ended up sitting in the bathroom and rocking for an hour. Has anyone else here had an experience like this? Am I right about my gut telling me I ought to haul his ass to the emergency room? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
trg247 Posted November 5, 2006 Share Posted November 5, 2006 I drink every once in a while on effexor (150mg) and what I found is it does not take too much to feel the alcohol, pretty much anything you drink times it by two. So your husband had six beers and two whiskey sours the way I see it trg247 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Velvet Elvis Posted November 5, 2006 Share Posted November 5, 2006 I've never been on that one but I've drank on many similar meds. Most of the time when when the pharmaceutical companies warn against it it is due to a lack of testing. They don't want to get sued if he turns into a badger or something. If it's like similar ADs, in all likelihood it will cut tolerance in half and double the hangover, which is about what you reported. Generally if you're going to drink on a new med it's best to take it SLOW the first time and not be in public. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Bernard Posted November 5, 2006 Share Posted November 5, 2006 I'm on 150mg and I had two glasses of wine last night and it has left me feeling down and grumpy today. I think that alcohol on Effexor-XR really bombs me out. It's as thought the depressant effects of alcohol are enhanced by the drugs. I have no medical grounding for this, it is just how I feel. I also find that I feel really tired and groggy really quickly after a drink on Effexor. I spoke to my doc about this and he said that it is normal and that one drink occasionally is ok but that alcohol should really be avoided while you are on an anti-depressant programme because it is detrimental to your good progress. Hope this is helpful Bern Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Velvet Elvis Posted November 5, 2006 Share Posted November 5, 2006 FWIW Alcohol is a central nervous system depressant. That does not mean it contributes to symptoms of clinical depression. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JuliannaMKH Posted November 5, 2006 Author Share Posted November 5, 2006 He finally seemed somewhat normal when he woke up this morning but now he's decided to go for an early morning whiskey sour. I'm looking for a convienent wall to beat my head against. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Bernard Posted November 7, 2006 Share Posted November 7, 2006 umm what does FWIW MEAN? :s Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Bernard Posted November 7, 2006 Share Posted November 7, 2006 Thanks Tom. I'm not as internet savvy as I'd like to be. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
learningtolive Posted November 26, 2006 Share Posted November 26, 2006 I am on Effexor XR 225mg. Occasionally I will drink a glass of wine. It makes me groggy and usually quite cranky. I sometimes feel groggy the next morning too, but not beyond my ability to deal with it. I would say the alcohol affects me probably twice as fast as it normally would. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Maceo Posted November 26, 2006 Share Posted November 26, 2006 when i was on 112.5mg of Effexor-XR alone i drank a fair bit and it was fine i just got drunk quicker. i think generally its a good idea to stay completely sober while ur taking antidepressants because booze can exacerbate depression and we really dont know what its doing to our bodies. i have stopped drinking since starting Remeron. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
NYPaintLady Posted November 27, 2006 Share Posted November 27, 2006 when i was on 112.5mg of Effexor-XR alone i drank a fair bit and it was fine i just got drunk quicker. I am on Effexor, currently 300mg, and have been for 6+ years. I do drink occasionally and I find that it takes a lot more alcohol for me to feel the effects of it. If I do get a good buzz going, it doesn't last as long as it did pre-effexor. As with most meds, it affects different people differently. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
december_brigette Posted November 27, 2006 Share Posted November 27, 2006 Hi, I think effexor xr turned me into an alcoholic. prior to taking it i usually had 2-3 glasses of wine a week. when i started the effexor xr it turned into 3-4 glasses a day. I know this is a bit controversial. but thats what happened, and when i started tirating off effexor xr onto paxil the drinking somewhat slowed down...but i was still drinking daily. that was about 2 years ago. good luck, december Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Maddy Posted November 27, 2006 Share Posted November 27, 2006 You may want to take a look at this thread: http://www.crazyboards.org/forums/index.php?showtopic=14850 It's not exclusive to Effexor, but basically all meds / drugs. Legal and illegal. Basically, if it acts on your brain -- alcohol will interact with it on some level. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
dutch_tony Posted November 29, 2006 Share Posted November 29, 2006 I was on efexor for a few years and that time (eight years ago) I drank like a (...euhm what kind of expressions do you have in English?) Whatever. I drank an awfull lot. Never had any problems... Altough it beter not to do I think. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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