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Depression Medication and Alcohol


Antidepressants and alcohol are normally considered to be a bad combination. Antidepressant medications work by increasing the serotonin activity in the brain. Since alcohol also acts upon chemicals in the brain, it is believed that the medications may increase the effects of alcohol.1


Fast Facts:

  • If you are going to drink alcohol while taking an antidepressant, it is important to use caution.1
  • See what psychiatrists say about mixing medications with alcohol.
  • Mixing alcohol with an antidepressant that is a monoamine oxidase inhibitor (MAOI) can be very dangerous, causing a dangerous spike in blood pressure, which can lead to a stroke.
  • If you are taking antidepressants, speak with your physician before drinking alcohol.2


The Top 10 Resources on Depression Medication and Alcohol

Selected by our Guides and Physician Review Team.

  1. Mayo Clinic: Antidepressants and Alcohol: What Is the Concern?
  2. ABC News: Can I Drink Alcohol When I Am Taking Antidepressant Medication?
  3. eMedTV: Do Alcohol and Antidepressants Mix?
  4. Go Ask Alice: Is It Okay to Drink Alcohol While on Zoloft? Question
  5. eHealthForum: Alcohol And Depression Medication Discussion
  6. About.com: Should I Avoid Taking Alcohol with My Medication?
  7. HealingWell: Antidepressants and Alcohol
  8. CrescentLife: Alcohol and Anti-depressants: May I Drink Alcohol While Taking Antidepressants? Question
  9. ArticlesBase: The Danger of Consuming Alcohol and Antidepressants

Nominate a Link

We have 9 top resources but need 1 more. Are there additional great links about Depression Medication and Alcohol that we should add here?



Research Notes References

  1. ↑ 1.0 1.1 eMedTV: Do Alcohol and Antidepressants Mix?
  2. ↑ Mayo Clinic: Antidepressants and Alcohol: What Is the Concern?

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Each WisdomCard is handcrafted by our team of physician-guided health advocates. Our goal is to make it easy for you to find the most useful health resources for any health topic. In addition to filtering out spam and bad links, WisdomCards highlight tips and warnings, such as:

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About WisdomCard

Meet our contributors and reviewers

  • Contributor: Tara
  • Reviewer: Emily Lapkin
  • Supervised by: The OrganizedWisdom Physician Review Team
  • Redirects: Alcohol and Depression Medication, Depression Meds and Alcohol, Depression Drugs and Alcohol, Alcohol and Depression Drugs, Alcohol and Antidepressants, Antidepressant Medication and Alcohol
  • Last update: Jul. 1, 2009

Each WisdomCard is handcrafted by our team of physician-guided health advocates. Our goal is to make it easy for you to find the most useful health resources for any health topic by filtering out spam and bad links.