Paroxetine interaction with alcohol
February 19, 2019 | 20,00 EUR | answered by Dr. med. Frauke Gehring
Hello,
I have been taking Paroxetine for 6 months. Lately, I have to admit that I have been drinking alcohol quite regularly. Sometimes even a bit too much!
My question is: Could it be that the medication is not working as a result of this? There are different opinions on the internet about this. I am specifically interested in the interaction with Paroxetine!
If that is the case, how long does it take for the medication to start working again? Of course, without alcohol. I do not have an alcohol addiction either!
Good day,
I would like to quote from the Arzneitelegramm: "Reports from Sweden indicate mental disorders occurring under antidepressant therapy with Paroxetine with moderate alcohol consumption, such as confusion and self-endangerment after 5 cl of schnapps in a 26-year-old woman with melancholic depression, and psychosis in a 50-year-old with a history of alcohol use. Two men became aggressive and had changes in personality when taking the combination. One of them initially took a taxi home from a party, but the subsequent drive in his own car ended in a triple rollover, with a blood alcohol concentration of 0.8 per mil".
Alcohol acts on the same receptors in the brain as Paroxetine, leading to an enhancement of alcohol's effects (and a decrease in the effects of Paroxetine) and potentially to intensified side effects of Paroxetine. It may take up to three weeks for the medication to become effective again, and (depending on the amount of alcohol consumed) even longer for the liver to recover from the double burden.
Therefore: Please do not combine them anymore!
Sincerely, Dr. Gehring
