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Zoloft and Alcohol

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Zoloft and alcohol can cause problems for some individuals. This combination disrupts neurotransmitter levels, especially norepinephrine and serotonin, by acting as an inhibitor during short-term drinking and as an agent stimulating its release. This medication treats various psychological problems, such as depression, panic disorder, generalized anxiety disorder, PTSD, and obsessive-compulsive disorder.

Their official website advises against mixing it with booze.

According to the NIH, consuming liquor alongside any antidepressant may exacerbate anxiety and depression, impair reasoning, and intensify drowsiness.

Side Effects

The side effects could include:

  •  Intensification of mood swings
  • Adverse impacts on psychomotor skills
  • Aggressive and impulsive behavior
  • Suicidal ideation

The co-consumption of these substances can lead to complex, unpredictable chemical reactions in the brain. Consequently, combining them may result in:

  • reduce reaction time
  • motor skills
  • judgment
  • concentration

Serotonin

Booze can interfere with serotonin receptor functioning, stimulating these receptors and causing a flood of it in the brain. This action also triggers the release of dopamine, norepinephrine, and other neurotransmitters associated with intoxication. Therefore, it may worsen hangover symptoms like: headache, nausea, dry mouth, body soreness, and even increase the likelihood of blackouts in people who do not typically experience them.

This drug promotes serotonin release by specific brain cell receptors that inhibit its release for reasons yet to be fully understood. Serotonin, one of the brain’s most vital activities, regulates mood, sleep, appetite, sex drive, and motivation.

Blackouts

Blackouts, or periods of alcohol-induced amnesia during which a person cannot recall anything they did, saw, or heard, may occur as Zoloft interferes with memory function. Generally, blackouts are experienced by heavy drinkers or binge drinkers, but its biochemical impact on the brain could make blackouts more frequent for those who mix the two substances.

Hangover

Additionally, it may exacerbate hangover symptoms. Beyond excessive thirst and headaches, a hangover can also result in: 

  • flu-like symptoms
  • abdominal pain or cramping
  • sensitivity to sounds and lights
  • dizziness
  • vertigo
  • lightheadedness
  • tremors
  • shakiness
  • irritability
  • anxiety
  • depression
  • rapid heartbeat

Pancreas

It is thought that antidepressants may interfere with normal pancreatic functioning responsible for regulating blood glucose. If your liver function is impaired due to booze consumption, you may struggle to clear this medicine from your body, increasing the potential for side outcomes.

Drinking for depression and anxiety may lead to an intense craving, as tolerance builds rapidly.

Liver

The National Institutes of Health report liver abnormalities in about one percent of those on this medication. However, the extent of detected liver abnormality from this drug is minimal and rarely necessitates discontinuation.

It’s well-documented that long-term ethanol abuse causes liver damage. Therefore, recovering alcoholics with moderate to severe cirrhosis who are prescribed may need to adjust their dosage due to impaired liver functioning, which inhibits the elimination from the bloodstream.

Long-term liquor consumption is damaging to the liver, often resulting in cirrhosis, a severe liver disease sometimes requiring a liver transplant. Many forms of liver injury are characterized by fibrosis, which is the excessive deposition of components in the liver. This response to liver injury can be reversible.

Taking this medication may increase certain liver enzymes, negatively impacting liver function. According to the National Institutes of Health, antidepressants, including tricyclic and monoamine oxidase inhibitors, account for up to five percent of clinical cases of liver injury.

Mixing these two substances could produce symptoms of  alcohol poisoning, as it heightens the depressant outcomes on the brain and body. A person would typically need to consume large amounts of it in a short period to experience it, but when it is involved, even a few mixed drinks could lead to emergency treatment for poisoning symptoms. As this drug remains in your body for an extended period, and since metabolic rates differ significantly among people, the impact of drinking and taking this medicine will also vary.

Overdose

Signs of overdose can include respiratory depression, arrhythmia, slurred speech, confusion, sudden hypotension, and even death in severe cases.

For those who have never taken it before, they may experience nausea, dizziness, and drowsiness. These symptoms typically subside within two to three weeks as serotonin levels stabilize in the brain. Overdosing may lead to seizures, manic episodes, muscle twitching or stiffness, hallucinations, and extreme agitation.

Depending on the amount consumed, patients could experience extreme physical reactions such as rapid heartbeat, hyperventilation, and profuse sweating. This medicine is not a controlled substance and does not carry the same addiction potential as ethanol.

Abrupt discontinuation of any antidepressant can trigger  withdrawal symptoms, especially if it has been taken for several months. Depression, anxiety, and feelings of panic can return within a few days of discontinuation. While liquor might temporarily alleviate anxiety and depression, these psychological issues will likely reemerge once the intoxication wears off.

Learn whether Zoloft is addictive or not.

At the same time, stopping abruptly can lead to a medical condition known as withdrawal syndrome, which can exacerbate these complications. Always discuss any changes to your  regimen with your healthcare provider.