Alcohol on sertraline bad aftermath

Posted , 4 users are following.

hi all! i started on sertraline 7 weeks ago, i got increased to 125mg 9 days ago, i am hugely sensitive to the meds, i very stupidly on saturday drank quite a bit of alcohol, beer, prosecco and cocktails! 2 days later im feeling worse awful depressed feeling heightened anxiety and worsened intrusive thoughts, im panicking that im getting worse or is it the alcohol? its just with it being 2 days later thats all it seems a bit of a delayed reaction, any experiences or advice welcomed 😃

0 likes, 3 replies

3 Replies

  • Posted

    Hello, it may be that the alcohol has impacted the sertogenic activity of the Sertraline as Alcohol is a depressant. 2 days leadtime is quite typical of impact but you should hopefully be feeling better in a few days again. If you are still feeling unwell in a few days it might be just natural reaction to doseage increase. It often takes at least 2 weeks to settle on a new doseage change and you often feel worse before feeling better again. Try to stay calm, exercise, listen to music and drink plenty of water. Hopefully you will be feeling better again soon. I gave up alchohol completely a few years ago. Both alcohol and caffeine are really bad for anxiety generally. When you go out, try Peroni 0% alcohol. It's really nice 😉

  • Posted

    Hey Chelsea!

    I am sure its the alcohol, and not you getting worse. Also, note that you said you feel worse....which could be an indication that you were starting to improve, even if you didn't think you were.

    Don't beat yourself up over it; you are 24 years old and should be able to let your hair down and have a drink once in a while. Just be aware that you may pay for it for the next day or two. I'm not encouraging you to drink whilst on antidepressants, but fyi over the last 15 years I drank regularly, several bottles of wine a week. I have cut back massively now, and only have a glass of cider or a beer on the odd occasion, but I just wanted to reassure you. I'm guessing it gave you a bit of respite at the time, and when you are facing a daily battle like we are, sometimes we need it to keep going.

    xxx

  • Posted

    I remember my daughter having the same reaction - usually the day after she drank - ugh, it was like "black Sunday" if she went out on Saturday. I kept telling her that the alcohol was interfering with the meds. IT was like she would crash. I think once you even out and start to improve this doesn't happen as much.

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