Effects of alcoholic beverages on patients taking Venlafaxine

Posted , 6 users are following.

Sorry if this is the subject of an existing discussion thread, but I am wondering what effects alcohol might have on patients taking Ven. I suspect that there are many factors, including dosage prescribed, physical condition, and amount of alcohol consumed in a particular timeframe. My Patient Description info simply states "Avoid alcoholic beverages"!! (Avoid is a pretty strong wordcheesygrin).

Does anyone have experience with this issue?

Thanks

0 likes, 5 replies

5 Replies

  • Posted

    Hi Lloyd,

    I do have some experience with this, but I don't know if it will help.

    I've always been a heavy drinker, I'm now 71 and currently on 225mg VX per day. I've been on VX before, 14 years ago, then I just carried on drinking and didn't notice any adverse effects - the meds worked and I got over my depression. Of course the alcohol may have slowed things down, I wouldn't know.

    This time round I've had a real struggle with side effects, heightened anxiety after increased dose lasting some 4 weeks instead of the expected 2 weeks or so. For the last three days I've not had a drink, and I have noticed a definite improvement - but I'm still not convinced it's staying off drink that's helped. Perhaps I'm kidding myself? My GP reckons drinking in moderation (a couple of glasses of wine maybe three times a week) is OK, and I've seen similar comment elsewhere. I must confess that until three days ago I was drinking more than this - only a couple of glasses of wine or two pints but every night (I found it gave me a much needed lift)

    So - I'm still unsure - but the literature doesn't say don't drink, and doesn't contain any warning about adverse effects - at worst I believe it will only maybe slow down recovery.

    Have one for me if you decide you can!

    Regards and good luck,

    Mike

    • Posted

      Mike, many thanks for your reply. I'm 75, and have been a "social drinker" most of my life. By that I mean several drinks/night on average. One issue is: what exactly is considered to be a "drink". I believe the AMA defines a "serving of alcohol" as 1 1/2 oz of hard liquor or 5 oz of wine, or 12 oz of beer (5%). I was amazed to learn how small these are when poured out of a measuring cup!!frown So I consume around 4-5 "servings" per day, and have been doing so throughout my Venlafaxine regime. (going on 15 mos, starting at 150mg/day and now tapering to 60mg/day). I can't detect any adverse reactions that are not normal side effects, and thankfully, my "ride down" has been fairly tolerable, with a few painful bumps interspersed. Would I have done better with no drinking? Maybe. I did try periods of abstinence to see if it made any difference. Did not.

      The docs would not endorse my regime,  but so far, it works for me.

      I'd be interested to hear about the experience of others who have had experience, either good or bad, with alcohol and Ven! 

      Best, Lloyd

  • Posted

    Hi, I couldn’t drink at all whilst on them, it made me feel ill, sick, hangover lasting 5 days, headache and that was just after a couple of drinks, so I stopped drinking altogether! I’ve been weening off ven since April this year and I’m totally off them now and can finally enjoy a drink, be very careful if u decide to have a drink, everyone will be different you will just have to test to see what you can handle .. good luck 😊

  • Posted

    Hey there,

    I have been on Ven for a little more than a year now and am on a 187.5 dosage.

    I am more of social drinker, and have always been intolerant to beer and champagne (so it' spirits for mesmile ).

    Before Ven, it rather took a lot to inebriate me, but on Ven, it now takes almost nothing.  So, from my perspective, I have not had negative side effects from drinking while on Ven, but I need to be careful because alcohol does hit me much faster.

    Hope this helps!

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