1. Community
  2. Brain and nerves
  3. Mirtazapine

Mirtazapine and drinking

Posted , 6 users are following.

phillip21536
phillip21536

After being on Citilopram for five mI tha with little difference my g.p recently switched me to Mitazapine and this is my fourth night on it.

I've been sleeping well once I do get over but I've had to stop drinking alcohol as I admit I had been using it excessively recently. Is it safe to drink on Mitazapine at all because sometimes I feel like I need one. Or if I'am going to drink do I just miss a dose?

1 like, 11 replies

11 Replies

  • david28533
    david28533 phillip21536

    Posted

    Phillip, I am 61 years old. I had two brothers that were younger than me. One was two years younger, the other was 8 years younger. They both died several years ago, both from mixing alcohol and prescription drugs. I am a retired Emergency Medical Services Battalion Chief with 31.5 years service. All my lifelong experiences point to alcohol and drugs as being an unwise, dangerous decision. That is about all I can say about this subject.
  • pixie22
    pixie22 phillip21536

    Posted

    First point is you need to give the mirtazapine at least a month, preferably 6 weeks, before it will have its full effect. And you need to take every dose - so no, I don't recommend missing a dose so that you can have a drink. The advice on the leaflet with the tablets is to avoid alcohol. It will be interesting to see if anyone has combined alcohol with mirtazapine successfully. My view is that alcohol isn't essential, there are plenty of other drinks to enjoy!
  • evergreen
    evergreen phillip21536

    Posted

    I drink a couple of glasses of wine most nights. I have had no ill effects with mirtazapine. But I did wait for a few weeks before having any alcohol so I could get used to the mirt first. Then I only had a small amount of alcohol at first. I never drink heavily though.
    • angela2014
      angela2014 evergreen

      Posted

      Hi Evergreen, have you ever been on an SSRI?  Did it make you drink more?  Effexor was horrific, I only realised when I gave up the effexor, what it had done to me...
    • evergreen
      evergreen angela2014

      Posted

      I don't get on with SSRIs at all. I haven't been on one for more than a couple of weeks, so I can't say whether they affect my alcohol intake.
  • sapphire14
    sapphire14 phillip21536

    Posted

    Hey Phillip,

    For a year I was on 30mg of Mirtazapine and I found that having the occasional drink was perfectly okay. I did find that drinking alcohol made me drunk a lot faster though. You just have to be careful... and make sure you are not driving!

    Drinking + mirtazapine + driving = disaster waiting to happen.

    As long as you be safe about it, having a drink while on this drug is fine.

    • phillip21536
      phillip21536 sapphire14

      Posted

      Thanks! I don't drive anyway, it's just I'm on my own this weekend and staying sober isn't an option.
  • angela2014
    angela2014 phillip21536

    Posted

    Hi   I am off ADs, and suffering.  If i dont improve have decided on Mirt for the following reasons:  Citalopram and Effexor, Zoloft, cause alcohol cravings.  I went from a non drinker, to someone who battled every day. Other sites such as Rxisk, and others  such as surviving antidepressants have this listed by so many others.  It has been a lifesaver, realising what effexor has done to me. It is not just a bland  "do not take alcohol and medications"... this is a serious side effect...... I went from a social drinker, to drinking a bottle of wine a night, like absolute addiction...Now?  Off AD's now?  No cravings... the penny finally drops.......
  • angela2014
    angela2014 phillip21536

    Posted

    So Phillip, please do report if your cravings for alcohol just slow down and stop, on Mirtazapine...     if so, that is the one for me.  I only need it for 3 months max, to help me thru WDs, been off meds now 9 months, last 3 months have been horrific.
    • evergreen
      evergreen angela2014

      Posted

      Apparently mirtazapine is used to get alcoholics off alcohol. When I first started on mirtazapine, I no longer fancied any alcohol, but after a few months, I slowly built it up again. I don't drink a lot in one night (two or three glasses of wine at the most) but I do drink far too often (most nights).
    • phillip21536
      phillip21536 angela2014

      Posted

      Well it's past 5 am and I'm alone in the house, I've drank eight bottles of Budweiser and a couple of whiskey's might miss my dose tonight.
Back to top

Report or request deletion

Thanks for your help!

We want the community to be a useful resource for our users but it is important to remember that the community are not moderated or reviewed by doctors and so you should not rely on opinions or advice given by other users in respect of any healthcare matters. Always speak to your doctor before acting and in cases of emergency seek appropriate medical assistance immediately. Use of the community is subject to our Terms of Use and Privacy Policy and steps will be taken to remove posts identified as being in breach of those terms.