Posted by JackD on September 23, 2002, at 13:44:54
In reply to Will a night of drinking interfere with my AD, posted by house on September 20, 2002, at 12:23:50
I'm an expert in the field of non compliance with drug interaction safety. Now you seem to be on the threshold of the drug working ("I think it's starting to work a little"), in which case I wouldn't have more than 3 drinks (if you're a mid-high tolerant male). You see, Paxil and other antidepressants cause all sorts of effects on serotonin receptors and then indirectly on a variety of other systems. Ethanol causes the release of lots of serotonin, hence the feeling good and social and such, which will deplete the very chemical Paxil tries to raise up. Ultimately, this will slow down how long Paxil will take to start working.
Ok, with that said, and with the disclaimer of "I do not condone this", and nor is it necessarily safe just cause it is with me, I have found drinking on Paxil absolutely fine. BUT, the effects of the alcohol AND the Paxil were magnified. Hard to explain, I guess you'll find out yourself; it's not the most pleasant inebriation. Oh, and the next day, prepare for one behemoth hangover. Your anxiety will come back x3, you will feel sick etc etc (for a day mostly). And you're probably wondering this too: I have had well over 12 beers/drinks on it (but I am a 200lb male college student).
Gasp! With all that said, I wouldn't start screwing around with this stuff now, I would wait until it's definitely working and you've been on it at least a good month.
poster:JackD
thread:120536
URL: http://www.dr-bob.org/babble/20020922/msgs/120828.html