Published on 06 December 2021

Can You Take Venlafaxine And Alcohol Together?

Venlafaxine (Effexor) venlafaxine-and-alcohol
Table of Contents

Drinking alcohol in high consumption alters your mind function and ability to restore your daily activities and impacts your mental health with depression. Depression is a widespread condition that affects every 10 in 1 people, with highly unwanted thoughts, sadness, crying, and even suicidal thoughts.

People who take depression drugs and alcohol together mostly tend to develop extreme tiredness and unstable conditions due to the presence of a chemical agent called serotonin in a lower level of mood regulations, which indicates that a person feels depressed automatically.

Thus the drug Venlafaxine is a group of depressions. Is it safe to take alcohol with the medication together? Let us see more about it in detail.

What Is Venlafaxine?

Venlafaxine is an antidepressant drug to treat depression, Anxiety, and panic attacks. It works by increasing neurotransmitters in the brain that cause sensations of pleasure and reward.

This medicine can help alleviate symptoms of depression and Anxiety by boosting neurotransmitters like serotonin. However, the particular mechanism of action of Venlafaxine remains unknown.

Buy Venlafaxine online from a verified online pharmacy. Venlafaxine is not available over the counter. It would help if you always had a prescription for this medicine.

How Does Venlafaxine Work?

Venlafaxine belongs to a group of antidepressants called serotonin-norepinephrine reuptake inhibitors(SNRIs). These are the group of medications that will be used primarily for treating similar conditions.

SNRI drugs will work on the serotonin level in your brain, thus increasing the level of serotonin and norepinephrine in your brain cells. This chemical is responsible for reducing your Anxiety and depression; having a higher level of substance will help to reduce your symptoms. Venlafaxine is also used in combination therapy, which means you can take it with other drug interactions with the help of your doctor to treat your condition.

Frequently asked questions

The drug has a boxed warning from the Food and drug administration(FDA). It means the doctor alters the patient about the medication action having severe side effects. In case it will lead to thoughts of suicidal action.
In a study, a group of people says that the amount of weight gained is seen in the drug while consumed.
There is no evidence of results in the usage of longer-term effects of the drug; it is safe and effective with the proper consultation from your doctor.

Can You Take Venlafaxine And Alcohol Together?

Alcoholism has also been linked to many other health problems, including liver disease, pancreatitis, and various cancers. When a small amount of alcohol may not be harmful when using Venlafaxine, it is not suggested to drink alcohol while taking an antidepressant.

Alcohol is occasionally used to alleviate depression symptoms, but it can also increase long-term mood problems such as depression or anxiety. It's not always clear whether depression causes alcohol abuse or the other way around.

Nonetheless, it is vital to understand that drinking alcohol frequently exacerbates mental health issues in the long run. Although there hasn't been much well-controlled research on the effects of mixing alcohol and Venlafaxine, specific side effects of either substance may be exacerbated by combining them.

Possible Side Effects

As every medication positively affects the conditions, it also deals with the side effects. There are two variations in the side effects, some can be common, and others can be severe. Common effects can be cured with time, but powerful results must be consulted.

Common Side Effects Severe Side Effects
Constipation Increase in heart rate
dry mouth Sexual problem
Nausea Dangerous impulses
vomiting Worsen Depression
Dizziness Agitation
Headache Restlessness

Above mentioned side effects are not the complete list. If you suffer from any unusual effects, immediately talk to your doctor.

Precautions Of Venlafaxine

Precautions should be taken without fail. This can prevent you from having unnecessary side effects. Preventive measures are always helpful before you consume the medicine.

  • While young people who take antidepressants will have the symptoms of suicidal thoughts and changes in their mood pattern in the initial days, it will lessen after the use.
  • If they face any repetition of the symptoms like changes in their mood, anxiety, panic attack, or trouble sleeping, inform your doctor.
  • The drugs should not be used if you have an uncontrolled narrow-angle condition.
  • If you have any allergic reaction like swelling or rashes in your skin, speak with your doctor.
  • Inform your doctor if you are taking any herbal product or any medication for depression, have a mental illness, migraines, infection, nausea, or vomiting because this will lead to increased serotonin syndrome.
  • If you have any past health history, like liver disease, Kidney Disease, Bipolar disorder, High blood pressure, Heart disorder, Diabetes, Thyroid, Bleeding problem, Seizure, or High cholesterol, Do talk to your doctor.

Do not stop using the drug without your doctor's advice; after getting a consultation, your doctor will tell you to reduce it by lowering your dose. The FDA did not approve the drug use for 18-year-old children.

Drug Interactions

When you combine Venlafaxine with other sleepy medicines, side effects can be amplified. Before taking an opioid prescription, a sleeping pill, a muscle relaxant, or a treatment for anxiety or seizures, consult your doctor.

Interacting venlafaxine with other drugs will affect your drowsiness and worsen the condition. Inform your doctor before using 

  • opioid medication, 
  • sleeping pills, 
  • muscle relaxers,
  • drugs for anxiety and seizure. 

Some of the drugs can interact with venlafaxine, especially 

  • Cimetidine
  • tramadol
  • any other antidepressants
  • weight loss pills like phentermine
  • Blood thinner drugs like warfarin, coumadin, and want oven.
  • Migraine headache drugs like sumatriptan, zolmitriptan

This is not a complete list of medicines that interact with venlafaxine. For more details, consult with your doctor about your health history.

Also read:

Bottom Line From Practical Anxiety Solutions

Venlafaxine is mainly prescribed for antidepressants and helps treat depression, Anxiety, and panic attacks. It works by reducing the symptoms of depression by increasing the level of serotonin and norepinephrine levels in the brain. Some adverse side effects present while interacting drugs with alcohol due to the presence of antidepressant effects; it will make you feel exhausted after using alcohol. Kindly consult your doctor for more details, and use the drug quickly before with side effects. 

  • Eaton, H. "Clomipramine (Anafranil) in the treatment of premature ejaculation." Journal of international medical research 1.5 (1973): 432-434. https://doi.org/10.1177/030006057300100531 Obtain On 25/11/2022
  • Quallich, George J. "Development of the commercial process for Zoloft®/sertraline." Chirality 17.S1 (2005): S120-S126. https://doi.org/10.1002/chir.20113 Obtain On 25/11/2022
  • Bisserbe J, Lane R, Flament M; Franco-Belgian OCD Study Group. A double-blind comparison of sertraline and clomipramine in outpatients with obsessive-compulsive disorder. Eur Psychiatry. 1997;12(2):82-93. doi: 10.1016/S0924-9338(97)89646-0. PMID: 19698511. Obtain On 25/11/2022
  • Jones, R. B., and D. K. Luscombe. "Plasma level studies with clomipramine (Anafranil)." The Journal of International Medical Research 5.1 Suppl (1977): 98-107. Obtain On 25/11/2022
  • Carroll, B. (2000). The Universal Field Hypothesis of Catatonia and Neuroleptic Malignant Syndrome. CNS Spectrums, 5(7), 26-33. doi:10.1017/S1092852900013365 Obtain On 25/11/2022
  • Kim, Sae Chul, and Kyung Keun Seo. "Efficacy and safety of fluoxetine, sertraline and clomipramine in patients with premature ejaculation: a double-blind, placebo controlled study." The Journal of urology 159.2 (1998): 425-427. https://doi.org/10.1016/S0022-5347(01)63940-5 Obtain On 25/11/2022