Dangers of Mixing Lexapro and Alcohol
Key Takeaways
Lexapro is the brand name of the drug escitalopram oxalate. It’s an antidepressant medication prescribed to treat generalized anxiety disorder and major depressive disorder (MDD).
Because alcohol has similar effects, it can interact with Lexapro and intensify both of their side effects. In this article, we’ll discuss more about it and what overdose symptoms you should watch out for.
What Happens When You Combine Lexapro and Alcohol?
Alcohol can affect your mood significantly, including anxiety and depression. If you drink while taking Lexapro you can end up counteracting the benefits of the medication, derailing your treatment.
Combining the two substances can also make you feel disoriented and dizzy, increasing your risk of accident or injury. Because it also impairs decision-making, you might end up making rash or reckless decisions such as driving while under the influence.
SSRIs can increase suicidal ideation in younger adults and adolescents during the first few weeks of treatment. Meanwhile, studies show that alcohol use is linked to increased rates of suicidal thoughts and behaviors. Other serious side effects include panic attacks, mood swings, and increased aggression.
Both substances can be taxing on your liver, increasing the risk of damage and disease. Mixing alcohol with Lexapro also increases the risk of overdose.
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What are the Symptoms of Overdose?
Overdosing on SSRIs like Lexapro can have fatal consequences. Symptoms of an overdose from mixing these substances include:
- Rapid heartbeat
- Convulsions
- Coma
- Dizziness
- Low blood pressure
- Insomnia
- Nausea
- Vomiting
- Drowsiness
If you overdose on Lexapro, you may experience serotonin syndrome.
What is Serotonin Syndrome?
Serotonin syndrome is caused by an excessive amount of serotonin in the body. This can happen if you combine alcohol and Lexapro.
Serotonin syndrome is a life-threatening condition that can cause
- Agitation
- Hallucinations
- Confusion (difficulty thinking)
- Nausea, vomiting, and diarrhea
- Muscle twitching
- Increased heart rate
- High or low blood pressure
- Fever
- Coma
If you experience any of the above symptoms, seek emergency medical attention immediately.
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When Can You Start Drinking After Lexapro?
You can start drinking alcohol once the medication stops affecting your thoughts and behavior, which can take more than six days. However, you should never stop taking Lexapro without talking to your doctor.
Your doctor can help you safely taper off the medication. If you’re stopping your medication to drink, it may be a sign of an alcohol use disorder (AUD).
If you think you might have an AUD, have an open and honest conversation with your doctor. They can assess your risk factors and alcohol use history to help you make an informed decision.
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Related Articles
- Wood E. & Rehm J. “Canadian Alcohol Use Disorder Guideline Committee. Addressing the risks of antidepressants among people with alcohol use disorders.” CMAJ, 2024.
- Sung et al. “Combination of Antidepressant and Alcohol Intake as a Potential Risk Factor for Rhabdomyolysis.” Iran J Public Health, 2018.
- Low et al. “Drug-drug interactions involving antidepressants: focus on desvenlafaxine.” Neuropsychiatr Dis Treat, 2018.
- Scotton et al. “Serotonin Syndrome: Pathophysiology, Clinical Features, Management, and Potential Future Directions.” Int J Tryptophan Res, 2019.
- Sheffler et al. “Antidepressants.” Treasure Island (FL): StatPearls Publishing, 2023.
- Simon et al. “Serotonin Syndrome.” Treasure Island (FL): StatPearls Publishing, 2024.
