- Combining alcohol with antidepressants, cold medications, or pain relievers can lead to an overdose.
- Taking Coumadin or Isordil may lead to severe side effects like bleeding or fainting.
- Adverse effects to watch out for include drowsiness and difficulty breathing.
Alcohol changes how your body absorbs medications, which can lead to adverse reactions. Mixing them increases the risk of an overdose significantly.
1. Depression and Anxiety Medications
One in 10 teenagers and adults takes antidepressant or anxiety medications every day.1
Many of these medications interact negatively with alcohol, particularly monoamine oxidase inhibitors (MAOIs), like Parnate (tranylcypromine) and Nardil (phenelzine). MAOIs can cause blood pressure to spike dangerously when combined with tyramine, an amino acid found in red wine and beer.2
Combining alcohol with these medications increases the risk for an overdose and can make you feel more depressed.
You can also have drowsiness, dizziness, impaired motor control and coordination, difficulty breathing, strange behaviors, and heart or liver damage. Some of these medications can also make the effects of alcohol more extreme.2
Talk with a doctor before drinking alcohol if you take any antidepressant medication. Herbal supplements like St. John’s Wort and Kava, used for depression or anxiety, can cause liver damage if combined with alcohol.342
Anxiety and antidepressant medications to avoid with alcohol include:2
- Zoloft (sertraline)
- Wellbutrin (bupropion)
- Symbyax (fluoxetine/olanzapine)
- Prozac (fluoxetine)
- Paxil (paroxetine)
- Pristiq (desvenlafaxine)
- Abilify (aripiprazole)
- Cymbalta (duloxetine)
- Valium (diazepam)
- Xanax (alprazolam)
- Eskalith/Lithobid (lithium)
- Many others
2. Diabetes Medications
Nearly half of the population in the United States has diabetes, prediabetes, or insulin resistance, a precursor to diabetes.5 Millions take diabetes medications daily.
Adding alcohol can lead to dangerously low blood sugar levels and these symptoms:2
- Sudden changes in blood pressure
- Rapid heartbeat
- Weakness
- Headache
- Nausea and vomiting
Talk to your doctor before drinking alcohol if you take any of the following diabetes medications:
- Diabinese (chlorpropamide)
- Glucophage (metformin)
- Glucotrol (glipizide)
- Glynase and DiaBeta (glyburide)
- Micronase (glibenclamide)
- Orinase (tolbutamide)
- Tolinase (tolazamide)
3. Cold or Allergy Medications
Millions take medications for colds, allergies, and the flu that cause drowsiness and dizziness. Alcohol also does this.
Taking them together can amplify these side effects, impairing judgment, coordination, and reaction time. Combining alcohol with these medicines can increase your risk for overdose.2
It’s important to avoid alcohol if you are taking any of the following:
- Benadryl (diphenhydramine)
- Claritin or Claritin-D (loratadine)
- Dimetapp (brompheniramine)
- Sudafed, Tylenol allergy or cold medicines, or Triaminic (chlorpheniramine)
- Zyrtec (cetirizine)
- Robitussin (guaifenesin + codeine)
- Any others
4. Blood Pressure Medications
Nearly half of all U.S. adults live with high blood pressure, also called hypertension.6 Medications used to treat hypertension can react badly with alcohol, causing dizziness and fainting, extreme sleepiness, and arrhythmias or other heart problems.2
Talk with a doctor before drinking alcohol if you take any of the following medications:
- Prinivil, Zestril (lisinopril)
- Norvasc (amlodipine besylate)
- Lopressor (hydrochlorothiazide)
- Catapres (clonidine)
- Any others
5. Sleep Aids
Close to 10% of the U.S. population regularly uses medications or supplements to try to fall asleep or stay asleep.7
Never use these medications when you have alcohol in your system. Sleep aids and alcohol both have sedating effects and can amplify each other.
Side effects of mixing alcohol with sleep aids may include difficulty breathing, memory problems, strange behavior, dizziness, and impaired motor control.2
Do not mix alcohol with any sleep aid, including the following:
- Ambien (zolpidem)
- Lunesta (eszopiclone)
- Restoril (temazepam)
- Unisom (doxylamine)
- Prosom (estazolam)
- Sominex (diphenhydramine)
- Herbal supplements like chamomile, lavender, or valerian
6. Pain Medications
Whether the pain medication is OTC or a prescription drug, talk with a doctor before drinking alcohol. Combining alcohol with any type of pain medication can cause dangerous side effects.2
Mixing alcohol with medications for muscle pain, like Flexeril (cyclobenzaprine) and Soma (carisoprodol), can increase your risk for seizures, overdose, and cause difficulty breathing.
Medications for minor pain, like Tylenol (acetaminophen), Motrin and Advil (ibuprofen), Aleve (naproxen), and Excedrin (acetaminophen and aspirin) can result in stomach pain, bleeding, stomach ulcers, and possible heart or liver damage.2
Combining alcohol with strong pain medications for severe pain, like opioids, can cause drowsiness and dizziness, difficulty breathing, memory problems, and put you at an increased risk for an overdose.
Do not drink alcohol if you are taking any strong pain medications, such as the following:2
- Percocet (oxycodone)
- Vicodin (hydrocodone)
- Demerol (meperidine)
- Darvocet (propoxyphene)
- Fiorinal (butalbital with codeine)
7. Heartburn and Nausea Medications
Any medication that can help calm your stomach from heartburn and nausea, including motion sickness, can interact negatively with alcohol.
Mixing these with alcohol can cause a rapid heartbeat and a sudden change in blood pressure. It also puts you at an increased risk of overdose and can make the alcohol effects stronger.
Avoid drinking if you take any of the following stomach-related medications:2
- Dramamine (dimenhydrinate)
- Antivert (meclizine)
- Tagamet (cimetidine)
- Reglan (metoclopramide)
- Axid (nizatidine)
8. Cholesterol Medications
Nearly a third of all adults in the United States take medications to lower their cholesterol. In adults over age 75, that statistic increases to nearly 50%.8 Combining alcohol with cholesterol medications can cause liver damage, flushing, itching, and stomach bleeding.
Talk with a doctor before combining alcohol with any cholesterol-lowering medication, including the following:
- Crestor (rosuvastatin)
- Lipitor (atorvastatin)
- Zocor (simvastatin)
- Altoprev, Mevacor, and Altocor (lovastatin)
- Vytorin (ezetimibe and simvastatin)
- Niaspan (niacin)
- Pravachol and Pravigard (pravastatin)
9. Prostate Medications
There are many medications available to treat enlarged prostates. Combining them with alcohol can cause dizziness and fainting.
Do not drink alcohol if you are taking the following medications, unless you speak with a doctor first:2
- Flomax (tamsulosin)
- Cardura (doxazosin)
- Hytrin (terazosin)
- Minipress (prazosin)
10. ADHD Medications
Medications to treat ADHD are stimulants, a broad class of drugs that increase the activity of the central nervous system. Alcohol, on the other hand, has the opposite effect—it’s a sedative. Mixing the two together can make it more likely that you will have an overdose.
Other side effects of mixing alcohol and ADHD medications together include dizziness, impaired concentration, liver damage, and heart problems.2
Talk with a doctor before mixing these medications with alcohol:
- Adderall (amphetamine/dextroamphetamine)
- Dexedrine (dextroamphetamine)
- Focalin (dexmethylphenidate)
- Concerta/Ritalin (methylphenidate)
- Strattera (atomoxetine)
- Vyvanse (lisdexamfetamine)
11. Arthritis Medications
Combining arthritis medications with alcohol can cause ulcers, liver damage, and stomach bleeding.
Do not drink alcohol while taking these medications, unless you speak with a doctor first:2
- Celebrex (celecoxib)
- Naprosyn (naproxen)
- Voltaren (diclofenac)
12. Seizure Medications
Combining alcohol with medication for seizures, including epilepsy medication, can cause serious side effects. These include dizziness, sleepiness, unusual behavior, changes in mental health status (including suicidal thoughts), and the increased risk of more seizures.
Do not combine alcohol with any of the following medications:2
- Horizant/Neurontin (gabapentin)
- Dilantin (phenytoin)
- Keppra (levetiracetam)
- Phenobarbital
- Klonopin (clonazepam)
- Lyrica (pregabalin)
- Lamictal (lamotrigine)
- Tegretol (carbamazepine)
- Topamax (topiramate)
- Barbiturates
- Trileptal (oxcarbazepine)
13. Antibiotics, Antifungals, and Antiparasitics
Many different medications exist to treat a multitude of infections. Combining any of them with alcohol can cause dangerous side effects, like liver damage, stomach pain and vomiting, redness of the face, a racing heartbeat, and a sudden drop in blood pressure.2
These medications include the following, but are not limited to:
- Zithromax (azithromycin)
- Seromycin (cycloserine)
- Nizoral (ketoconazole)
- Flagyl (metronidazole)
- Macrodantin (nitrofurantoin)
- Grisactin (griseofulvin)
- Nydrazid (isoniazid)
- Tindamax (tinidazole)
Are There Other Medications You Should Note?
Coumadin (warfarin) is a medication that people take for blood clots. Even occasional drinking with Coumadin can cause internal bleeding.
Heavy drinking can cause problems on both ends of the spectrum: either internal bleeding or excessive blood clots, which may lead to a stroke or heart attack.2
Isordil (isosorbide nitroglycerin), often taken for angina (chest pain) or coronary heart disease, can also be dangerous when mixed with alcohol. Side effects can include dizziness and fainting, rapid heartbeat, and a sudden drop in blood pressure.2
When Should You See a Doctor?
Talk with a doctor before drinking any kind of alcohol in any amount if you take any of these medications.
A doctor can help you balance out your pills and any alcoholic drinks you may want. Some medication and alcohol interactions can be dangerous, so always check with a doctor first.
There are some symptoms to look out for if you do drink while taking these medications:2
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