4 Facts on How Mixing Alcohol and Daily Medication Can Harm You

Posted by Suneel Gupta on November 25th, 2019

Mixing prescriptions with alcohol is dangerous

However, 16 million people in the country—15.1 million adults and 623,000 adolescents—struggle with alcohol use disorder (AUD), which used to be called alcoholism. Thousands more struggle with other forms of problem drinking, including drinking alcohol to the point of intoxication while they take, misuse, or abuse prescription drugs. Prescription misuse is very common, and it includes taking more of a drug than necessary or mixing the prescription with other dangerous drugs, including alcohol. Accidentally mixing a potent prescription drug with alcohol is risky enough, but some people struggle with addiction to prescription drugs and may mix these with alcohol common side effects that can occur because of the mixture of prescription drugs with alcohol may include:

• Stomach upset, nausea, or vomiting
• Drowsiness, fatigue, or excessive sleep
• Dizziness or fainting
• Headaches
• Blood pressure changes or heart damage
• Changes in behavior
• Changes in emotions or mental state
• Loss of coordination, leading to accidents

If a prescription drug is mixed with alcohol, either by accident or specifically to get high, there is a high risk of overdose or damage to the body. If someone is experiencing a drug overdose or alcohol poisoning, it is extremely important to call 911 immediately.

There are also several chronic health problems that can be caused by mixing alcohol with prescription drugs. These may include:

• Heart problems, stroke, or heart attack
• Liver damage, failure, or cancer
• Internal bleeding
• Brain damage
• Depression, anxiety, or other mental health problems

While these general short- and long-term side effects can help you understand how dangerous it is to mix alcohol with prescription medications, specific kinds of prescriptions can cause specific side effects when mixed with a central nervous system (CNS) depressant like alcohol. The list below details how alcohol changes the effects of specific prescription drugs and makes them harmful.

Using Alcohol in Conjunction with Antidepressant Drugs

Antidepressant drugs are medications that are specifically developed to treat clinical depression. These drugs belong to several different classes of drugs, and the use of alcohol has a differential effect on the drug depending on the class of drugs. One of the most common reasons for using alcohol in conjunction with antidepressant drugs is to achieve some sort of enhanced psychoactive effects from the drug itself; however, these drugs do not produce feelings of elation or euphoria in most people.

Using Alcohol and Anticonvulsant Drugs

Anticonvulsant drugs include several classes of drugs that are prescribed to control seizure activity or as mood stabilizers. In some cases, benzodiazepines and even barbiturates may be prescribed for seizure control; however, the effects of alcohol with these two classes of drugs will be explained below. Instead, antiepileptic drugs that are not benzodiazepines and barbiturates include drugs like Topamax (topiramate), Neurontin (gabapentin), Lamictal (lamotrigine), and Tegretol (carbamazepine).  Drinking alcohol while taking these drugs can result in:

• A decrease in the drug’s ability to control seizure activity, resulting in an increased risk that one will have seizures.
• Generalize effects that can include dizziness, lethargy, and issues with motor functioning, including coordination and reaction time.
• Increases in depression and suicidality.

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