Why is alcohol NOT recommended with psychiatric medication?
Psychiatric medication is used to treat various mental disorders , such as depression, anxiety, ADHD, schizophrenia, and bipolar disorder. Its goal is to alleviate symptoms such as sadness, hopelessness, and even hallucinations.
These medications are divided into different categories, and can sometimes be combined with each other:
- Antidepressants: These help regulate mood neurotransmitters and relieve symptoms such as sadness, hopelessness, lack of energy, and others.
- Anxiolytics: They help reduce the symptoms of generalized anxiety disorders, panic, as well as agitation and insomnia.
- Mood stabilizers: These are primarily used to treat bipolar disorder and help control extreme mood swings.
- Antipsychotics: These are prescribed for psychotic disorders such as schizophrenia and bipolar disorder. They help control symptoms such as loss of contact with reality.
Psychiatry experts recommend not combining psychiatric medications with alcohol , because symptoms may become so severe that they become dangerous.
- Increases depression and anxiety: Alcohol consumption can counteract the effects of medications. At first, alcohol may seem to improve mood, but in general, it can worsen the symptoms of depression and anxiety.
- Side effects worsen: Alcohol can cause increased side effects of medications.
- Difficulty thinking clearly: Mixing psychiatric medications with alcohol affects judgment, coordination, and motor skills more than alcohol alone. Some mixtures can even cause drowsiness, affecting concentration and attention.
- It can be life-threatening: When certain alcoholic beverages are taken with monoamine oxidase inhibitors (MAOIs), they can cause a dangerous, life-threatening spike in blood pressure.
It's also recommended not to stop taking medication just to be able to drink. For the medication to work properly in the body, it's important to take it regularly. Stopping and then resuming the medication can worsen the disorder and cause other symptoms.
It is important to always seek advice from a mental health professional. and follow their recommendations, so as not to affect the treatment or your health.
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