Category:

Depression

Interactions and Side Effects of Using Wellbutrin and Alcohol Together

by Healthlinear February 2, 2021

Wellbutrin and alcohol, when consumed together, put the patient at high risk for serious health impairments, nausea, vomiting, and seizures. We know that antidepressant medication is an important tool for people who struggle with depression and anxiety on a daily basis. As is the case with all drugs, most antidepressants can have certain dangerous side effects if consumed with alcohol. Wellbutrin is one such antidepressant that interacts dangerously with alcohol.

What is Wellbutrin?

Wellbutrin is the brand name of the generic drug Bupropion. It is a prescription drug used to treat different types of clinical depression. Wellbutrin is a norepinephrine-dopamine reuptake inhibitor (NDRI). It is usually prescribed to people who don’t respond well to other antidepressant medication. It is available in different tablet forms, including extended-release (XL), sustained-release (SR), and immediate-release (IR) variations.

Wellbutrin is an FDA (Food and Drug Administration) approved treatment for major depressive disorder (MDD) and seasonal affective disorder (SAD), also known as “winter depression”. Wellbutrin is distinctive from other antidepressants because it doesn’t affect your weight, libido and sexual desires as some other antidepressants are wont to do. Because of this quality, Wellbutrin is often prescribed in combination with other antidepressants to help counteract the side-effects that affect sexual desire.

Off-Label Uses for Wellbutrin:

While the FDA approved use for Wellbutrin is to treat MDD and SAD, wellbutrin is frequently prescribed off-label to alleviate the symptoms of attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder (ADHD), anxiety, bipolar disorder, and obesity. It can also be used to help people quit smoking. Furthermore it can help with PTSD, social anxiety disorder, and nerve pain.

Interactions of Wellbutrin with other medication:

As with other drugs, there are potential interactions that may occur when Wellbutrin is taken at the same time as other substances. Some medications that increase the risks of side effects include:

Antipsychotics
Blood thinners
Corticosteroids
Thyroid medications
Monoamine oxidase inhibitors
OTC pain relievers such as ibuprofen
Amphetamine and dextroamphetamine
Diabetes medications including metformin
Other antidepressants including Prozac, Zoloft, and Effexor

Interaction of Wellbutrin with Alcohol:

Wellbutrin and alcohol have a complicated relationship. Even though some people can drink occasionally without side-effects while on Wellbutrin, abusing alcohol regularly while you are on Wellbutrin can have seriously adverse effects on your health. If you are not a frequent or regular drinker, drinking alcohol while you are on Wellbutrin can induce side effects like seizures and having suicidal thoughts. On the other hand, heavy drinkers may also experience seizures if they abruptly stop imbibing while on Wellbutrin.

Some known risks of mixing Wellbutrin and alcohol:

Nausea
Fatigue
Seizures
Paranoia
Vomiting
Blackouts
Dizzy spells
Blurred vision
Poor judgment
Suicidal thoughts
Alcohol poisoning

Long-Term Effects Of Mixing Alcohol And Wellbutrin

Alcohol should be used cautiously, but even more so for people battling depression. Alcohol is a natural depressant. Mixing alcohol with Wellbutrin increases the side effects of both Alcohol and Wellbutrin, and it also increases the likelihood of developing an unhealthy dependence or addiction to alcohol.

Combining Wellbutrin and alcohol regularly can have long-term effects including:

Increased overdose risk
Increased risk of alcohol addiction
Decreased Wellbutrin effectiveness

If you take Wellbutrin and want to know how it will interact with alcohol, consult your doctor and discuss your alcohol habits truthfully. Wellbutrin is not the only antidepressant that is not supposed to be taken with alcohol. It is highly inadvisable to consume Lexapro and Alcohol together. You should consult your doctor before making any changes in your drinking routine.

FAQs:

Is it safe to drink alcohol while taking Wellbutrin?
Short answer, No. Long answer, still no. It can cause suicidal thoughts and tendencies and cause more depression.

Can Wellbutrin cause personality changes?
Wellbutrin may cause some people to become nervous, ill-tempered, agitated, and display other abnormal behavior.

How much weight can you lose on Wellbutrin?
Weight loss is a purported side effect of Wellbutrin but the reasons may not be directly related to the drug. Studying the correlation of Wellbutrin and weight change Both weight loss and weight gain have been observed.

Does Wellbutrin increase your sex drive?
Wellbutrin has a positive impact on libido, but it does not cause hypersexuality.

Does Wellbutrin help you focus?
Wellbutrin is a norepinephrine and dopamine reuptake inhibitor (NDRI). It operates by keeping the neurotransmitters norepinephrine and dopamine available to your brain's neurons for longer. This helps improve concentration, focus, and other ADHD symptoms.

Will Wellbutrin help me sleep?
The antidepressant Wellbutrin (bupropion) is linked to insomnia. However, studies examining the electrical activity in the brain of patients taking bupropion indicate that the drug actually increases REM sleep time.

References:

Fava, Maurizio et al. “15 years of clinical experience with bupropion HCl: from bupropion to bupropion SR to bupropion XL.” Primary care companion to the Journal of clinical psychiatry vol. 7,3 (2005): 106-13. doi:10.4088/pcc.v07n0305
https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC1163271/

Grover, Sandeep, and Partha Pratim Das. “Can bupropion unmask psychosis.” Indian journal of psychiatry vol. 51,1 (2009): 53-4. doi:10.4103/0019-5545.44907
https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC2738405/

Karam-Hage, Maher et al. “Bupropion-SR for smoking reduction and cessation in alcohol-dependent outpatients: a naturalistic, open-label study.” Current clinical pharmacology vol. 9,2 (2014): 123-9. doi:10.2174/1574884708666131112124429
https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC4056335/

Schramm, Preetam J et al. “Bupropion response on sleep quality in patients with depression: implications for increased cardiovascular disease risk.” European neuropsychopharmacology : the journal of the European College of Neuropsychopharmacology vol. 24,2 (2014): 207-14. doi:10.1016/j.euroneuro.2013.09.007
https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC3948318/

Hill, Stanley et al. “A case report of seizure induced by bupropion nasal insufflation.” Primary care companion to the Journal of clinical psychiatry vol. 9,1 (2007): 67-9. doi:10.4088/pcc.v09n0114a
https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC1894833/

February 2, 2021 0 comment

Daith Piercing for Anxiety

by Healthlinear October 2, 2020

written by Healthlinear

Daith piercing for anxiety is getting more popular as time passes as more people are knowing about this. People are slowly acknowledging it. However some still don’t know what it is. Daith piercing is the piercing in the inner cartilage fold of the ear and is below the rook piercing. It is believed that the daith piercing is done to ease the anxiety. It also helps to relieve other such symptoms like headaches and anxiety. According to some people there are some of the points where when pressure applied. This can help release the anxiety a little bit. There is no understanding of exactly how the daith piercing helps with the anxiety and migraine issues. But there are a few proposed mechanisms that can help us understand how the daith piercing works.

How the Daith piercing works

The ear is considered to have a few pressure points. These pressure points are how the holistic health practitioners like the acupuncturists work to relieve some of the symptoms. It helps with the treatment of a few problems. This type of mechanism of the action revolves around putting pressure on the vagus nerve. There are ten nerves extensions from the base of the brain. However the vagus nerve happens to be the largest among all. Pressure on this specific nerve has proven to help with a lot of conditions like epilepsy and depression. So, putting pressure will help the stimulation of the vagus nerve. Constant pressure on such a nerve can help you get rid of some of these health problems like the migraine and the anxiety. Even more, researches are being done to check if this can help with the other health conditions as well.

Researches about the Daith piercing

There have not ever been any clinical researches done on the clinical benefits of the Daith piercing. But there has been a lot of studies and even more, are done to understand the clinical importance and other health benefits of the Daith piercing. The studies indicate that acupuncture is a very promising treatment for panic attacks and anxiety. As you might know, the acupuncturist puts the pressure in certain pressure points in your body to alleviate the symptoms. This particular point is where the acupuncturist it’s the pressure. So having a piercing there will put a constant pressure and will help relieve the migraine.

Considering it is a placebo effect

The placebo effect is the effect where the pills that are given have no medicinal property but patient does not know that. That can heal patients who consider themselves ill psychologically only and have no real problem with them systemically. That is why some people think that daith piercing can be that. For the people who know that this type of piercing is to alleviate anxiety and migraine can be responding to this method. This is the reason why it is considered a placebo effect by some.

One expert at the Cleveland clinic has claimed that the daith piercing helps because it is a placebo effect when it comes to migraines. Whereas, as far as anxiety is concerned, this effect helps only if the migraine is one of the symptoms of the anxiety in that patient. But since acupuncture works better than other placebo treatments in patients with migraines and anxiety so it can be proven to some extent that putting pressure at that particular point by piercing can be the reason why the patients recover from migraine and anxiety after the daith piercing.

Side of Daith piercing

Basically, when people are getting the daith piercing, there has been some confusion as to which side they should get this piercing. Basically, when you are getting the daith piercing to treat your migraine, it becomes obvious that you should be getting it in the side of your head that hurts the most and where you get migraines more often. For most people, it’s just one side, but for some people, they get it on both sides. These people should get piercing where they get migraines more often. As far as the anxiety is concerned, it doesn’t matter which side of your ear, you should get the daith piercing. You can get the piercing on either side if you are getting it for the anxiety alone.

Side effects of getting daith piercing

Daith piercing is more painful than the one you get on your earlobe since the cartilage is also pierced; it can be a little bit more painful and will also take longer to heal just like any other cartilage piercings. With ear lobe piercing, even if you let it close the mark when you stop wearing earrings, it will disappear after sometime. But with the cartilage piercings like the daith piercing, if you let it close after some time, it will leave a very visible mark on your ear.

Hence make up your mind for that before you get the daith piercing. Another important thing that you need to know is that the daith piercing, just like any other piercings is more likely to get infected. The reason behind this is that it is close to hair and they can get tugged in the process. So, if you are getting an infection, make sure you consult your doctor before the infection can get worse. If you are taking any antiplatelet and other heart drugs, then you should stop it before getting your piercing. Because then you bleeding won’t stop due to that medicine.

Other things you need to consider

If you like piercings on different parts of your body, you are good to go. But there are a few things that you need to prepare yourself before the piercing.

You should know how daith piercing looks. Make sure you are ready to go for that kind of look and think if it’s cool or not.
You should consult with your doctor about this cure.
Talk thoroughly with the piercing professional.
You should also know how much this piercing cost because this type of medical treatment is not covered by insurance.

This piercing can be done to both men and women.

October 2, 2020 0 comment

Allergies Depression Health

Zoloft Reviews – Uses of Zoloft and How is it Better Than Prozac

by Healthlinear March 8, 2020

written by Healthlinear

Zoloft and Prozac are the medicines used for the treatment of pf depression and manic disorder but it is the Prozac and Zoloft reviews that tell us which mediation is better for the use. There is this wide class of drugs used for the treatment of depression and each one is suitable for the patient based on any important factor like any other disease, age, etc.

Different types of therapies are given in the depression and that may include medication or not. Prozac ad Zoloft have widely used medications for the treatment of depression.

Health Linear Zoloft Reviews

Zoloft, as you know, is an anti-depressant and is used in the treatment of depression and many other mental disorders like eating disorders, post-traumatic stress disorder, panic attacks, and obsessive-compulsive disorder along with the depression. This medication has a lot of benefits and will provide you with a sense of calm, good appetite, sleep and a better mood. He active ingredients drug present within this medicine is the Sertraline.

Sertraline belongs to the class of drugs that are responsible for treating the depression and all the other indications mentioned above. These drugs act by inhibiting the serotonin reuptake and thus increasing the amount of serotonin.

Indications for the Use of Zoloft 25mg

Zoloft 25 mg and Zoloft 50 mg is the most commonly used drug for the treatment of depression but the following are some of the other reason s this mediation is used for.

It helps with the post-traumatic stress disorder
Obsessive-compulsive disorder is resolved with these medications as it decreases the stress and thus your compulsion to obsess over the few things.
Anxiety disorders of any kind can be treated with this and that includes social anxiety as well.
Your sleeping pattern will also get better with the use of this medicine and your appetite will improve as well.

Basically, when you are starting to use this medication it is important to get some advice from your doctor or pharmacist, they guide you beforehand but in case you are unable to understand anything you should ask them again.

The following are some of the important things that you should know regarding the use of this medication.

Since it is an oral tablet the use of this medication is through oral route. You will also need to know if you can take it with food or not. With Zoloft tablets, you can take them either with food or nit because there are no restrictions to that but when it comes to the capsules you should take them along with your meal.
The dosage depends on your medical history and overall medical condition. Also if you have been taking this medication for the premenstrual problems then the doctor will advise you to take the medication every day for two weeks prior to your periods. Just like that depending on your condition or the indication it is given for the dose is alternated a lot.
When you are taking medication it is important to take it regularly usually when people start to feel better they stop their mediation almost immediately and that may even worsen the situation. When you need to be stopped the medication the dose is decreased gradually instead of just stop in the medication immediately.
The same is the case when the dose is given at the start. The doe is increased gradually. So you can’t take the medicine without discussing do with your doctor so you can know when to increase that dose. A sudden intake of such medicines especially Zoloft 25 mg will cause the side effects of this drug.

Side Effects

Side effects are very common with all kinds of drugs. It is more common with all the anti-depressants. Following are some of the side effects that you will experience with the use of this medication

Dizziness, dry mouth and nausea are common side effects with this medicine. You will also have trouble sleeping. These side effects are not serious but if they persist or are very intense then you should consult with a doctor or a pharmacist.
If you are having the serious side effects like dizziness, fainting, blood in stools, less sexual ability, etc. then you should consult your doctor right away.
If you have had an allergic reaction to this drug of a similar class of drugs then you should tell your doctor beforehand because this can lead to some serious allergic reactions.

So these are all the side effects that you can observe with the use of this medication. The side effects also become severe when you are not following the proper dosage regime.

Precautions and Interactions as Compared to Prozac Reviews

Following are some of the precautions that you need to take along with the interactions that can cause serious side effects and the same is the result with Prozac reviews

Of you have an allergy to this medicine or any other medicine you should tell your doctor about that.
Telling your doctor about your medication history is also important because some of the drugs may interact and decrease or increase the effect or side effects of another drug.
MAO inhibitor is used most commonly by such patients but these drugs may interact with the Zoloft and can cause reactions. Usually, it is recommended that the patient stop taking this medication two weeks before you have to take Zoloft.
You should also tell your doctor about any medicine that oy are taking and is causing you to sleep more. This can produce an additive effect and can be very dangerous in some of the cases.
This medicine will also cause some of the false test results and if such attest result arrive you don’t have to be worried about it and instead show it to your doctor along with the mediation that you are using currently.
If you have missed a dose let it stay like that and don’t try taking double doses the next time. Just inform your pharmacist or your doctor and leave it be.

With Prozac reviews, you will know better which drug is better in between two.

March 8, 2020 0 comment

Depression Health

Is it Okay to Take Cymbalta and Alcohol Together?

by Healthlinear September 1, 2018

written by Healthlinear

Before we go in detail whether Cymbalta and alcohol should be taken together or not and if not then why we should know in detail what Cymbalta is and how it acts in our body and what exactly is it used for. First of all the drug known as Cymbalta is used in the treatment of depression. Depression is the first thing that it is used in treatment for because it is also used in the treatment of some of the other disorders that are related to the depression and all of them are the mental disorders.

Depression is increasing in our society day by day and thankfully the awareness song the people is also increasing but still, most of the people show neglection when it comes to their mental health which is not the way to live a healthy life. For a healthy life you need to have a healthy mind and how can you have a healthy mind when you are going through depression. Depression is eating up the people a lot and it is the most occurring mental disorder.

Depression can occur in the people of all age groups but still, it occurs the most in the teenagers as compared to the adults and it is most common to occur in women as compared to the men. The symptoms of the depression are as follows

Weight loss/gain

Lack of attention

Lack of interest in the daily activities

Irregular sleep

Self-depravity

Self-loathing

Anger or irritability

So these were some of the symptoms of the depression.

Cymbalta

To understand whether the Cymbalta and alcohol are the good combination or not we need to understand the function of Cymbalta in our body. The drug that is present in Cymbalta is duloxetine which is an anti-depressant. Duloxetine is basically a selective serotonin-norepinephrine reuptake inhibitor and it is a thiophene derivative. This drug substance helps in the inhibition of the reuptake of the serotonin, norepinephrine and to some extent the dopamine too.

It helps in the treatment of depression by maintaining the balance of serotonin in the brain that gets disrupted in the depressive disorder. It is not only used in the treatment of depression but some also central nervous system disorders too and following are some of the other disorders that are Cymbalta is used in the treatment for.

Major depressive disorder
Generalized anxiety disorder
Fibromyalgia
Neuropathic pain
Chronic musculoskeletal pain
Diabetic neuropathic pain

Cymbalta is a very potent medication and this is why it is recommended not to use Cymbalta and alcohol in combination. Cymbalta is also used in to relieve the chemotherapy-induced neuropathic pain but most commonly this medicine is used for the treatment of depression.

Cymbalta and alcohol

Now coming toward the main topic of discussion which is whether the Cymbalta and alcohol can be taken in the combination or not and the answer to that is no. The reasons why Cymbalta and alcohol cannot be taken together are a lot and following are some of the reasons for the justifications

Effects of alcohol on depression

The first reason for why we shouldn’t take Cymbalta and alcohol together is that effect of alcohol towards the central nervous system is depressive and to come out of depression we cannot go for the drugs that depress our central nervous system. The effect of alcohol to the brain is like this that at first it causes that excitation of CNS and then it starts to depress it and while Cymbalta is the anti-depressant it will act as an antagonist and this will result in the no effect of the drug Cymbalta.

By the use of alcohol, Cymbalta will fail to produce the required result and this lead to the failure in the treatment and it will also result in the increase in the depression itself. Moreover using the Cymbalta and alcohol together can lead to some other symptoms that are stated as below.

Panic attacks
Sleep problems
Irritability
Changes in mood
Suicidal thoughts

So this shows us that how detrimental it is on our health is the use of Cymbalta and alcohol. So you should avoid taking alcohol for how long you are using Cymbalta.

Liver damage

It is no secret that what effect alcohol has on the liver. The function of the liver is to metabolize i.e. Break the substances and it also plays the role in the metabolism of the most of the drugs in our bod. Alcohol is one of these drugs that is being metabolized by the liver and drinking too much or drinking for the longer period of times can cause excessive damage to the liver itself and that liver damage occurs because it gets accumulated with a lot of toxins.

Now Cymbalta is also one of those drugs that are metabolized by the liver and it also has the potential to cause damage to the liver. So if we take Cymbalta and alcohol together our liver is at a great danger because both of these drugs have the potential to cause the liver damage so if we want to avoid that we should stop taking alcohol while we are on the Cymbalta therapy. But if you are a great fan of beer and cannot live without it at all then you should ask your doctor about whether you can have the occasional drink or not you should also ask your doctor before taking the drink so you don’t have to bear any consequences.

Discuss it with doctor

If you want to have alcohol even when you are under the therapy of depression and is being treated by Cymbalta then you should talk it through with your doctor because then your doctor will decide if you should take them together or not based upon the amount of dose of drug you are taking and your past and the current medical history. If you have any past liver disease history or such history in the family then the doctor will recommend you not to take Cymbalta and alcohol together.

September 1, 2018 0 comment

Depression Health

Lexapro Vs Zoloft – A True Comparison

by Healthlinear January 30, 2018

written by Healthlinear

Before discussing Lexapro vs Zoloft, let’s talk about health. Health is a very important aspect of our life and without health, there is no fun in the life. There shouldn’t be any compromise with the health either physical or mental health. To stay healthy we should take part in the healthy activities and stay around the people that are good for the mental health.

But in the today’s world, every person suffering from the health problem wither physical or the mental. The ratio of mental illness is increasing day by day because our attitude towards a healthy life is so negligent and most of the people in the underdeveloped countries don’t even consider the mental health at all and that is why most of such medical problems stay unresolved throughput there life. So this is why there should be more awareness about the mental health so people who are undergoing such sicknesses can seek help.

There are a lot of mental health problems that are found in the society these days land the most common among all of them is the depression. Most of the people in our society due to the burdens of life are going through depression and this ratio is increasing day by day.

Depression

Depression is a mental disorder in which our central nervous system becomes depressed and this mental disorder is occurring in a lot of people and the reasons behind this disorder a lot and mostly the current state of our society where everyone is busy doing their own thing and no one have time for each other and in this mad race of being better most of the people are suffering from depression. The symptoms of depression can help us realize the problem in the very early stage but the problem is that most people pay no attention to these signs and symptoms and some of them even don’t know the signs and symptoms. Following are the symptoms of the depression.

Anger
Sleep changes
Loss of energy
Loss of interest
Concentration problem
Weight loss
Self-loathing etc.

So these were some of the symptoms that are found in the people that are suffering from the depression. Depression must be diagnosed because in most of the people depression leads to that stage where they start considering suicide and most of the people even opt for the suicide. The studies have shown that depression is more common among the teenagers as compared to the adults and gender-wise it is more common among the women as compared to the men.

Treatment of depression

A lot of drugs are suggested for the treatment of depression by now and Lexapro and Zoloft are among those drugs. Both of the drugs are used for the treatment of depression which is why we will further discuss the Lexapro vs Zoloft comparison to help you understand which one is best for you in the case of depression. Lexapro is an antidepressant that contains the drug escitalopram and Zoloft is the anti-depressant that contains the drug known as sertraline.

The Lexapro vs Zoloft comparison will help us understand the difference between these two drugs and will help us make the better decision. The escitalopram is a serotonin reuptake inhibitor and the sertraline is same too and the fact they both are the selective serotonin reuptake inhibitor they are considered the exact same but it’s not the way it is.

The SSRI drugs act in such a way that they inhibit the reuptake of serotonin thus increasing the amount of serotonin in the brain and serotonin is the chemical that lightens the mood of a person and this help with the treatment of depression. In depression, the level of serotonin gets unbalances and these two drugs help in the balancing of this chemical in the brain. These drugs are similar too but there are also some differences that support the Lexapro vs Zoloft argument.

Lexapro vs Zoloft

The first thing that we should know in the Lexapro vs Zoloft comparison is that both of the drugs not only are used in the treatment of depression but several other disorders too and in that respect, they are quite different. Zoloft is used in the treatment of depression and obsessive-compulsive disorder, on the other hand, Lexapro vs Zoloft is used in the treatment of the depression and the generalized anxiety disorder.

Zoloft is also used for the treatment of panic disorder, post-traumatic stress disorder, social anxiety disorder and premenstrual dysphoric disorder. The other differences that also supports the Lexapro vs. Zoloft argument is that the strength of the Zoloft tablets is 25 mg, 50 mg, and 100 mg while in oral solution the strength is 25mg/ml and on the other hand the strength of Lexapro tablets are 5, 10 and 20 mg while the oral solution is 1mg/ml. Lexapro versus Zoloft can be used in people that are above 12 years of age while the Zoloft can be used in patients that are above 18 in age.

Cost

The cost difference also helps us with the Lexapro vs Zoloft comparison. The cost of the monthly supply of the Zoloft is $201 while on the other hand the cost of the Lexapro is $180 per month and this shows that cost wise Lexapro is better than the Zoloft but since the cost of these anti-depressant medications is covered by the insurance companies so both are equal cost wise but now you know your priorities even if you don’t have the insurance.

Side effects

The side effects also help us with the Lexapro vs Zoloft comparison and according to it the both of them have same side effects like

Diarrhea

Indigestion

Sexual problems

Sleeping troubles

Anxiety

Seizures

Migraines

Serotonin syndrome

Dizziness etc.

And the only symptom different is constipation that occurs by the use of Lexapro. We should only use one of these two antidepressants at a time because this may lead to interaction like the elevated level of serotonin thus leading to serotonin syndrome.

So this was just an overview of these two drug features and the difference between these two medications will help you understand it better and you should discuss it in detail with your doctor before you start the treatment.

January 30, 2018 2 comments

Depression Health

Lexapro and Alcohol – Effects of Using Them Together

by Healthlinear January 29, 2018

written by Healthlinear

Depression is a very important topic in today’s world because it is increasing among people with every passing day and that’s the reason we are going to discuss Lexapro and Alcohol. And gladly more people are talking about it and addressing it so the awareness can be spread about it. Use of anti-depressants has also been increased a lot due to increased depression but not all the people have the knowledge about how to take their anti-depressants and what things they should do an avoid while taking those medications.

Lexapro is one of the anti-depressants and the use of Lexapro and alcohol will be discussed here so people should know why they should avoid alcohol while they are on the anti-depressants. Anti-depressants are of different types and doctors prescribe it according to the condition of the patients and their other medical history. There is this one class of the anti-depressants that are known a serotonin reuptake inhibitors and they act in such way that they block the uptake of the serotonin which leads to the higher serotonin level.

Serotonin is a chemical that produces the feeling of wellbeing and in an increased level of serotonin, they feeling of wellbeing produces and in this way these medications help with the treatment of depression.

Lexapro

Lexapro is basically the brand name of the drug known as the escitalopram and that drug being the serotonin reuptake inhibitor anti-depressants and they act by balancing the amount of serotonin in the brain that was unbalanced in the state of depression and it is one of the reasons people suffer from depression. Lexapro is also used by adults that are going through anxiety and it is also used for the treatment of some other mental issues.

Most of the people have a fear of taking the medications and for them, it is the safest choice because the SSRI is one of the safest class among the antidepressants which is why they are the first class doctor’s consider while prescribing a patient going through the depression.

Lexapro and Alcohol

Even though the SSRI is the safest class of the anti-depressant drugs but still there are some risks like Lexapro and alcohol because it is probably not the best combination for a person who is going through the major depressive disorder because the drug will be ineffective for the patient and the depression instead of being treated will just get worse and that can lead to the worst consequences and even the life of the patient can be at risk because the number of suicidal attempts due to depression is increasing day by day.

There are some of the drugs that cannot be used together because of their similar effect and the Lexapro and alcohol have the exact same relation to the patient remains untreated even after he is being put on the anti-depressants by the health practitioner or sometimes the condition worsens.

Why alcohol shouldn’t be used with Lexapro

Alcohol with or without in combination of the Lexapro shouldn’t be used in excess and shouldn’t be used in excess at all by the patients with depression. The reason why alcohol shouldn’t be used by the patient if depression is that alcohol depresses the central nervous system and since the patient is already in the depressed state during depression disorder the use of alcohol can worsen the condition of the patient this leading to suicidal thoughts.

The clinical trials show that the Lexapro and alcohol produce almost the same effect and the difference between them is quite low so even if it is to be used by the patient then make sure they don’t drink it in excess or you can be in the danger of some of the serious side effects that you don’t want to deal with in the state of depression.

There is no such way by which treatment can work by switching the antidepressant because almost all the anti-depressants are not suitable to be used with alcohol so you should discuss it thoroughly with the doctor and the best choice is that matter is for how long you are taking anti-depressants you should avoid drinking alcohol.

Effects of using Lexapro and alcohol

Since so far we have developed that Lexapro and alcohol are not the best choices of drugs to be used together and the results of using these drugs together will help you understand the severity of the situation in a better way. To get to better results you should make a comparison of the symptoms that will result from using Lexapro and alcohol versus the healthy, depression-free life. Following are some of the side effects that result from the combined use of the Lexapro and alcohol.

Decreased efficacy of the Lexapro
Alcoholism
Liver problem
Drowsiness
Anxiety
Worsening of depression
Increased intensity of the drug’s side effects like nausea, insomnia, diarrhoea, dry mouth etc.

So this tells us how we should be more concerned about our health and try our best to get out of depression by avoiding completely and if not completely then at least not drinking heavily. The patients who are on the high dose of the anti-depressants like Lexapro should be more careful than those who are still at the initial dosing stages and if you want to get out of depression even faster you should take care of things like this even more. The more you get careless about your depression the closer you are at the risk of suicide so we should try to value our life by taking care of little things like this.

If you think you don’t want to completely quit drinking alcohol then you can discuss your doctor about it. You can drink alcohol from time to time but the heavy drinking can lead to above-mentioned symptoms of the Lexapro and alcohol combined use. But sometimes doctors stop you from alcohol altogether so you must discuss it again with your doctor before having a drink. So this was all you needed to know about the combined use of Lexapro and alcohol and why you shouldn’t take them together.

January 29, 2018 1 comment

Depression Health

Zoloft and Alcohol Combination

by Healthlinear January 27, 2018

written by Healthlinear

Zoloft and Alcohol combination is never a good idea and this whole article is the explanation of all the reasons why these two drugs should not be taken together. Zoloft, as you all know, is a medicine that is prescribed by the health practitioners to the people suffering from depression. Depression is a psychological disorder that has been seeming to be increasing a lot since the past few years and it is most likely to be found among teenager.

Depression is something that keeps eating a person emotionally and most of the people going through it choose to end their life when the depression stays unaddressed so this is why it is important to address the needs of the people around us and in the whole society. Zoloft and other such medications are prescribed by the doctors in the depression but in some situations, even these medications fail to help the person and those such situations include mixing of Zoloft and alcohol.

Symptoms of depression

Depression is a very important issue in today’s society and the more we talk about it the less it is and we as an active member of our society should take part in spreading awareness about depression. Depression is one of the reasons the suicidal ratio increasing day by day.

When you are depressed you lose all the hope in your life and then you see no purpose of your life so you just decide the world is better off without you and this is exactly why we need to fight depression. Depression is most likely to occur in teens as compared to the adults and in females as compared to the males. Following are some of the symptoms of the depression

Helplessness or hopelessness
Changes in appetite and weight
Anger or irritability
Self-loathing and self-destructive attitude
Short attention span
Sleep changes and loss of interest in activities of life.

So these were some of the symptoms and if you see them in yourself then you should definitely visit a doctor.

What is the impact of alcohol and Zoloft in the depression?

Zoloft and Alcohol are two opposite drugs. Alcohol itself is a drug and it is one of those drugs that depress our central nervous system. Even though it activates our nervous system for a little while but then it starts depressing it and if the person is already suffering from the depression you can imagine what the intake of Alcohol can do to them. Zoloft versus Zahra is used as an antidepressant which shows that it has opposite of action.

Zoloft is basically the brand name of the generic drug known as the sertraline. Sertraline is the serotonin reuptake inhibitor and serotonin being a chemical that helps in elevation of your mood upon being blocked from the reuptake can help you get over your depression. So this is how the generic drug sertraline works in the form of capsule Zoloft.

Zoloft and alcohol

Zoloft and Alcohol should not be taken together because both of these drugs are the antagonist of each other. By antagonist to means that action of one drug will be the exact opposite of what other drug is doing and in such way, none of the drugs will be able to produce their action.

Since the situation, we are dealing here is depression we should definitely opt for the drug that helps to recover depression which in this case is Zoloft and not the one that further pulls you in the depression that in this case is the alcohol. The difference between both of these drugs is huge and this is exactly why they are not a perfect combination to be used together.

Drinking while you are in depression will pull you further into it so instead of doing that you should try to get yourself recovered from depression which has the potential to eat up your whole life and your career. If the person is already in a depression and the doctor has prescribed him with the Zoloft then according to U.S Food and Drug Administration guidelines you should not be taking Alcohol at all because then the purpose if your therapy will be futile otherwise.

So due to this type of interaction you should avoid the use of Alcohol at all, in fact, you shouldn’t even look at Alcohol when you already are in the depressed stage because the side effects in such cases are endless and the risk to the life is even greater then.

Interactions

You must have heard of drug-drug interactions. There are two types of drug-drug interaction and that are synergistic or antagonist. Antagonist means the complete opposite of each other and Zoloft and alcohol has that kind of interaction with each other. Alcohol makes the potential side effects of the Zoloft even worse and they are as follows.

Dizziness,
A headache
Depression
Suicidal thoughts
Diarrhea etc.

So these symptoms can get elevated upon the combined use of Zoloft and Alcohol. So while you are on the medications like Zoloft you should avoid drinking beer or any other alcoholic beverages and this isn’t only because alcohol affects the activity of Zoloft it is also because Zoloft makes the effects of Alcohol like drowsiness even worse so you should never consider mixing Zoloft and Alcohol together.

What to do?

What you should do is that you should never mix Zoloft and alcohol as they will alleviate the side effects of each other and if you think you have no control over your drinking then you should probably discuss it through with the doctors so they can suggest you better alternatives and also they can help you with your drinking problem if it’s going out of hand. So now you know how dangerous it is to use the combination of the Zoloft and alcohol and you know how side effects can go even worse and you will then put your own life at the risk and before you know you will be the most depressed person.

January 27, 2018 0 comment

Depression Health

Prozac vs Zoloft : Comparison between Antidepressants

by Healthlinear January 26, 2018

written by Healthlinear

Ever wonder about what antidepressant you should take? There are many, but let’s talk about Prozac vs Zoloft. Prozac and Zoloft both are the antidepressants that are used to treat the depression as well as other conditions like the obsessive-compulsive disorder, anxiety, panic attacks etc. In all such conditions, these antidepressants are prescribed by the doctors. Prozac and Zoloft are the brand names and even though are the antidepressants have different generic drugs.

The generic drug fluoxetine goes by the brand name Prozac and the sertraline hydrochloride is another generic drug that goes by the brand name Zoloft. The end results of both of these drugs are the same but the mechanism of action of Prozac vs. Zoloft is a little different, Prozac’s generic drug is a serotonin reuptake inhibitor it inhibits the serotonin reuptake in such a way that it inhibits the serotonin transporter protein and it’s also a 5HT2C antagonist while the sertraline inhibits the serotonin reuptake by inhibiting the 5HT1A receptor.

Serotonin is basically a chemical in our body that produces the feeling of well-being and happiness so when the serotonin is depleted in our body due to more reuptake it could result in depression, anxiety etc. So when these antidepressants are used they will increase the amount of serotonin in the body by blocking its reuptake and this is how they will help with your mood, good appetite and also balance your sleep.

Depression is a very dangerous disorder and it can have a very negative impact on a person’s life and this is why this disorder must be addressed and medications should be taken as prescribed to reduce and completely eliminate the depression and anxiety from your life.

Features of Prozac and Zoloft

Features of Prozac vs Zoloft will help us understand better which drug is better than the other one and whether your medications need switching or not b the prescriber. Prozac and Zoloft bot is used for the treatment of the obsessive-compulsive disorder OCD and the panic disorder while Prozac only is used for the Bulimia nervosa which is the eating disorder in which the frequent episodes of the binge eating followed by the episodes of trying to lose weight by inducing vomiting.

On the other hand, Zoloft is only used for the post-traumatic stress disorder, premenstrual dysphoric disorder (sudden changes in the mood before menstruation), social anxiety disorder or social phobia. These medications are also used for some other sleeping and eating disorders but these are just some of the off-label uses and these off-label uses are those uses for which the drug can be prescribed by the doctor but it's not the use of the drug was approved by the FDA.

Dosing differences between these two

Prozac was prescribed in the children below 7 years for Obsessive-compulsive disorder and for the rest of the purposes it is prescribed in the adults only and Zoloft is prescribed in the children below 6 years for the OCD and for the other reasons in adults only. Prozac comes in the form of oral capsules of 10mg, 20mg, 40mg and 90mg only Zoloft comes in the form of oral capsules of 25mg, 50mg & 100mg and the oral liquid concentrate solution of 20mg/ml. the good thing that is common about both of these drugs is that patients don’t have to go through the withdrawal upon discontinuing of these medications and also they don’t have the addictive potential for the medication users and this is why people font go through the withdrawal symptoms upon discontinuation. And they both also don’t fall on the list of the controlled substances so there is no potential harm upon the use of these medications.

Side effects

All the medications that we use have some side effects too and there is no medication in the entire world that doesn’t come with a side effect. The side effects caused by both of these drugs are same but there are few side effects that vary in Prozac vs Zoloft. The common side effects that can possibly arise from the usage of these medications are

Nausea and vomiting,
Diarrhea,
Weight gain,
Weight loss,
Insomnia,
A headache,
Dry mouth and
Sexual dysfunctions like the erectile dysfunction.

So these were some of the common side effects while the side effects that we observe in the Prozac vs Zoloft are that Zoloft is most likely to be the reason of diarrhoea than the Prozac so when the patient is undergoing many problems the medical practitioner upon other factors consideration can think about switching to Prozac. Similarly, Prozac versus Zoloft is most likely to be the reason for the dry mouth and the sleep disturbance so in such situations consider switching to the Zoloft to provide the patients maximum comfort. Suicidal thoughts can also initiate in the head of both these substance users between treatments so care should be given to them.

Drug interactions

Drug-drug interactions are a really worse thing so the medical practitioners should check the current medication history of the patient and void prescribing medicines that have a possible interaction with any of the previous medications. The drug-drug interaction of these drugs are with

Monoamine oxidase inhibitor,
Methylene blue injection,
Pimozide,
Linezolid

So make sure to inform the practitioner about your current medications in use. Both of these drugs are also contraindicated in the pregnancy and the breastfeeding stage.

Price variable

The price of both Prozac vs Zoloft varies even though they are used for the same purpose and the price difference is in such a way that the monthly supply of the Prozac is almost $100 more expensive as compared to the Zoloft so when it comes to the pricing Zoloft is better than the Prozac because it is in within the reach of all the classes of society.

Prozac vs Zoloft

Now coming to the final review the Prozac vs Zoloft are better than each other when we are considering only in certain aspects and to check the efficacy of both of them what you need to do is that you can read the reviews of the patients that are already using these medications which will help you to make a better judgment in Prozac vs Zoloft.

January 26, 2018 1 comment