I take 10mg lexapro in the morning, can I have a beer tonight?

I have been on 10mg of Lexapro for about 3 months now and have had an occasional drink, usually a glass or two of wine or beer. Wine's effects seem to be a little more enhanced to me and I don't feel any different if I drink 1-2 beers with food. Overall, I can't say I have noticed much difference at all. I have drinks forgetting I even take Lexapro. I would certainly say to monitor your mood and head if you have a drink. If I felt any type of abnormal side effect I would avoid the drinks altogether, or if I was just a high strung person who obsessively worried about side effects. But otherwise be smart about it. Don't take Lexapro and pound shots. But drinks with lower alcohol content I think are OK on occasion as long as you go slow and pay attention.

I have been on Lexapro for many many years, as high as 40mg for 10 years as a matter of fact.
I now take 10 mg, that being said, I have had a few drinks (Crown shots usually and a beer to sip) once in awhile and I have NEVER had a single issue at all.
I don’t get drunk and I have never been a big drinker but when I do go celebrate something a few times a year I Induldge in a couple shots and sip a beer thru the evening or a glass of wine and I have never had any problems at all.
I have also had a glass of wine with a meal a couple of times during the 10 years that I took a higher dose and I didn’t experience any ill effects then either.
I would say you do what you feel comfortable doing or if you asked the doc that prescribed it to you I would almost be willing to bet you moderation would be his or her advice to you.
But then again if Your someone who would worry about it a lot or be nervous afterwards then it may not be worth the anxiety it would bring To you.
Good luck and have fun either way !!

Interactions between your drugs:
Moderate
ethanol escitalopram
Applies to: ethanol, Lexapro (escitalopram)

GENERALLY AVOID: Alcohol may potentiate some of the pharmacologic effects of CNS-active agents. Use in combination may result in additive central nervous system depression and/or impairment of judgment, thinking, and psychomotor skills.

MANAGEMENT: Patients receiving CNS-active agents should be warned of this interaction and advised to avoid or limit consumption of alcohol. Ambulatory patients should be counseled to avoid hazardous activities requiring complete mental alertness and motor coordination until they know how these agents affect them, and to notify their physician if they experience excessive or prolonged CNS effects that interfere with their normal activities.

And as has already been said, why take a depressant drug (yes, alcohol IS a drug) when you're taking an ANTI-depressant??

Yes you can have a beer. Just don’t over do it. When I was on Lexapro and wanted to have a couple casuals then I would still take it but if I knew I was getting drunk that night I wouldn’t take it. I don’t think any medications would react to well to hard binge drinking,

Do not drink while on Lexapro. It caused me to drink alcoholically! I had to go to rehab for alcoholism. And when I got out I kept drinking because of lexapro. When I googled lexapro and alcohol I found other people who had the same interaction with alcohol. Once I quit taking lexapro I quit drinking. I havent even had a beer in two months. Please if you have trouble with drinking and you're on lexapro get off it, switch your meds before you end up dead or in jail because of alcohol.

Im 24 years old and was prescribed lexapro. The first week i took it i had no drinks, i feels amazing i was back to normal. But i started drinking heavly on it now and the side effects enhanced. Can some relate? Im having the dark thoughts again.. is this temporary or just the lexapro doing its work to get back to normal. I stop drinking period.

Drinking with lexapro is not a fun idea. I'm only on 5 mg tablets and I barely drank a few cans of mikes hard lemonade, and it was honestly a weird and unsatisfying experience. The alcohol really heightened the anxiety and paranoia for me, but I was also getting minor auditory hallucinations because I had been doing a lot of psychedelic substances before.

Hi toslow44!
I would definitely ask your doctor first before having ANY alcohol. I take 30mg of lexapro once a day, as well as 450mg WelbutrinXL. My doctor said it was ok for me to have 1 drink a day. Meaning one drink in a 24 hour time period. Also, my doctor did NOT mean a Long Island Iced Tea! ;P For example, a single vodka soda, rum and coke, glass of wine, standard bottle of beer., etc. Every once in a while I can have 2, depending on how I feel, i.e. how much I have eaten, slept, my state of mind, etc. I discussed this very openly and thoroughly with my doctor first, BEFORE I drank ANY alcohol at all. Obviously, we are all different, and what's ok for me, might not be ok for you. Take Care!

Hi, ok I want to point out that I drink 2x a week while taking 10 mg of lexapro for a year now, and I have never had an issue. The only thing that possibly happens is feeling very depressed the next day (but this is expected, since alchol=depressant) Its just something you have to deal with as a trade off. Im a college girl, small, and I probably have 3 drink every time I go out. Not a lot, but I do drink. Also, i have found the TYPE of alcohol matters-- clear=good; dark alc=bad.

A lot of these posts are saying to never drink, but I do not think its a big deal to have alcohol in moderation. Even my psychiatrist said its ok, as long as its in moderation and you just monitor how you feel. Its different for everyone, but one beer will most likely have no effect.

No alcohol = fine. Alcohol, no liver, skull fracture = not fine.

I used to take lexapro for years and drank regularly and sometimes (at festivals) quite alot, never had any bad effects other than the hangovers and i suppose mood, but i never knew about all these possible effects of these interactions, but i suppose poeple are different, i also was a heavier weight then too, i also have know idea what shape my liver & kidneys are in, after reading this i maybe get that checked, but i would doubt a 2-3 bottles of beer would be more than your body could handle, but thats just an opinion.

Im just actually wondering if anyone is prescribed lexapro and also drinks along with it.

Hello toslow44. As a rule not a good idea. Not that a few beers is going to harm you. I go the side of what happens if you have a severe reaction. Thats the issue from my stand point. Have a beer or two if you so choose but keep an eye out, for physical signs. Regards, pledge

It's generally best to avoid combining Lexapro and alcohol.
Drinking alcohol can increase certain side effects, such as drowsiness and impair your thinking or reactions.
You might be best to find out how you react to alcohol in a more secure environment first.
The odd drink every now and then is probably fine.