Happy hour / depression med

February 19, 2018 9:50 AM

Why does the medication label say do not drink alcoholic beverages when taking Wellbutrin?

Is it because of:
1. Worries over how it might increase intoxication (for driving and operating machinery) etc; OR 2. Worries over how it might damage kidneys or liver etc (and if so which organ is adversely affected? For instance, advil is hard on kidneys and tylenol on liver); OR 3. Worries over increased chance of seizure which already is a (small) risk for Wellbutrin; OR 4. Something else?

posted by velveeta underground to Health & Fitness (22 answers total)

I was told it was partly because its an antidepressant, alcohol is a depressant, why take both? And partly it does increase the effect of alcohol in odd ways; if you drink your normal 'safe' amount you may suddenly realize you're waking up on the bathroom floor. I have first hand experience here. :P
posted by The otter lady at 10:14 AM on February 19, 2018

http://www.drugsdb.com/rx/wellbutrin/wellbutrin-and-alcohol/
posted by humboldt32 at 10:27 AM on February 19, 2018

Mostly 3 (both alcohol and wellbutrin lower your seizure threshold) with a side of 1.

Anecdotally, I was fine having a drink or two on Wellbutrin. I was taking a relatively low dose of XR generic wellbutrin, your mileage will vary. I've heard a few stories of people getting much drunker than anticipated on WB, but thankfully no seizure stories.
posted by momus_window at 10:46 AM on February 19, 2018

Yes, it’s because it lowers your seizure threshold. I had a seizure after drinking while on Wellbutrin. I do not recommend it.
posted by pintapicasso at 10:52 AM on February 19, 2018

A bit of 1 and 3. I'm pretty sure that I saw a study about alcohol and welbutrin from when it was first approved. The amount of alcohol or welbutrin was higher than what is expected, but I'm only finding an animal experiment with a quick google.

I'd be honest, if possible. Your psychiatrist may be annoyed with you for drinking, but they'd rather know and help you set safe limits than have you lie to them. And if they refuse to talk to you about drinking, you might want to see if you can find another in network. There are risks, you should be aware, but you're not on MAOIs, so you can take a look at the risks and decide if you want to take them. I have, but I definitely tried a drink or two slowly with a friend who knew what might happen the first few times I drank while on welbutrin.
posted by Hactar at 11:54 AM on February 19, 2018

Wellbutrin made me get waaaay drunker than normal. I assumed that was why.
posted by mollywas at 12:06 PM on February 19, 2018

I am on it and it turns me into the worst lightweight. It also makes the experience of being buzzed feel unpleasant.
posted by Beethoven's Sith at 12:26 PM on February 19, 2018

I've heard a few stories of people getting much drunker than anticipated on WB

I didn't know about the seizure stuff (yikes!!) but I definitely get MUCH drunker, to the point where I had three drinks over the course of 5 hours and I don't remember part of the night. I already had a ride arranged but if I'd been planning to drive - knowing how 3 drinks usually affects me - I absolutely could not have.
posted by AFABulous at 12:47 PM on February 19, 2018

alcohol is a depressant

alcohol is a central nervous system depressant, but I don't think that's related to the mood disorder
posted by thelonius at 12:57 PM on February 19, 2018

It makes me drunker a lot faster, and the seizure threshold aspect is real. My shrink told me to skip taking it if I know I will be drinking later. (I take an XL dose in the morning).
posted by eusebis_w_adorno at 2:08 PM on February 19, 2018

Thank you very much everyone. So for people who have felt a significant effect from this, were you drinking a lot? If you are on WB, do you never have a glass of wine with dinner or a single cocktail at a party without skipping a dose?
posted by velveeta underground at 2:15 PM on February 19, 2018

FWIW, I’ve been taking Wellbutrin since the brand came on the market, and have never noticed any sort of potentiating effects with drinking alcohol.
posted by Thorzdad at 2:34 PM on February 19, 2018

I never noticed any effects having a glass of wine with dinner when on WB.
posted by msbubbaclees at 2:41 PM on February 19, 2018

I was drinking a lot at the time, yes.
posted by The otter lady at 3:42 PM on February 19, 2018

I take 150ml of generic wellbutrin xl each morning - I started it a few months ago - and I haven’t experienced any difference at all when I drink.
posted by insectosaurus at 3:54 PM on February 19, 2018

When I was on wb I could safely manage two drinks, three would dicey and I would sometimes black out. Four and I was blotto for sure.
posted by greta simone at 4:04 PM on February 19, 2018

In my experience, I feel a lot worse after drinking on Wellbutrin than after drinking the same amount without Wellbutrin. The hangover is worse and my mood crashes also.
posted by Jacqueline at 7:11 PM on February 19, 2018

30 something male here, no family history of epilepsy. I gave up on having more than one drink for a few months while on Wellbutrin 300mg XL, but after nothing bad happened, I slowly crept back up to my normal level of drinking over the last year or so. I haven't noticed any problems, even once when I slipped up and had way too much at an event (whiskey should not be added to the end of a night, fyi). I used to skip doses if I was going to drink and now I ...don't really do that, because I don't like breaking my routine.

I think serious alcoholism is a much bigger deal because withdrawal has a quite major effect on the seizure threshold. When I asked my shrink he said something like "social drinking 8+ hours after your dose is probably okay." But it's something you should be able to talk to your pdoc about.

Tldr, didn't turn out to be a big deal for me.
posted by en forme de poire at 11:58 PM on February 19, 2018

I take generic Wellbutrin (bupropion) and occasionally drink. In general, if I have more than three drinks, I can’t sleep. It’s a bummer - I’ll be tired and go to bed but just end up staring at the ceiling. YMMV.
posted by kat518 at 7:42 PM on February 20, 2018

The nature of my drinking had gradually changed before the seizure. I had been drinking about a glass of wine a day, but over the course of a few months that turned into four or five drinks once a week - I was newly single and going out to bars. I was pretty small at the time, 100 lbs but a healthy BMI. Brains are weird.
posted by pintapicasso at 1:07 AM on February 21, 2018

I've been taking Wellbutrin for over a decade and have never changed my (very moderate) drinking habits. I don't remember noticing a difference when I first started taking it. I get tipsy pretty quickly, but I have always assumed that's because I don't drink very frequently (maybe 0-4 drinks in a normal week, 1-3 per day if on vacation)
posted by tangosnail at 1:20 PM on February 21, 2018

Wellbutrin lowers your alcohol tolerance. A lot. Your tolerance will increase as it leaves your system, so drinking in the evening is fine so long as you relearn your limits.

There was a scandal a few years back where the 300 mg XR release profile for one of the generics wasn't nearly as long as the release profile for the name brand. Initially, I was confused about how anyone figured that out, but then - after years of being on the generic - I got a prescription filled with the name brand. I had two drinks at a happy hour, carefully spaced out, and I was tripping over my feet. I'd gotten to the bar on the bus (college town), so I was fine, but, had I needed to be sober enough to drive by the end of the night, it might have been a disaster.
posted by steady-state strawberry at 5:12 PM on March 9, 2018