Can You Consume Wellbutrin And Alcohol Together?

Often people drink Wellbutrin and alcohol together. Wellbutrin is an antidepressant, whereas alcohol is known as a depressant throughout the world. So when you mix these two things together, there could be some serious health issues for you.

You should not just believe whatever an article on the internet says, but you should definitely believe the doctors, and if you refuse to listen to even that, then you can go by the logic of how Wellbutrin and alcohol are both kinds of opposites of each other. This is not a situation where opposites attract; in chemistry, when opposites are mixed, explosions could take place.

So you should keep that in mind and not try to experiment with taking Wellbutrin and alcohol together. Talking about Wellbutrin, it is not actually a medicine but rather the name of a brand that makes medicine, specifically, it makes bupropion which is a medicine used to treat the major depressive disorder and reduces depression symptoms.

This medicine, which another brand called Zyban produces, is used for helping people quit smoking as well. If you try to take Wellbutrin and alcohol together, especially a large quantity of alcohol, then you are going to face some serious issues in the near future.

Wellbutrin is an antidepressant, but it is a different kind of antidepressant than the usual ones. Hence it reacts in a different manner than usual antidepressants. It does not matter whether you are new to drinking or if you have been doing heavy drinking for years, taking Wellbutrin and alcohol will have a lot of side effects regardless of that.

That is what we will be discussing in this article, why you should not consume Wellbutrin and alcohol together, what side effects doing so will cause, and some other things as well. So let us find out.

What Side Effects Can Wellbutrin Cause?

Wellbutrin is a medicine that can cause some side effects on its own. So before I tell you what mixing Wellbutrin and alcohol will do to you, first let us take a look at the side effects of Wellbutrin.

If you have been prescribed Wellbutrin, make sure that your doctor knows about your health history and every disease or allergies that you might have because if the doctor does not know about them and they prescribe this drug to you, it could lead to very serious issues.

Wellbutrin is a norepinephrine-dopamine reuptake inhibitor (NDRI) while the usual antidepressants are serotonin reuptake inhibitors (SSRI); Wellbutrin works by balancing the neurotransmitters in the brain, which helps in increasing your self-confidence and makes your mood better.

But you should remember that there are certain side effects that you could experience, and they are:

• Racing thoughts
• Dry mouth
• Eye pain
• Sore throat
• Shaking
• Heavy sweating
• Weight loss or weight gain
• Anxiety
• Unusual excitement or mania
• Headaches
• Increased urination
• Lethargy
• Gastrointestinal problems like constipation

All these side effects are only those that will be mild in nature. There are some side effects that can get severe as well, and they are:

• Hallucinations
• Paranoia
• Seizures
• Panic attacks
• Joint pain
• Irregular heartbeats
• State of mental confusion

There are some other things that are rarely ever experienced by people, but some people actually do have them. If you consume Wellbutrin and you experience blisters or hives on your body or swelling, hoarseness, chest pain, or even some other allergic reaction to it, then you should get medical help as soon as possible.

Now that you know about the side effects of Wellbutrin, let us talk about what taking Wellbutrin and alcohol together would do to your body.

Wellbutrin And Alcohol

One of the most common side effects of Wellbutrin is seizures, and if you take Wellbutrin and alcohol together, the risk of seizures would just increase tenfold. If you are a person that has certain underlying issues that can cause you seizures or if you have an eating disorder, or even if you just take a high dosage of Wellbutrin, then you are at great risk of seizures.

If you take these things together, you might even develop profanity for seizures. Taking them together affects your brain function negatively. Drinking a lot of alcohol also puts you at greater risk. The amount of risk depends on every individual, so to be safe, you should just avoid drinking them together at all.

You should also note that if you suddenly stop alcohol consumption while you are taking Wellbutrin and alcohol together, you will be at risk of seizures even then. If you have been taking both these things together then before you stop drinking alcohol, you should contact your doctor.

Stopping alcohol consumption can lead to alcohol withdrawal syndrome, which can be a life-threatening condition if it is not taken care of properly. If you stop alcohol consumption suddenly, you might feel different side effects like:

• Severe shaking and tremors
• Confusion and disorientation
• Hallucinations
• Paranoia
• Vomiting
• Upset stomach

So when you go to a doctor about this issue, tell them everything that you have been doing. Tell them the type of alcohol you consume, the amount you consume at a time and how often you drink, and how much, along with the amount of time since you have been consuming alcohol.

It has not been completely explained how Wellbutrin works, but scientists have found that taking Wellbutrin and alcohol together does you no good at all. Most side effects that consuming these two together will cause are related to the nervous system.

The side effects include:

• Drowsiness
• Dizziness
• Increased risk of overdose
• Increased depression
• Increased risk of seizures
• Confusion
• Restlessness
• Uncoordination
• Nausea
• Digestive distress
• Alcohol poisoning
• Vomiting
• Fatigue
• Suicidal thoughts
• Blackouts
• Blurred vision
• Poor judgment

In addition to all those things, if you take alcohol with Wellbutrin, it will counteract the effects the drug might be having on your body which will just kill the purpose of taking the medicine in the first place. All the side effects can be very dangerous, and if you are unlucky, they can even lead to your demise. The longer you consume them together, the greater this risk will be.

If you are someone who has an eating disorder, more specifically anorexia or bulimia, then you should no use Wellbutrin at all because people have found that if they have this disorder n they take this drug then it leads to bad things like:

• Sweating
• Shortness of breath
• Irritability
• Restlessness
• Fainting
• Excitability

These things indicate cardiovascular stress, which is a major thing for people with eating disorders. If you take Wellbutrin, it will just increase all the side effects or symptoms of eating disorders.

Some people even take Wellbutrin and alcohol together to get themselves higher, but that is a very big mistake. If you get dependent on Wellbutrin or alcohol, it will be a very serious health issue. It can lead to long-term health problems.

Some of the issues that can be long-term include:

• The overall effectiveness of Wellbutrin will be reduced, and that will leave you with very few options when it comes to treating depression.
• It will increase the risk of developing a physical dependency on alcohol.
• It increases the risk of alcohol abuse disorder.

Wellbutrin And Alcohol Causing Dizziness And Drowsiness

Alcohol is something that makes you feel dizzy or drowsy on its own, so when you mix it with Wellbutrin, it can lead to severe drowsiness or dizziness; that happens because both of these things will work in suppressing the central nervous system.

So if you experience increased fatigue or drowsiness, it can be very dangerous and sometimes even deadly for you if you are driving or doing some other work that can be dangerous if you are not paying all your attention to it.

Wellbutrin and alcohol are both known to increase the side effects of each other. The liver has to process both these things, and it is able to process only a small bit at a time, and hence less, and less of these substances are processed every time.

That is the reason why their side effects get increased over time. You will start experiencing stronger side effects, and you might not be successful in preventing them. Alcohol can mix with the blood, and the amount could be higher than usual as the liver does not process it completely, and that could lead to an overdose of alcohol.

Other Things

Wellbutrin can cause depression, it is a side effect of it, and when it is taken with alcohol, the existing depression might get worse for a person who has not been consuming alcohol much. If the person is someone who is not depressed, then depression might originate for them somehow.

This will lead to the disruption in usual activities, and that can lead to some severe causes and even suicidal thoughts, and that is why you should never consume Wellbutrin and alcohol together.

What Can You Do If You Already Consumed Wellbutrin And Alcohol Together?

Suppose you have already drunk Wellbutrin and alcohol together, and you are reading this for some reason; there is no need to panic. What I have been telling you so far is that if you take them together, the risk of certain diseases will increase.

Keep in mind that only the risk increases; there is still a possibility that you might not get the side effects for a long time. If you have drunk alcohol with Wellbutrin, you will have to take care of a few things then.

You should keep an outlook for any depression symptoms along with any increased shaking or tremors, which might indicate an oncoming seizure. If you feel confused or disoriented and are experiencing a lack of coordination, then you should get in contact with your doctor right away.

If you are having seizures, tremors or suicidal thoughts, or even severe depression symptoms, then go to the emergency room or to urgent care as soon as you possibly can.

Overdosing On Wellbutrin And Alcohol

As I have already mentioned, consuming Wellbutrin and alcohol together will have dire side effects. Sometimes if you are not being careful and not monitoring how much you are consuming of either of these things, you might end up overdosing on them.

These two things bring out the side effects of each other even more when taken together, and that is why you might not even realize when you overdosed over something. This combination is one of the most dangerously used combinations. It can lead you to addiction as well.

That is the reason why addiction and rehabilitation treatment is made available for people that have developed an addiction over these two things. If you think that you have some kind of addiction either over Wellbutrin, alcohol, or any other similar drug, seek professional help because these things can have adverse effects on your life.

What Kind Of Treatment Options Are Available To You?

There are a lot of treatment options available to you if you have consumed Wellbutrin and alcohol together. They are:

Inpatient Programs

Inpatient treatment happens at a licensed residential treatment center, and these programs give 24 hours service all week, and they provide comprehensive and structured care. During this, you will be residing in a safe and substance-free environment where professionals will have access to you.

The first part of the process towards getting you better would be detoxification, and then behavioral therapy would be done along with some other services. Depending on the treatment, it can last for one, two, or three months. Most programs like this even set up an aftercare treatment as well.

Partial Hospitalization programs

Partial hospitalization programs are also referred to as intensive outpatient programs, and the services provided are similar to the inpatient programs, and they include behavioral therapy, support groups, and some other therapies.

In a PHP program, you get to go to your home for the night, and things like food and transportation are provided. These programs accept new people as well as those people who have already undergone an inpatient program.

Outpatient Programs

This is a somewhat less intense program, and they organize your treatment session based on your schedule. This program provides therapy, education, and support in a flexible environment.

These programs are great for people who have a very high motivation to recover and are unable to leave their responsibilities at home, work, or school. These programs are sometimes often used as aftercare programs once you have completed an inpatient or PHP program.

Medication-Assisted Therapy

Sometimes medications are also used to treat alcohol addiction. Some medicine helps in the reduction of some of the side effects of detoxification and withdrawal. Some other medicines also help in reducing cravings and normalizing bodily functions.

Disulfiram or Antabuse, acamprosate or Campral, and naltrexone are the most common medicines used to treat AUD. When they get combined with the other medicines, this program can help prevent relapse and increase your chance of recovery.

Support Groups

There are a lot of support groups as well and they are alcoholics anonymous and SMART recovery is open to everyone that has a substance abuse issue. They are a peer-led organization that is dedicated to helping each other remain sober and they can become the first steps towards recovery or a part of the long-term aftercare plan.

Cessation

It will be a good thing if you can prevent yourself from consuming Wellbutrin and alcohol together and the reason behind that is that they will just work together to cause severe side effects to your body.

If you have been drinking alcohol and Wellbutrin together for a long time, you should get medical attention as soon as you can. If you have been a heavy drinker then you should not just suddenly stop drinking and rather go get professional help because withdrawal symptoms can get very bad.

Everyone has a different body so you do not know how your body is going to react to Wellbutrin and alcohol consumption. So it is better if you just avoid them and if you have consumed them then you should go to the doctor and be completely honest with them about everything and then you can start on your journey to getting better again.