The short answer
Alcohol and antidepressants don't mix well, even though a moderate amount is unlikely to stop a common medicine like sertraline from working. The combination can make you drowsier and less coordinated, and drinking can make depression and anxiety worse. Some antidepressants carry specific warnings: mirtazapine and tricyclics add to sedation, phenelzine reacts with some drinks, and agomelatine isn't suitable for heavy drinkers. Check the advice for your medicine and talk honestly with your GP about how much you drink.
On this page
Can you drink alcohol on antidepressants?
The honest answer is that it depends on the medicine and how much you drink. With some common antidepressants, a moderate amount of alcohol is unlikely to stop the medicine working [1]. But several Australian consumer medicine information leaflets still advise avoiding alcohol [1][2][3].
There are two separate issues to think about. The first is the interaction: alcohol can add to drowsiness and poor coordination, and a few antidepressants have specific risks. The second is your mood: alcohol can make depression worse, which works against the reason you're taking the medicine in the first place [4].
How does alcohol interact with different antidepressants?
Here's what the Australian consumer information says for examples from each main group. Your own medicine's leaflet and your pharmacist are the most reliable guide.
| Medicine | What the consumer information advises |
|---|---|
| Sertraline, an SSRI | Moderate drinking is unlikely to affect your response, but avoid alcohol; take care if you feel drowsy or uncoordinated [1] |
| Vortioxetine | Avoid alcohol and tell your doctor or pharmacist if you drink [3] |
| Mirtazapine | Don't drink any alcohol; together they make you more sleepy and less alert [2] |
| Amitriptyline, a tricyclic | Alcohol can make you more drowsy or dizzy; your doctor may suggest avoiding it [5] |
| Agomelatine | Avoid alcohol; people who drink excessively shouldn't take it, because of liver risk and worsening mood [6] |
| Phenelzine, an MAOI | Avoid alcohol; some drinks contain tyramine and can react with the medicine [7] |
Why mirtazapine and tricyclics need extra care
Mirtazapine and tricyclic antidepressants such as amitriptyline can cause drowsiness and dizziness on their own [2][5]. Alcohol adds to that, making you more sleepy, dizzy and less alert [2][5].
That matters for driving and operating machinery. Don't drive until you know how your medicine affects you [2][5].
MAOIs and tyramine
MAOIs such as phenelzine and tranylcypromine work differently from other antidepressants. Tyramine, a substance found in some aged and fermented foods and drinks, can cause a rise in blood pressure in people taking these medicines [8]. Phenelzine's consumer information warns that this rise can be severe [7].
Phenelzine's consumer information advises avoiding alcohol, and lists some beers, red wine, and alcohol-free and reduced-alcohol beer and wine among the drinks that may react with it [7]. These restrictions continue for two weeks after stopping the medicine [7].
Get urgent medical help if you're taking an MAOI and develop a headache (especially one that starts at the back of the head and spreads to the front), a fast heartbeat, nausea or vomiting. Call your doctor straight away or go to your nearest emergency department [7]. In an emergency, call 000.
Some researchers argue that the tyramine risk has been overstated, because many modern foods contain less tyramine than they used to [8]. Even so, people vary in how sensitive they are [8], and the restrictions in your medicine's consumer information still apply. Follow the specific list your doctor or pharmacist gives you.
Agomelatine and your liver
Agomelatine needs liver blood tests during treatment, and its consumer information says people who drink excessive amounts of alcohol shouldn't take it [6]. Heavy drinking can also cause liver problems of its own and may worsen depression or anxiety [6].
How does alcohol affect depression and anxiety?
Alcohol may feel like it takes the edge off, but the longer-term picture is different.
- Each raises the risk of the other. A review of the research found that having either an alcohol use disorder or major depression roughly doubles the risk of the other [9]. The most likely direction is that problem drinking increases the risk of depression, rather than the reverse [9].
- Treating problem drinking often helps mood. In studies of people treated for alcohol use disorders who also had depressive symptoms, depression improved a lot during treatment, mostly within the first 3 to 6 weeks [10].
- It can get in the way of treatment. Australian guidelines say alcohol and other substance misuse are often a hidden factor in mood disorders and poor response to treatment [11].
Alcohol and sleep
Alcohol helps you fall asleep faster, but it increases disrupted sleep in the second half of the night [12]. It also delays the first period of dream (REM) sleep, and at moderate to high amounts reduces REM sleep across the night [12].
If sleep is already a struggle, a nightcap may be making it worse rather than better. See our page on sleep for other options.
How much alcohol is too much?
Australia's national guidelines say healthy adults should drink no more than 10 standard drinks a week and no more than 4 standard drinks on any one day [13]. A standard drink contains 10 grams of alcohol [13]. People under 18 and people who are pregnant or planning a pregnancy should not drink [13].
Those limits are for healthy adults. If your medicine's consumer information advises avoiding alcohol, or you're unwell, the safest amount may be less, or none. Ask your GP what makes sense for you.
What about other medicines taken alongside antidepressants?
Some people take other medicines at the same time, such as benzodiazepines for anxiety or sleep. Mixing benzodiazepines with alcohol or other drugs can lead to overdose [14]. If you take anything else that makes you drowsy, check with your pharmacist before drinking.
Our guide to types of antidepressants in Australia has more on each medicine.
What if you're drinking to cope?
If alcohol has become a way to manage low mood, stress or sleep, it's worth raising with your GP. Australian alcohol treatment guidelines say that when depression and an alcohol use disorder occur together, psychological treatment should generally come first [15]. Antidepressants are usually a second-line option in this situation, unless depression is severe, suicidal thoughts are high, or there's a history of depressive illness [15].
The same guidelines note that antidepressants may relieve depressive symptoms but do little to reduce drinking [15]. Specific medicines can help with cutting down or stopping, which you can read about in our guides to naltrexone for alcohol and acamprosate. Our alcohol page explains how a GP can help.
Whatever you decide about drinking, don't stop your antidepressant suddenly, because that's likely to cause withdrawal symptoms [4].
When to talk to a GP
Talk to a GP if you're regularly drinking more than the national guidelines, using alcohol to sleep or cope, noticing your mood is worse after drinking, or unsure whether your medicine is safe with alcohol. Be as honest as you can about how much you drink. It helps your GP choose treatment that's safe and more likely to work.
If you'd like to talk to a GP about how you've been feeling, you can request an appointment. Mental Health Clinic is for adults 18 and over and isn't an emergency service.
A consultation doesn't guarantee a prescription. Your GP decides what's clinically appropriate.
If you're in crisis or thinking about suicide, call Lifeline on 13 11 14 or 000 in an emergency.
This page is general information, not medical advice.
Common questions
Can I drink alcohol while taking antidepressants?
It depends on the medicine and how much you drink. For sertraline, moderate drinking is unlikely to affect how well it works, but the consumer information still advises avoiding alcohol [1]. For others, such as mirtazapine, the advice is not to drink any alcohol [2]. Because alcohol can make depression worse, healthdirect recommends reducing or avoiding it [4].
Will one drink stop my antidepressant working?
Is it dangerous to drink on mirtazapine?
Can I drink wine or beer on an MAOI?
Phenelzine's consumer information advises avoiding alcohol and lists some beers, red wine, and alcohol-free and reduced-alcohol beer and wine among drinks that may react with it [7]. These restrictions continue for two weeks after stopping [7]. Follow the specific list your doctor or pharmacist gives you.
Should I skip my antidepressant if I'm going to drink?
No. Don't stop or skip your antidepressant to drink. Stopping suddenly is likely to cause withdrawal symptoms such as dizziness, nausea and anxiety [4]. If you're planning to drink, talk to your GP or pharmacist about the safest approach for your medicine instead.
References
- NPS MedicineWise. Zoloft (sertraline) consumer medicine information (prepared June 2024). Accessed November 2026. nps.org.au/medicine-finder/zoloft-tablets
- NPS MedicineWise. Avanza (mirtazapine) consumer medicine information (updated December 2020). Accessed November 2026. nps.org.au/medicine-finder/avanza-tablets
- NPS MedicineWise. Brintellix (vortioxetine) consumer medicine information (prepared October 2024). Accessed November 2026. nps.org.au/medicine-finder/brintellix-tablets
- healthdirect Australia. Antidepressants (last reviewed April 2025). Accessed November 2026. healthdirect.gov.au/antidepressant-medicines
- NPS MedicineWise. Endep (amitriptyline) consumer medicine information (prepared February 2025). Accessed November 2026. nps.org.au/medicine-finder/endep-tablets
- NPS MedicineWise. Valdoxan (agomelatine) consumer medicine information (prepared May 2022). Accessed November 2026. nps.org.au/medicine-finder/valdoxan-tablets
- NPS MedicineWise. Nardil (phenelzine) consumer medicine information (prepared December 2015). Accessed November 2026. nps.org.au/assets/medicines/aac4da87-c1a3-4dca-8dc7-a53300ff060f.pdf
- Gillman PK. A reassessment of the safety profile of monoamine oxidase inhibitors: elucidating tired old tyramine myths. J Neural Transm (Vienna). 2018;125(11):1707-1717. pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/30255284
- Boden JM, Fergusson DM. Alcohol and depression. Addiction. 2011;106(5):906-914. pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/21382111
- Foulds JA, Adamson SJ, Boden JM, et al. Depression in patients with alcohol use disorders: systematic review and meta-analysis of outcomes for independent and substance-induced disorders. J Affect Disord. 2015;185:47-59. pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/26143404
- Malhi GS, Bell E, Bassett D, et al. The 2020 Royal Australian and New Zealand College of Psychiatrists clinical practice guidelines for mood disorders. Aust N Z J Psychiatry. 2021;55(1):7-117. doi.org/10.1177/0004867420979353
- Ebrahim IO, Shapiro CM, Williams AJ, Fenwick PB. Alcohol and sleep I: effects on normal sleep. Alcohol Clin Exp Res. 2013;37(4):539-549. pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/23347102
- Guidelines for the Treatment of Alcohol Problems. NHMRC Guidelines to Reduce Health Risks from Drinking Alcohol (2020). Accessed November 2026. alcoholtreatmentguidelines.com.au/chapter-1-an-introduction-to-the-gui
- Better Health Channel (Victorian Department of Health). Benzodiazepines. Accessed November 2026. betterhealth.vic.gov.au/health/healthyliving/benzodiazepines
- Guidelines for the Treatment of Alcohol Problems. Chapter 21: Comorbidities, depressive disorders. Accessed November 2026. alcoholtreatmentguidelines.com.au/chapter-21-comorbidities-cooccurring
Published by Mental Health Clinic. Last updated 6 November 2026. This page is general information only and isn’t a substitute for advice about your own situation. If you or someone else is in danger, call 000.