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Dr. Andrew Rynne
MD
Dr. Andrew Rynne

Family Physician

Exp 50 years

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Taking Xanax And Pristiq For Anxiety And Depression. Can I Take Xanax After Consuming Beer?

Hi. I m a 21 year old female, 5 , 125lbs. I m prescribed 0.5mg of Xanax to take as needed for anxiety. I m also prescribed a daily 50mg of Pristiq for depression and anxiety. My psychiatrist told me that the general rule of thumb was to allow about 6 hours before or after taking Xanax if I want to consume any alcohol at all. I had 1.5 beers about two hours ago and was wondering if it would be wise for me to take a Xanax right now. (I wasn t anticipating needing to take Xanax tonight but had an unexpectedly stressful even arise.) Thanks
Thu, 9 Jan 2014
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Psychiatrist 's  Response
Greetings !

Well you see alcohol and Xanax both act at the same receptors and tend to lead to severe CNS ( Central Nervous System ) depression thereby resulting in excessive drowsiness , at times stupor to the extent of extreme seriousness. So ideally taking these two together is discouraged not even 6 hours apart however some doctors may allow the two to be taken 6-8 hours apart but in your case it is too soon to take Xanax since not enough time has elapsed since you took alcoholic beverage so keeping in mind the perils of this cocktail kindly refrain yourself from taking it now after 2 hours. Instead try to distract yourself by indulging in some task or errand or try to meditate to calm your nerves.

I hope this helps.

Regards
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Taking Xanax And Pristiq For Anxiety And Depression. Can I Take Xanax After Consuming Beer?

Greetings ! Well you see alcohol and Xanax both act at the same receptors and tend to lead to severe CNS ( Central Nervous System ) depression thereby resulting in excessive drowsiness , at times stupor to the extent of extreme seriousness. So ideally taking these two together is discouraged not even 6 hours apart however some doctors may allow the two to be taken 6-8 hours apart but in your case it is too soon to take Xanax since not enough time has elapsed since you took alcoholic beverage so keeping in mind the perils of this cocktail kindly refrain yourself from taking it now after 2 hours. Instead try to distract yourself by indulging in some task or errand or try to meditate to calm your nerves. I hope this helps. Regards