Drinking alcohol on your medication
“Can I drink on this?” is one of the most-asked medication questions. Below is what each drug’s own FDA label says about alcohol — transcribed, not paraphrased — grouped by how strongly the label warns.
Avoid alcoholThe label says avoid alcohol
Can you drink alcohol with Alprazolam (Xanax)?
The label addresses alcohol as a CNS depressant. Because alprazolam is itself a CNS depressant, the label cautions against concomitant use of alcohol and other CNS depressant drugs, which produces additive CNS depression — the patient-counseling section directs prescribers to advise patients to avoid alcohol while taking alprazolam, and to not drive or operate machinery. The label further notes that abuse/misuse combined with alcohol (and other CNS depressants like opioids) is associated with an increased frequency of serious adverse outcomes, including respiratory depression, overdose, or death.
Alprazolam Tablets — DailyMed FDA Label ↗Our Xanax safety rating
Can you drink alcohol with Bupropion (Wellbutrin)?
The label's dedicated 'Use with Alcohol' section (7.5) reports rare postmarketing cases of adverse neuropsychiatric events or reduced alcohol tolerance in patients who drank alcohol during treatment, and states that alcohol consumption during treatment should be minimized or avoided; the patient-information section likewise advises minimizing or avoiding alcohol. This is not a disulfiram-like reaction. Separately, because bupropion can cause seizures, the label notes that excessive use of alcohol lowers the seizure threshold, and that abrupt discontinuation of alcohol is itself a seizure-risk factor.
Bupropion Hydrochloride Extended-Release Tablets (XL) — FDA label, DailyMed ↗Our Wellbutrin safety rating
Can you drink alcohol with Buspirone (Buspar)?
The label addresses alcohol. It notes that formal interaction studies show buspirone does not increase alcohol-induced impairment of motor and mental performance (buspirone is not a benzodiazepine and does not carry the additive-sedation warning those drugs do). Even so, the label states it is prudent to avoid using alcohol together with buspirone. Patients are also told to inform their physician about any alcohol use during treatment.
Buspirone Hydrochloride Tablets — FDA label (DailyMed) ↗Our Buspar safety rating
Can you drink alcohol with Clonazepam (Klonopin)?
Clonazepam is a benzodiazepine and CNS depressant, and the label repeatedly addresses alcohol. It states the CNS-depressant action of benzodiazepines may be potentiated by alcohol, and directs that patients be warned about concomitant use of alcohol or other CNS-depressant drugs during therapy. The boxed warning and Abuse/Misuse sections note that benzodiazepine abuse and misuse commonly involve concomitant alcohol, which is associated with an increased frequency of serious adverse outcomes including respiratory depression, overdose, and death; the label advises avoiding or minimizing concomitant use of CNS depressants.
Clonazepam Tablets — DailyMed FDA Label ↗Our Klonopin safety rating
Can you drink alcohol with Diazepam (Valium)?
The label addresses alcohol directly. Because diazepam is a CNS depressant, the WARNINGS section advises patients against simultaneous ingestion of alcohol and other CNS-depressant drugs during therapy, and the Drug Interactions section states that concomitant use with alcohol is not recommended due to enhancement of the sedative effect. The boxed warning and abuse sections further note that mixing benzodiazepines with alcohol (and other CNS depressants) is associated with an increased frequency of serious adverse outcomes including respiratory depression, overdose, or death. This is additive CNS/sedative depression, not a disulfiram-like reaction.
Can you drink alcohol with Duloxetine (Cymbalta)?
The label warns about alcohol, but the mechanism is liver injury, not a disulfiram reaction or sedation. It states that using duloxetine concomitantly with heavy alcohol intake may be associated with severe liver injury, and that duloxetine should not be prescribed to patients with substantial alcohol use or evidence of chronic liver disease. The patient information explicitly advises avoiding heavy alcohol use while taking the drug. Notably, the label adds that in interaction studies duloxetine did NOT increase the impairment of mental and motor skills caused by alcohol, so the concern is hepatic, not additive CNS impairment.
Duloxetine Delayed-Release Capsules — DailyMed FDA Label ↗Our Cymbalta safety rating
Can you drink alcohol with Fluoxetine (Prozac)?
The label does address alcohol. The Medication Guide directs patients not to drink alcohol while taking fluoxetine, placing this instruction alongside the warning that fluoxetine is a CNS-active drug that can impair your ability to make decisions, think clearly, or react quickly (section 5.13 cautions about impaired judgment, thinking, and motor skills). The patient-information section also tells patients to tell their physician if they take alcohol. This is a general 'do not drink alcohol' instruction tied to cognitive/motor impairment, not a disulfiram-like reaction.
Fluoxetine (fluoxetine hydrochloride) label - DailyMed ↗Our Prozac safety rating
Can you drink alcohol with Hydrocodone?
The label's Boxed Warning addresses alcohol directly: concomitant use of this opioid with benzodiazepines or other CNS depressants, including alcohol, may result in profound sedation, respiratory depression, coma, and death. The Drug Interactions and Drug Abuse sections repeat that because the effect is additive (both depress the CNS), combining hydrocodone with alcohol raises the risk of hypotension, respiratory depression, and fatal overdose. This is an additive CNS/respiratory-depression warning, not a disulfiram-type reaction.
Hydrocodone Bitartrate and Acetaminophen Tablets — DailyMed FDA Label ↗
Can you drink alcohol with Lorazepam (Ativan)?
The label warns against combining lorazepam with alcohol because of additive central-nervous-system depression, not a disulfiram-type reaction. Drug Interactions states that benzodiazepines, including lorazepam, produce increased CNS-depressant effects when given with alcohol (and other CNS depressants such as barbiturates, antipsychotics, sedatives, antidepressants, and narcotic analgesics). Patients are warned that their tolerance for alcohol and other CNS depressants will be diminished. The boxed warning notes that abuse/misuse commonly involving alcohol is associated with serious outcomes including respiratory depression, overdose, or death, and overdose combining benzodiazepines with alcohol may be fatal. The Medication Guide directs patients not to drink alcohol while taking lorazepam without first talking to their prescriber, because the combination can cause severe drowsiness, breathing problems (respiratory depression), coma, and death.
Lorazepam Tablets - DailyMed FDA Label ↗Our Ativan safety rating
Can you drink alcohol with Methylphenidate (Ritalin)?
The label addresses alcohol. It advises patients to avoid drinking alcohol while taking these methylphenidate extended-release capsules because alcohol can cause a faster release of the drug — an in vitro study found that at a 40% alcohol concentration, 98% of the methylphenidate was released in the first hour instead of gradually. In other words, alcohol can defeat the extended-release mechanism and dump the dose too quickly. This is a dose-dumping/release-rate effect, not a disulfiram-like reaction and not additive CNS depression.
Methylphenidate Hydrochloride Extended-Release Capsules — DailyMed FDA label ↗Our Ritalin safety rating
Can you drink alcohol with Mirtazapine (Remeron)?
The label addresses alcohol directly and says to avoid it. In its drug-interactions table ("Benzodiazepines and Alcohol"), it states that drinking alcohol while taking mirtazapine increases the impairment of cognitive and motor skills produced by mirtazapine alone, and it instructs patients to avoid concomitant use. Clinical Pharmacology confirms this: in study subjects, alcohol had minimal effect on mirtazapine plasma levels, but the cognitive and motor impairment from mirtazapine was additive with that from alcohol. The Patient Counseling section likewise advises patients to avoid drinking alcohol during treatment. This is an additive CNS/psychomotor-impairment warning, not a disulfiram-like reaction.
Can you drink alcohol with Oxycodone (OxyContin)?
The label addresses alcohol directly, and does so in its BOXED warning. Oxycodone is a CNS depressant, and the label warns that concomitant use with alcohol (grouped with benzodiazepines and other CNS depressants) may result in profound sedation, respiratory depression, coma, and death. The mechanism is additive CNS and respiratory depression, not a disulfiram-like reaction. The drug-abuse section adds that the risk of overdose (respiratory depression, hypotension, seizures, death) is increased with concurrent use of alcohol, and that a history of alcohol abuse marks a patient as high-risk. The label directs prescribers to reserve concomitant use with CNS depressants such as alcohol for patients with no adequate alternative, and to limit doses and durations.
Oxycodone Hydrochloride Tablets - DailyMed label ↗Our OxyContin safety rating
Can you drink alcohol with Quetiapine (Seroquel)?
The label addresses alcohol. In Drug Interactions it states that quetiapine potentiated the cognitive and motor effects of alcohol in a clinical trial in subjects with psychotic disorders, and that alcoholic beverages should be limited while taking quetiapine. The Medication Guide is more direct, telling patients not to drink alcohol while taking quetiapine because it may make some side effects worse. This is an additive CNS effect (impaired cognition and motor function), not a disulfiram-like reaction.
Quetiapine tablets - FDA prescribing information (DailyMed) ↗Our Seroquel safety rating
Can you drink alcohol with Tinidazole (Tindamax)?
The label tells patients to avoid alcoholic beverages and any preparation containing ethanol or propylene glycol while taking tinidazole and for 3 days afterward, because the combination can cause a disulfiram-like reaction — abdominal cramps, nausea, vomiting, headaches, and flushing. The label lists this under drug interactions alongside disulfiram (with which tinidazole should not be taken together) and notes psychotic reactions have been reported in patients using the related drug metronidazole with disulfiram.
Tinidazole Tablets — DailyMed FDA Label ↗Our Tindamax safety rating
Can you drink alcohol with Venlafaxine (Effexor)?
The label addresses alcohol directly. Under Information for Patients it states that although venlafaxine has not been shown to increase the mental and motor impairment caused by alcohol, patients should be advised to avoid alcohol while taking it; the Medication Guide likewise says do not drink alcohol while using venlafaxine. This is a precautionary avoid instruction, not a disulfiram-like reaction. Separately, a pharmacokinetic study cited under Drug Interactions found a single dose of ethanol had no effect on venlafaxine levels and venlafaxine did not exaggerate alcohol's psychomotor effects.
Venlafaxine tablets - DailyMed FDA label ↗Our Effexor safety rating
Use cautionDrink with caution
Can you drink alcohol with Baclofen?
The label's Precautions section warns that the central nervous system effects of baclofen may be additive to those of alcohol and other CNS depressants. In other words, combining baclofen with alcohol can compound sedation and drowsiness. This is an additive-CNS-depression caution, not a disulfiram-like reaction.
Can you drink alcohol with Clonidine (Catapres)?
The label addresses alcohol directly. Under Drug Interactions it states clonidine may potentiate the CNS-depressive effects of alcohol, barbiturates, or other sedating drugs. The Information for Patients section adds that clonidine's sedative effect may be increased by concomitant use of alcohol, and cautions about driving or operating machinery. This is an additive CNS-depressant/sedation warning, not a disulfiram-like reaction.
Clonidine Hydrochloride Tablets — DailyMed Label ↗Our Catapres safety rating
Can you drink alcohol with Cyclobenzaprine (Flexeril)?
The label's WARNINGS section states that cyclobenzaprine may enhance the effects of alcohol, barbiturates, and other CNS depressants. Because cyclobenzaprine is closely related to the tricyclic antidepressants and is sedating, combining it with alcohol adds to central-nervous-system depression, so caution is advised with alcohol use during treatment.
Cyclobenzaprine Hydrochloride Tablets — DailyMed label ↗Our Flexeril safety rating
Can you drink alcohol with Hydroxyzine (Vistaril)?
The label addresses alcohol in its Precautions. It cautions that the effect of alcohol may be increased by hydroxyzine, because hydroxyzine potentiates the action of central nervous system depressants (it names narcotics, non-narcotic analgesics, and barbiturates). Patients are advised against the simultaneous use of other CNS depressant drugs. This is an additive CNS-depression/sedation caution, not a disulfiram-like flushing reaction.
Hydroxyzine Pamoate label (DailyMed) ↗Our Vistaril safety rating
Can you drink alcohol with Naproxen (Aleve)?
The label addresses alcohol as a risk factor for the NSAID's most serious GI harm. In Warnings and Precautions, "use of alcohol" is listed among the factors that raise the risk of serious gastrointestinal bleeding, ulceration, and perforation in patients taking naproxen, and the Medication Guide likewise lists "drinking alcohol" among conditions that increase this bleeding risk. The concern is additive gastrointestinal injury (bleeding/ulcers), not a disulfiram-like reaction or CNS depression. The label does not set a specific limit; it flags alcohol as one of several factors that make serious, sometimes fatal, GI events more likely.
Naproxen tablets - DailyMed FDA label ↗Our Aleve safety rating
Can you drink alcohol with Pregabalin (Lyrica)?
The label addresses ethanol under Drug Interactions. When pregabalin was co-administered with ethanol (as well as oxycodone or lorazepam), additive effects on cognitive and gross motor functioning were seen, though no pharmacokinetic interaction and no clinically important effects on respiration were observed in those studies. Pregabalin is a CNS-active drug, and the Warnings section separately notes respiratory depression can occur when it is used with other CNS depressants. Combining pregabalin with alcohol can therefore compound impairment of thinking and coordination.
Can you drink alcohol with Propranolol (Inderal)?
The label's Drug Interactions section addresses alcohol directly: "Alcohol, when used concomitantly with propranolol, may increase plasma levels of propranolol." The concern the label names is pharmacokinetic — drinking can raise the amount of propranolol in the blood — not a disulfiram-type reaction and not additive CNS/respiratory depression. The label does not otherwise tell patients to avoid alcohol; it simply notes this interaction.
Propranolol Hydrochloride Tablets, USP — DailyMed FDA label ↗Our Inderal safety rating
Can you drink alcohol with Zolpidem (Ambien)?
The label treats alcohol as a CNS depressant. It states that coadministration of zolpidem with other CNS depressants "including alcohol" increases the risk of CNS depression, and that a single-dose study demonstrated an additive adverse effect on psychomotor performance between alcohol and oral zolpidem. Taking zolpidem with alcohol raises the risk of next-day psychomotor impairment, including impaired driving. The label also notes that complex sleep behaviors (the subject of the boxed warning) can occur with or without concomitant alcohol. It advises against driving or activities requiring full alertness under these circumstances. This is an additive CNS-depression caution, not a disulfiram-like reaction.
Zolpidem Tartrate Tablets - DailyMed SPL ↗Our Ambien safety rating
Each entry is drawn from that drug’s FDA-approved label. A drug not listed here is not a green light — it may simply have no alcohol statement on its label. General reference information, not medical advice; ask your prescriber or pharmacist about your situation.