I have been going back and forth with my rheumatologist to try and cure my costrocondritis. I have been on cymbalta for 3 months now and it has not worked, so now he has put me on 60mg of cymbalta and 150mg of wellbutrin. What is the danger of the use of alcohol with this combination of medication? I do not drink on a daily basis, but I do drink on the weekends. Then again, so do most people my age...

Jody,

I checked out drugs.com and found this:


WELLBUTRIN:

"Avoid drinking alcohol while taking Wellbutrin. Alcohol may increase your risk of a seizure while you are taking Wellbutrin. If you drink alcohol regularly, talk with your doctor before changing the amount you drink. Wellbutrin can cause seizures in people who drink a lot of alcohol and then suddenly quit drinking when they start using the medication. "

CYMBALTA:

"Avoid drinking alcohol while taking Cymbalta. Alcohol may increase the risk of damage to your liver."


I guess -- just don't over-drink? It doesn't seem realistic to me for you to not be able to have a beer or two a night while on these drugs. But, definitely speak with your prescribing doctor -- I'd hate to give you bad advice.

If your doc tells you something different, please share your experience.

Thanks.

Stefford