DXM and Alcohol: Possible Negative Effects

As the body becomes more tolerant of the substances, more significant amounts are needed to achieve the desired effects. We believe that addressing mental pain in clinical practice points to major patient-related outcomes. Emphatic understanding of mental pain is crucial, and personalized treatment is of utmost importance. If our hypothesis is to be confirmed, possibly a reduction of mental pain could also be achieved through partial MOR agonism combined with KOR antagonism. In such regard, new perspectives would be unveiled for the treatment of major depressed patients experiencing such pain.

What Are The Dangers of Mixing Alcohol With Dextromethorphan (DXM)?

The maximum daily recommended dose of DXM is 120 milligrams (mg) taken in divided doses. According to the National Capital Poison Center, more than 6,000 people visit emergency rooms from DXM toxicity or overdose annually. Join 40,000+ People Who Receive Our Newsletter Get valuable resources on addiction, recovery, wellness, and our treatments delivered directly to your inbox.

If you have questions about having certain lab tests done while taking dextromethorphan, talk with the healthcare professional ordering the test. For this reason, you should talk with your pharmacist or doctor before consuming grapefruit or grapefruit juice during treatment with dextromethorphan. Before you start taking dextromethorphan, talk with your doctor and pharmacist about any herbs, vitamins, or supplements you take.

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Paranoia can disrupt daily life and cause a person to miss work, school, or meaningful social engagements. DailyMed will deliver this notification to your desktop, Web browser, or e-mail depending on the RSS Reader you select to use. To view updated drug label links, paste the RSS feed address (URL) shown below into a RSS reader, or use a browser which supports RSS feeds, such as Safari for Mac OS X.

Teens consume DXM at parties where people are drinking alcohol, often without understanding the risks involved. Others use DXM as a substitute for alcohol, thinking it offers a “safer” way to get drunk. The accessibility of DXM leads many to underestimate its dangers compared to illegal drugs.

The combination of dextromethorphan with bupropion might deal with various aspects of mental pain, possibly improving treatment results. But interactions, as well as side effects of any medicine or chemical, also depend on the user’s sex, age, general health, genetics and other drugs used simultaneously. So a combination of medicines that appears safe for one person may have dangerous or deadly consequences for another person.

Along with sleepiness, those who use OTC or prescription medicines with this ingredient also may have impaired judgment or lessened mental alertness. So medical professionals encourage users to limit activities that require participation in any decision-making activities while the compound is active. Dextromethorphan can interact with St. John’s wort, which is used to ease symptoms of depression and other conditions. Taking dextromethorphan with St. John’s wort increases your risk of serotonin syndrome, a condition that can be life threatening in severe cases. However, the opioid system’s involvement in the lower concentrations of ketamine that are used to induce antidepressant effects is not as well understood.

The stuffy sinuses, the runny nose, the headaches, the chills … We know the age-old advice — sleep, drink water, eat chicken soup — but sometimes the misery of a cold or flu just feels like too much. To relieve symptoms and get a good night’s rest, many of us turn to cold medicines to reduce our coughing, clear our sinuses, and knock us out so we can sleep. Other medications and drugs can interact with DXM and alcohol, increasing harmful effects on the body.

How can I prevent interactions?

While DXM can be a valuable medicinal tool, mixing DXM and alcohol opens the door to a wide range of health hazards. By understanding the risks, recognizing the signs of misuse, and taking proactive steps for safe use, we can ensure that DXM serves its intended purpose without compromising our health and safety. DXM also affects serotonin — a complex neurochemical best known for its role in mood and cognition. DXM acts as a much weaker version of a common class of antidepressants known as selective serotonin reuptake inhibitors alcohol and dextromethorphan (SSRIs) by increasing the amount of serotonin in our bodies. At normal doses, this doesn’t have an immediate effect, but in certain combinations with other antidepressants it has been shown to help treat major depressive disorder.

But large doses of DXM with binge drinking can increase health problems for both the mother and fetus. Dextromethorphan is used to relieve coughing caused by colds or other respiratory conditions. It comes in several forms, including syrups, tablets, capsules, lozenges, and powder. It is often combined with other ingredients such as antihistamines, decongestants, or pain relievers in multi-symptom cold and flu medications. Some people intentionally drink alcohol while taking DXM to intensify the high and dissociative effects.

The Dangers of DXM Abuse

However, based on how dextromethorphan and cannabis affect your body, using them together may increase your risk of certain side effects. Examples include dizziness, drowsiness, and problems with balance, coordination, and reactions. Using them together increases the risk of serotonin syndrome, which can raise blood pressure and heart rate to unsafe levels.

Can You Overdose on DMT? Risks, Symptoms & Treatment

Always check the product label before taking medications along with Benadryl or any other product containing Benadryl’s active ingredient diphenhydramine. Mark S. Gold, M.D., is a pioneering researcher, professor, and chairman of psychiatry at Yale, the University of Florida, and Washington University in St Louis. His theories have changed the field, stimulated additional research, and led to new understanding and treatments for opioid use disorders, cocaine use disorders, overeating, smoking, and depression. Long Island Interventions will help guide you throughout the entire process of your loved one’s intervention and recovery.

But make no mistake – abusing DXM is never safe, and adding alcohol to the mix creates a recipe for disaster. Certain medical conditions or other health factors may raise the risk of interactions with dextromethorphan. Before taking dextromethorphan, talk with your doctor or pharmacist about your health history.

It’s also important to understand dextromethorphan’s label and other paperwork that may come with the drug. The paperwork, sometimes called the patient package insert or medication guide, may have other details about interactions. Certain drugs decrease the activity of this enzyme, and taking one of these drugs with dextromethorphan may prevent your body from breaking down dextromethorphan properly. This can increase the amount of dextromethorphan in your system, which raises your risk of side effects. The following table lists drugs that may interact with dextromethorphan. Keep in mind that this table does not include all drugs that may interact with dextromethorphan.

• As a CNS depressant, alcohol slows down the activity of the brain and nervous system.
• Rehabilitation programs (inpatient or outpatient), therapy, support groups, or a combination of all three can help people recover from a substance use disorder.
• For people on medication who wish to drink, it is always best practice to consult a doctor or pharmacist first about potential alcohol interactions.

In 2015, 2.6% of 8th-graders, 3.3% of 10th-graders, and 4.0% of 12th-graders reported past-year misuse. The most recent data, in 2024, indicate that the percentage dropped somewhat. However, a recent alert from the National Drug Early Warning System at the University of Florida (NDEWS) suggests a resurgence of interest in DXM and its combination with antihistamines. For those with any of these risk factors, it is best to avoid alcohol completely when taking cough drops or other cold medications.

Tell your healthcare provider about all of your health conditions and any prescription or over-the-counter (OTC) medicines, vitamins/minerals, herbal products, and other supplements you are using. More than 100 different cough and cold products have it, including some from Robitussin. DXM works by curbing the cough reflex in the brain to reduce coughing. The Recovery Village Indianapolis offers comprehensive addiction treatment for drug and alcohol addictions and co-occurring mental health conditions. It is critical for individuals to understand the severe risks of mixing dextromethorphan with alcohol and to avoid the combination to prevent life-threatening consequences. If you struggle with drinking while taking DXM or are mixing DXM and alcohol to get high, stopping can seem overwhelming.