doctordad replied: "Hello: As you well know, Zoloft (sertraline) is in a class of anti-depressants called serotonin specific reuptake inhibitors (SSRI's). I treat a lot of patients with depression, anxiety, and OCD. This question has been asked many times. The problem is that there are no long term studies that have studied the effects of ethanol with any of the ssri's. To cover their asses, the pharmaceutical companies have to put that notation in the literature. Theoretically, the reason that you should not mix ethanol with zoloft is that both drugs change the levels of neurotransmitters and neurohormones in your system. I usually tell my patients an occasional glass of wine or a beer is not going to hurt them while taking zoloft, however, many people overindulge which can really screw up the balance of neurotransmitters in your central nervous system thus potentiating some of the side effects of zoloft, ie sedation, tremors, headaches, etc. The research/medical community still is not sure, thus they have to state that mixing is "not recommended". They do not say that you absolutely cannot and must not drink alcohol while taking zoloft. That is about the best answer I can give you at this time. Your statement about mixing them may cause a reduction in the efficacy of the antidepressant is a good one, and may even play a role. We just dont know at this time. As far a the mixture being life threatening, you would have to take a large amount of zoloft which can cause something called "serotonin syndrome" which can be lethal. Adding alcohol on top of a large dose of zoloft can be lethal. I hope this helped to answer your question and I apologize that I dont have a more definitive answer for you at this time. There just isnt enough data out there to say for sure. Regards, Warren Shaffer, M.D."

shawtnsweet77 replied: "i wouldnt mix the too. Zoloft is a mood altering drug as well as alcohol. You should never mix drugs and alcohol without talking to your doctor first"