I Relapsed On Alcohol And Stopped Taking My Meds (at

Posted on Sat, 2 May 2020

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Sat, 2 May 2020 Answered on

Last reviewed on

Question : I relapsed on alcohol and stopped taking my meds (at the time sertraline) because of it. Now I want to stop drinking again and am being advised to get back on my meds (Welbutrin) but I see Welbutrin has a risk of seizures especially after abruptly stopping drinking. I guess my question is how long should I wait after stopping drinking before I start back on my meds?

Answered by Dr. Ashok Kumar Choudhary (2 hours later)

Brief Answer:
At least onre week interval between complete abstinence and medication

Detailed Answer:
Hello,
Thanks for using Healthcaremagic.

I read your query and understand your concerns.

Since both sudden alcohol withdrawal and use of wellbutrin can cause seizures it is advised to space both the events at the minimum one week interval. This is because lowering of seizure threshold due to alcohol withdrawal remains there for 3 to 7 days after complete abstinence is achieved.

I like to assure you that in otherwise healthy individuals risk for seizure but it is always better to have better plan in mind rather than suffering.

I hope this helps you.
Feel free to write back to me if you have more questions.
Thanks and regards.

Above answer was peer-reviewed by : Dr. Nagamani Ng