What are the effects of Cymbalta and Alcohol hangover?
By
Dr Natalia Marceli Stephanes (PhD)
Author bio
Dr Natália Marcéli Stephanes PhD is a Pharmacist with expertise in Drugs Administration and Toxicity; Discovery of New Drugs; Cancer Treatment; Biochemical Analyzes and Hematological Analyzes. She writes and reviews content on these topics.
Dr Natália Marcéli Stephanes’ Highlights:
- Pharmacist at the Department of Health of Santa Catarina State, Brazil
- PhD with a focus on oncology treatment
- Years of experience in commercial pharmacy
- Bachelor, Master and PhD degrees in Pharmacy at the Federal University of Santa Catarina
Professional Experience:
From her undergraduate studies to her Master’s and Doctorate degrees in Pharmacy, Dr Natália Marcéli Stephanes has participated in numerous scientific studies in the field of oncology and onco-hematology at the University Hospital of the Federal University of Santa Catarina, Brazil. Her research has focused on understanding the molecular and biochemical bases of malignant neoplasms and investigating safer and more effective therapeutic alternatives.
Dr Natália Marcéli Stephanes has also served as an assistant professor of haematology for undergraduate students at the Federal University of Santa Catarina. Additionally, she held the position of professor of Hospital Pharmacy at the Qualificar Technical School in Brazil, where she developed instructional materials for use in the Pharmacy Postgraduate Program at the Leonardo Da Vinci University Center.
In addition to her academic experiences, Dr Natália Marcéli Stephanes possesses a strong expertise in commercial pharmacy, with in-depth knowledge of medications, their routes of administration, desired effects, adverse effects, and toxicity.
Currently, Dr Natália Marcéli Stephanes works as a Pharmacist at the Health Department of Santa Catarina State, where her role entails providing pharmaceutical scientific consulting services to judges.
Education:
- 2016 Bachelor in Pharmacy at the Federal University of Santa Catarina, Brazil
- 2018 Master in Pharmacy at the Federal University of Santa Catarina, Brazil
- 2023 PhD in Pharmacy at the Federal University of Santa Catarina, Brazil
The main publications of Dr Natália Marcéli Stephanes are:
Falchetti M ; Delgobo M, Zancanaro H, Almeida K, Das Neves RN, Dos Santos B, Stefanes NM, et al. Bishop Omics-based identification of an NRF2-related auranofin resistance signature in cancer: Insights into drug repurposing. Comput. Biol. Med [Internet]. 2023; 152:106347.
Feuser PM, Matos dos Santos PC, Cordeiro AP, Stefanes NM, Walter LO, Maioral MF, Santos-Silva MC, et al. Antineoplastic activity of free 4-nitrochalcone and encapsulated in poly(thioether-ester) nanoparticles obtained by thiol-ene polymerization in two human leukemia cell lines (Jurkat and K562). J Drug Deliv Sci Technol [Internet]. 2022; 67:102924.
Jacques AV, Stefanes NM, Walter LO, Perondi DM, Efe FL, Souza LFS, Sens L, et al. Synthesis of chalcones derived from 1-naphthylacetophenone and evaluation of their cytotoxic and apoptotic effects in acute leukemia cell lines. Bioorg. Chem [Internet]. 2021; 116:105315.
Duarte BF, Vieira DSC, Lisboa ML, Stefanes NM, Grando LJ, Santos-Silva MC. Características clínico-epidemiológicas de pacientes portadores de carcinoma de células escamosas de boca. Arquivos Catarinenses de Medicina. 2021; 50(2): 232–245.
Machado V, Jacques AV, Stefanes NM, Santos-Silva MC, Biavatti MW. Anti-leukemic activity of semisynthetic derivatives of Lupeol. Nat. Prod. Res. 2021; 35(22):4494-4501.
Bigolin A, Maioral MF, Stefanes NM, Mascarello A, Chiaradia-Delatorre LD, Nunes RJ, Yunes RA, et al. A novel sulfonamide derivative as a strong and selective apoptotic agent against hematological malignancies. Chem. Pap. 2020; 74:2965–2976.
Bigolin A, Maioral MF, Stefanes NM, Zatelli GA, Philippus AC, Falkenberg MB, Santos-Silva MC. Cytotoxic mechanisms of primin, a natural quinone isolated from Eugenia hiemalis, on hematological cancer cell lines. Anticancer Drugs. 2020; 31(7):709-717.
Maioral MF, Stefanes NM, Neufeldt PD, Chiaradia-Delatorre LD, Nunes RJ, Santos-Silva MC. Aldehyde biphenyl chalcones induce immunogenic apoptotic-like cell death and are promising new safe compounds against a wide range of hematologic cancers. Future Med. Chem. 2020; 12(8):673–688.
Perondi DM, Jacques AV, Stefanes NM, Maioral MF, Sens L, Pacheco LA, Cury NM, et al. A novel thiosemicarbazone as a promising effective and selective compound for acute leukemia. Anticancer Drugs. 2019; 30(8):p 828-837.
Rengifo AFC, Stefanes NM, Toigo J, Mendes C, Argenta DF, Dotto MER, Santos-Silva MC, et al. PEO-chitosan nanofibers containing carboxymethyl-hexanoyl chitosan/dodecyl sulfate nanoparticles loaded with pyrazoline for skin cancer treatment. Eur. Polym. J. 2019; 119:335-343.
Rengifo AFC, Stefanes NM, Toigo J, Mendes C, Santos-Silva MC, Nunes RJ, Parize AL, et al. A new and efficient carboxymethyl-hexanoyl chitosan/dodecyl sulfate nanocarrier for a pyrazoline with antileukemic activity. Mater. Sci. Eng. C [Internet]. 2019; 105:110051.
Maioral MF, Stefanes NM, Bigolin A, Zatelli GA, Philippus AC, Falkenberg MB, Santos-Silva MC. Miconidine acetate, a new selective and cytotoxic compound with synergic potential, induces cell cycle arrest and apoptosis in leukemia cells. Invest. New Drugs. 2019; 37:912–922.
Srefanes NM, Toigo J, Maioral MF, Jacques AV, Chiaradia-Delatorre LD, Perondi DM, Ribeiro AAB, et al. Synthesis of novel pyrazoline derivatives and the evaluation of death mechanisms involved in their antileukemic activity. Bioorg. Med. Chem. 2019; 27(2):375-382.
Maioral MF, Bodack CN, Stefanes NM, Bigolin A, Mascarello A, Chiaradia-Delatorre LD, Yunes RA, et al. Cytotoxic effect of a novel naphthylchalcone against multiple cancer cells focusing on hematologic malignancies. Biochim. 2017; 140:48-57.
You can view some of Dr Natália’s work below and links to her professional profile below.
Research Gate: https://www.researchgate.net/profile/Natalia-Stephanes
Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/nataliamarceli/
What are the effects of Cymbalta and alcohol hangover?
The harmful effects of Cymbalta and alcohol hangover include:
- Impairment of sensory and motor coordination
- Suicidal thoughts or behaviour
- Cymbalta and alcohol toxicity
- Gastrointestinal side effects
- Blackouts
Impairment of sensory and motor coordination
One of the most expected outcomes of Cymbalta and alcohol use is impairment of sensory and motor coordination. Both Cymbalta and alcohol affect your brain and alter the number of neurotransmitters.
Cymbalta can enhance the excitatory ones, whereas alcohol may affect both excitatory and inhibitory neurotransmitters. This can affect your psychological functions to a great extent and may find it even difficult to maintain your balance (1).
Cymbalta can also cause side effects like sleepiness and dizziness, which can become much more severe if you pair alcohol with this antidepressant.
Suicidal thoughts or behaviour
As Cymbalta is an antidepressant in nature, it actively controls the symptoms associated with depression symptoms. Alcohol, on the other hand, has depressing effects on the brain.
If you take these two together excessively, alcohol will decrease the potency of your antidepressant and your depression level will most definitely spike.
This can lead to suicidal behaviour and as the affected person does not think rationally at that very moment, suicidal behaviour could also be observed.
Cymbalta and alcohol toxicity
Both Cymbalta and alcohol are primarily metabolised by the liver. If you have excess amounts of both of the chemicals in your brain at the same time, it could put a lot of load on your liver.
A chronic alcohol user or a person with hepatic insufficiency can get significantly affected as the liver will most likely not be able to function as well as it should and both Cymbalta and alcohol will start accumulating in your body. This leads to toxicity and it can result in life-threatening complications.
Gastrointestinal side effects
Both Cymbalta and alcohol can affect your gastrointestinal health and can cause symptoms like:
- Nausea
- Vomiting
- Diarrhoea
- Abdominal pain
- Abdominal tenderness or swelling
The combination can also affect people severely who struggle with some gastrointestinal diseases, like gastric and duodenal ulcers (2). In fact, studies have reported that excessive amounts of Cymbalta and alcohol can increase the risk of gastrointestinal bleeding in such patients.
Blackouts
As I stated earlier, both Cymbalta and alcohol affect your central nervous system. In some cases, people may end up losing consciousness. It is not only dangerous in ways you’re probably thinking of right now, but it can cause physical injury, like head injury, bone fracture, bruises, etc if you fall on a hard surface.
What to do if you have taken Cymbalta and alcohol together?
If you have taken Cymbalta and alcohol together and you feel unusual or your head starts to spin, immediately call your medical emergency helpline, especially if you’re alone.
Although a glass or two of alcohol with Cymbalta may not make you lose consciousness, if you have taken a lot of it, you can easily lose your balance and hurt yourself. If you have taken the two together but you feel okay, that’s a good sign.
However, you should not take any more than that and risk your health. Always remember, your health should be your first priority and everything else should be secondary.
Cymbalta itself is not a drug of abuse and it can not get you high. However, it can cause disturbing side effects when combined with other medications that can be used for recreational purposes. So, make sure you take Cymbalta in the best possible way to make the most out of it.
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References
1.-
Antidepressants and alcohol: What’s the concern? [Internet]. Mayo Clinic; c1998-2023 [updated 2020 May 2; cited 2022 Nov 6]. Available from: https://www.mayoclinic.org/diseases-conditions/depression/expert-answers/antidepressants-and-alcohol/faq-20058231.
2.-
Bode C, Bode JC. Alcohol’s role in gastrointestinal tract disorders. Alcohol Health Res World. 1997;21(1):76-83. PMID: 15706765; PMCID: PMC6826790. Available from: https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/15706765/
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