I was prescribed Lexapro for anxiety. Is an occasional drink okay?

You occasionally have a few or more drinks yet you consider giving up that a steep price to pay. You have to decide if possibly reducing your stress and anxiety is worth giving up your drinking. If it truly is "occasional " drinking, IMO that is hardly a steep price for mental health. Try it for a month, you might find the benefits are worth the sacrifice.

I was on Lexapro x7 yrs. I drink socially. A couple of drinks should not be a problem. You may want to discuss with your Dr.

I'm sorry, but if you are worried about taking Lexapro because of your alcohol use, you have an alcohol problem, not a Lexapro problem. That much drinking is too much, and anxiety will be the least of your problems - in fact, your bodies reaction to alcohol may be partially the cause of your stress. I'm the Mother of a 40 year old with alcoholic cirrhosis (cirrhosis is not curable) and severe anxiety. Now her anxiety is even worse because her liver is basically destroyed.

When a patient tells a shrink how much sex he has, halve it. When a patient tells a shrink how much alcohol he drinks DOUBLE IT.
The previous post is insightful. It's not a Lexapro problem. It's an alcohol problem.
Sorry, but don't kid yourself. From what you say and the way you say it, anyone in AA would tell you you need a meeting.

Hi, @isalovesmajo - I think that your question about having alcohol here and there while taking escitalopram (Lexapro) is a normal one. I don't know if you are from the United States or elsewhere, but as an example, according to Gallup in an article updated in May of 2026, 54% of Americans 18 and older drink alcohol, and 57% of those 21 and older drink alcohol.

- What Percentage of Americans Drink Alcohol? https://news.gallup.com/poll/467507/percentage-americans-drink-alcohol.aspx

I can empathize with you, as someone who has a husband who is experimenting with his mixology skills, which are getting pretty good. I would want to know if I could have an occasional drink safely while on any medication I was prescribed.

A couple of resources on this topic may interest you:

- Anxiety disorders https://www.mayoclinic.org/diseases-conditions/anxiety/diagnosis-treatment/drc-20350967

- Anxiety Drug & Alcohol Interactions: What to Know? https://www.drugs.com/article/anxiety-medications-alcohol.html

If social drinking is something you consider nonnegotiable, talk to your doctor about it and see what they suggest. They may well either have some suggestions on how to balance this with escitalopram (Lexapro) or determine it's best to prescribe something else.

Do you have a diagnosis of a specific type of anxiety disorder? If so, what is your diagnosis? Are there other components of your treatment plan in addition to this medication, isalovesmajo?

It’s for stress and anxiety. Non specific. And it’s meant to be a temporary prescription. Thanks for the resources. And I will ask my doc for alternatives!

@lylii thanks! I didn’t think I was that heavy a drinker by comparison. But I get the notion that alcohol can make things worse.

@shmerdloff thanks, but I’m going to accept 50% of this feedback.

@soarus57 that’s what I thought too but my doc said I have to give it at least 3 months to see if it works. Still undecided…

@debrap57 yes, I should do that. My alcohol consumption is on my chart so she knows about it.