Alcohol tolerance decreasing after beta blockers

[Martine D]

After coming off a month long course on beta blockers for anxiety, I've found I can no longer drink alcohol without being sick after a few mouth fulls. Is there a reason for this? Is there some way I can drink alcohol socially like I used to? I have been off the beta blockers for four months now.

[tinmuning]

Your tolerance to alcohol is not affected per se, but what you are experiencing is the adverse interaction between alcohol & your beta blocker. It would have been better if you were more specific with the particular beta blocker you are taking.

However, in a nutshell, there are 2 schools of thought with taking alcohol while on beta blockers: one says absolutely no combination of alcohol while on beta blockers while another one says try a sip first then observe. I go for the latter since not all individuals have adverse reactions especially with just a few sips to 1 glass. However, in your case, it is better to limit your alcohol intake to just a few sips (especially those with high alcohol content) to none at all while the beta blocker still has its residual effect. It wouldn't hurt to ask your doctor too on when's the best time for you to drink alcoholic drinks the way you used to.