Alcohol and Duloxetine interaction
Alcohol and Duloxetine: the Duloxetine prescribing label flag this combination with the strongest language, such as a contraindication, a boxed warning, or an instruction to avoid it.
Do not combine without a prescriber's guidance. The label language below is the strongest FDA uses.
What the FDA labels say
From the Duloxetine (Cymbalta) label · effective 2025-07-21
Avoid use in patients with substantial alcohol use or evidence of chronic liver disease ( 5.2 )
For this reason, CYMBALTA should not be prescribed for patients with substantial alcohol use [see Warnings and Precautions ( 5.2 ) and Drug Interactions ( 7.15 )] .
Alcohol When CYMBALTA and ethanol were administered several hours apart so that peak concentrations of each would coincide, CYMBALTA did not increase the impairment of mental and motor skills caused by alcohol.
Substantial intercurrent ethanol use was present in each of these cases, and this may have contributed to the abnormalities seen [see Warnings and Precautions ( 5.2 , 5.12 )] .
Because it is possible that CYMBALTA and alcohol may interact to cause liver injury or that CYMBALTA may aggravate pre-existing liver disease, CYMBALTA should not be prescribed to patients with substantial alcohol use or evidence of chronic liver disease.
Taking more than these two? Interactions stack. Check your whole list at once; it stays in your browser.
Open in the checkerNot medical advice. Interaction Checker quotes FDA label text and NIH fact sheets. Whether an interaction matters for you depends on doses, timing, kidney and liver function, and other conditions. Confirm with a pharmacist or prescriber.