Could your medicine give you a drink problem? The disturbing side-effects even the manufacturers don't know about

By Jerome Burne

PUBLISHED: 18:50 EST, 22 April 2013 | UPDATED: 01:41 EST, 23 April 2013

There has been increasing concern that drug companies have not provided the full picture about new medicines

Several years ago, Anne-Marie Cook, a 40-year-old health care assistant from Surrey, was prescribed the antidepressant Seroxat after shed become anxious and withdrawn following the death of her father.

Within a few months she began to feel better and started going out with friends again. Sensibly, she checked the drug information leaflet to make sure it was all right to have alcohol while on the medication. There is no known interaction between Seroxat and alcohol, it read.

But this isnt the whole story, as Anne-Marie learned to her cost. In rare cases, there is an interaction. She had no idea of it at the time, but with hindsight it explains her changed behaviour.

After just a couple of drinks I started to become verbally aggressive and reckless, says Anne-Marie (not her real name). Once I started drinking I found it hard to stop. I also found I was becoming confused after drinking alcohol.

I got banned from restaurants and bars in my local town and became an embarrassment to my friends. Once I climbed onto my roof. I was not trying to kill myself. I felt as if I was in a dream.

For over a year her drinking worsened and she was even arrested several times. She lost her job and her home, but couldnt stop herself. I knew something was wrong; my craving for alcohol was so intense I felt possessed, but couldnt understand why.

She searched the internet for clues and, to her astonishment, found she was far from alone. Seroxat is one of a group of antidepressant drugs known as SSRIs, or selective serotonin reuptake inhibitors.

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Could your medicine give you a drink problem? The disturbing side-effects even the manufacturers don't know about