Do doctors prescribe antidepressants to alcoholics?

If appropriate: An antidepressant may certainly be used in patients with depression and a diagnosis of alcoholism, but it is best to treat both, and Alcoholics Anonymous is skilled in rehabilitating these complex issues. Many psychologists and psychiatrists are available to also help.

When a patient: Is depressed, they need to be treated. Often patients are drinking to because they depressed, anxious, or having other symptoms, and alleviating those symptoms can help them better manage their alcohol problems. There are safety issues that need to be addressed when a patient is drinking and with respect to the prescribing of medications.