NutriStack
Alcohol and Memantine, a caution.
A controlled human study found that combining memantine with alcohol increased dissociation, confusion, stimulation, and impaired balance without changing alcohol pharmacokinetics. Because memantine is commonly used in people with cognitive impairment or fall risk, alcohol can make confusion, dizziness, judgment impairment, and injury risk more clinically important.
One pair, every claim cited. The two substances, the type, the mechanism, the recommendation, and the primary literature.
Same shape as the other 1,729 pairs in the public database.
From the interaction database
What the row says.
Every entry follows the same shape: what is happening, the mechanism, the recommendation, and the primary literature.
At a glance
- Pair type
- Caution
- Evidence (highest tier)
- Moderate
- Source citations
- 1 source
- Stack Score effect
- −5 to your Stack Score (per scored caution row).
- Scope
- Supplement × Prescription
- Last verified
- May 30, 2026
Caution · Moderate evidence
Caution
What is happening. A controlled human study found that combining memantine with alcohol increased dissociation, confusion, stimulation, and impaired balance without changing alcohol pharmacokinetics. Because memantine is commonly used in people with cognitive impairment or fall risk, alcohol can make confusion, dizziness, judgment impairment, and injury risk more clinically important.
Mechanism. Memantine is an uncompetitive NMDA receptor antagonist. Alcohol also modulates NMDA and GABAergic signaling and impairs balance and cognition. The interaction is primarily pharmacodynamic: overlapping central nervous system effects rather than altered alcohol exposure.
Recommendation. Avoid or minimize alcohol while taking memantine, especially during titration, in older adults, or when dementia symptoms, dizziness, or fall risk are present. Do not drive or do safety-sensitive tasks after drinking. Seek medical advice for new severe confusion, agitation, falls, fainting, or unsafe behavior.
Stack Score
How this pair moves the number.
Effect on the composite score
If both Alcohol and Memantine are in the same stack, this pair applies −5 to your Stack Score (per scored caution row).
The full algorithm, the clamping rules, and four worked stacks are documented at /methodology/stack-score.
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