Are antibiotics and alcohol compatible, in which cases is the danger of this combination justified and when is it exaggerated? We answer this question in our article.
Sometimes antibiotics are essential. They are prescribed for a variety of diseases and often happen completely "at the wrong time": on the eve of a long-awaited celebration or, for example, a company party.
Finding themselves in such a situation, some get bored at the festive table, categorically refusing even a glass of wine or a sip of beer, others decide to stop the course of antibiotics, being absolutely sure that they do much less harm to their body.
Let's make a reservation immediately: skipping one or two doses of a drug can nullify the effectiveness of the treatment, moreover, the irregular intake of an antibiotic will make the pathogen more resistant to its effects and therefore only aggravate the problem. To defeat the "hardened" bacteria from these experiments, you will need to increase the dose or prescribe a stronger drug.
And what will happen if you drink a glass of wine or a small beer against the background of antibacterial treatment? Most likely nothing. According to British scientists, cited by the Russian Air Force Service, alcohol in no way affects the action of the most commonly used antibiotics. They are neutral to each other, which means that unpleasant "side effects" should not be expected from such a combination, of course, if the matter is limited to just one glass of wine and we are not talking about some drugs that they should not be mixed with alcohol in any quantity.
To understand all the risks associated with the simultaneous administration of any drug, including antibiotics, with alcohol, you should carefully read the instructions and make sure that this point is not present.
What antibiotics are better not to combine with alcohol
It is not worth taking the risk and consuming alcohol during treatment with antibiotics, which belong to this class, as numerous studies confirm that ethanol weakens their effect.
It is also important to take into account that the substances metronidazole and tinidazole enter into a chemical reaction with alcohol and increase its toxic effect on the liver. However, the data on this score are rather contradictory, is it worth the risk?
Some members of the cephalosporin group slow down the breakdown of ethanol, thus causing a disulfiram reaction. These drugs block enzymes that help break down acetaldehyde, which eventually builds up in the body and causes headaches, nausea, rapid heartbeat, shortness of breath, seizures, and other unpleasant symptoms.
According to some reports, a similar reaction can also be caused by some bacteriostatic antibiotics, but these have not been used as often lately. The combination of alcohol and antifungal agents is dangerous.
Alcohol and some antibiotics can not only cancel the entire therapy, but also harm
Long-term use of antibiotics and alcohol
At the same time, it is important to understand that with prolonged use, many antibiotics, including erythromycin, rifampicin, tetracyclines, sulfonamides, nitrofurans, and lincomycin, accumulate in high concentrations in the bile and, over time, can lead to toxic liver damage. . Being the main detox organ, it itself mainly suffers from the side effects of drugs. And although phenomena such as cholestatic hepatitis and even fatty infiltration of liver cells are usually temporary, it is still not worth adding extremes to this important organ, which will have to work with a double load if it is necessary to metabolize both drugs and alcohol.
Avoiding alcohol is the best option for most drugs.
Another argument for avoiding alcohol during antibiotic treatment is ethanol's ability to cause dehydration and slow down the overall healing process.
Which antibiotics are not combined with yet?
However, the issue is not limited to giving up alcohol while taking antibiotics. An important role is played by what other drugs a person takes and even what to drink with the drug taken.
So, for example, a glass of milk drunk along with an antibiotic pill or a piece of eaten casserole curd can negate all the benefits of the drug. Penicillins and tetracyclines, which form stable chelate complexes with calcium, are the worst combined with dairy products. But it is quite acceptable to drink erythromycin with milk.
Antibiotics are not combined with tea, coffee, lemonade, fruit and fruit juices, as well as dishes that contain vinegar.
It is necessary to take the antibiotic strictly according to the instructions at regular intervals. If the issue is not limited to taking a drug, it is important to make sure that the drugs do not conflict with each other. A qualified doctor will, of course, not prescribe incompatible medications, but they may also not know that you are currently being treated with another specialist and are taking the pills that they have prescribed.
So, for example, the substance cholestyramine and enterosorbent preparations taken simultaneously with antibiotics reduce the absorption of the latter. Taking erythromycin with oral contraceptives can lead to intrahepatic cholestasis, and some antibiotics can reduce the effectiveness of oral contraceptives.
It is dangerous to combine cephalosporins with thrombolytics due to the risk of bleeding and macrolides and fluoroquinolones can increase the toxic effect of theophylline.
The combination of alcohol and a variety of drugs can be fatal
What drugs are dangerous to combine with alcohol
Do not combine pain relievers, antidepressants, muscle relaxants, antihypertensives, antipsychotics, diuretics, antipyretics, cardiovascular drugs, anticoagulants, pain relievers, antihistamines and sleeping pills and oral contraceptives with alcohol. In any case, the unwanted side effects will be different and sometimes quite dangerous.
Finally, we note: so that there are no problems with antibiotics, carefully read the instructions. And, of course, you shouldn't make the decision to drink antibiotics alone. The doctor should prescribe them. Self-medication is fraught with serious health problems.