Sometimes the dentist prescribes a course of antibiotic treatment to the patient.This occurs with bacterial infections of the mouth.You should take antibacterial drugs, adhering to certain rules, which your doctor will tell you about separately.One of the most frequently asked questions is whether it is possible to combine antibiotics and alcohol?We talk about this in detail in our material.
Is it possible to drink alcohol with antibiotics?
You have been prescribed antibiotics and you don't know if you can drink a glass of wine or a glass of beer.There is an opinion that you should not mix antibiotics and alcohol.For many who don't like drinking, it has even become a convenient excuse to drink.As soon as you say that you are taking antibiotics, the persuasion to drink immediately stops.However, legends are legends, but it doesn't hurt to find out the truth.Let's find out whether you can afford alcohol during antibacterial therapy.
To begin with, a few words about antibiotics.These are medications prescribed for bacterial infections.Different antibiotics have different mechanisms of action, but the result is the same: the death of the bacteria or their inability to reproduce.
Important.Antibiotics are not taken for viral diseases because they are unable to fight viruses.Therefore, in case of flu and colds, taking antibiotics is not recommended.Many people, with symptoms of acute respiratory diseases, immediately take antibiotics, which makes a big mistake.You can take these drugs only with your doctor's permission.
Like other drugs, antibiotics have side effects.Interestingly, when combined with alcoholic beverages, the likelihood of side effects may increase.Furthermore, there is a danger of new adverse reactions.This, by the way, applies not only to antibiotics, but also to other drugs, for example sleeping pills, anti-allergy drugs, sedatives, anti-inflammatory and painkillers.
Speaking about antibiotics and alcohol, the compatibility of which is questioned, it is important to note how alcohol interacts with the drug.We consider 2 main mechanisms by which it is impossible to mix antibiotics and alcohol.
Drug metabolism
Any drug is metabolized in the body, that is, it undergoes a series of transformations.The medicine begins to disintegrate already in the oral cavity.This process is enhanced in the gastrointestinal tract, where the drug is absorbed into the blood in the small intestine.The substance then passes through the liver, where it can undergo changes.The drug circulates in the blood for a certain time, after which it is excreted in the urine (often in an altered form).
Now let's find out what happens when you take alcohol during antibiotic therapy.Like drugs, alcohol is also metabolized.This happens in the liver with the help of specific enzymes.If the liver needs to cope with both alcohol and drugs at the same time, the enzymes will work too fast or not have time to do their job.
If the liver works too fast, the antibiotic will be destroyed prematurely and will not have time to fully realize the therapeutic effect.If liver function is slowed, the antibiotic will accumulate in the blood too quickly, which leads to great toxicity of the drug.
Increased side effects
In some cases, the combination of alcohol and antibiotics can cause an increase in side effects or the appearance of new ones (due to taking antibiotics).In particular, this is indicated for antibiotics that, for example, cause drowsiness.If you also drink alcohol, your drowsiness will increase.
However, in addition to increasing the main side effects (which are indicated in the instructions of the drug), new ones may also appear.These often include headaches, nausea, heart rhythm disorders, intestinal disorders and abdominal pain.
Important: antibiotic resistance.Bacteria, like all other living organisms, evolve by adapting to new environmental conditions.In this case they are able to adapt to the action of antibiotics.This is how antibiotic resistance develops - the resistance of certain types of bacteria to one or another type of antibiotic.This is currently one of the most serious medical problems, as resistant bacteria are increasingly numerous and the search for new antibiotics is difficult.The uncontrolled use of antibiotics is one of the reasons for bacterial resistance.Patients often stop taking the drug on their own as soon as they feel improvement.You can't do that with antibiotics.It is important to drink the entire course prescribed by the doctor, even if you feel noticeable relief "ahead of schedule."
What happens if you drink alcohol with antibiotics?
Let's look at some of the negative consequences of taking alcohol and antibiotics at the same time.We note right away that such phenomena may not be observed, but we are obliged to tell the reader about them, since such reactions occur in medical practice.
- Liver dysfunction.If you have a healthy liver, you may not feel the effects of mixing alcohol and antibiotics.However, keep in mind that the liver experiences a double burden of processing both alcohol and drugs.
- Nervous system disorders.In some people, alcohol in combination with antibiotics causes significant disorders in the central and peripheral nervous system.In particular, this is expressed by headaches, dizziness, nausea and even convulsions.
- Sleep disorder.Discomfort may occur up to the reversal of day and night.
- Cardiovascular disorders.Most often this is a change in blood pressure (either up or down).
- Allergic reactions.In rare cases, antibiotics and alcohol can cause serious allergic reactions, including anaphylactic shock.The latter is a serious condition that threatens human life.In this case, you need to call an ambulance.
- Digestive tract disorders.Combining antibacterial drugs with alcohol can cause indigestion, abdominal pain and diarrhea.
How many days after taking antibiotics can you drink alcohol?
How much should you not drink after taking antibiotics?This is also one of the most frequent questions asked by patients forced to take antibacterial drugs.In this case, a lot depends on the specific drug, namely on the time required to remove it from the body.
In most cases, it is enough to take a two-day (48 hour) break after taking antibiotics, after which you can indulge in alcohol.In some countries they recommend waiting 3 days.There is no consensus on this topic.The only thing that can be said for sure is that you have to wait at least 2 days.
Why you shouldn't drink while taking antibiotics
Medical literature (scientific articles, treatment recommendations, etc.), which talks about the harmfulness of combining antibacterial drugs with alcohol, indicates a number of negative phenomena that occur when taking alcoholic beverages and antibiotics at the same time.The negative consequences boil down to two undesirable effects, namely:
- Reduced effectiveness of antibacterial therapy.It is indicated that alcohol inhibits the antibacterial activity of antibiotics.Therefore, the suppression of pathogenic microflora is less effective, which makes it necessary to prolong treatment or find a new antibiotic.
- Liver damage.With the simultaneous use of alcoholic beverages and antibiotics, a large load is exerted on the liver tissue.It increases the risk of intoxication not only of the liver, but also of the body, since the liver is a filter through which blood passes.
Let's find out how true these statements are.And if antibiotic and alcohol have already been mixed, what will happen to the body?
As far as reducing the effectiveness of antibiotic therapy is concerned, the danger really exists.But this applies not only to antibiotics, but also to other drugs.Interestingly, there is still no convincing data on the negative effects of alcohol on various groups of antibiotics.In an animal study, no interaction between antibiotics and alcohol was observed.A human study did not show a significant decrease in the effectiveness of antibacterial therapy.
However, the instructions for such drugs state in black and white that it is advisable to refrain from drinking alcohol.Experts say not enough research has been done on this issue, so it's best to stay away from alcohol while taking antibiotics.In addition, in the studies conducted, volunteers were given small doses of alcohol, which most likely does not have a significant effect on the metabolism of pharmacological drugs.Therefore, to the question of whether you can drink if you take antibiotics, the answer is still negative.
Summing up the above, we can identify 5 main reasons why it is undesirable to combine antibiotics and alcohol:
- Deterioration of metabolic processes.Alcoholic drinks impair the absorption of nutrients, vitamins, minerals and medications.This means that antibiotics will be absorbed into the blood less, which will reduce their effectiveness.
- Increased blood sugar.Alcohol is metabolized in the body to form sugars.This is a particularly dangerous situation for patients with diabetes.In addition, an increase in sugar levels in infectious diseases can only aggravate the course of the pathological process, because sugar is a substrate for pathogenic microorganisms.
- Decreased immunity.Drinking alcoholic beverages reduces the body's defenses.Therefore, the infectious process will only intensify.
- Allergy.The combination of antibiotics and alcohol increases the chance of allergic reactions such as skin rashes.
- Unforeseeable consequences.Despite contradictory evidence, it is difficult to make predictions about the interaction of drugs with alcohol in any specific case.Perhaps this combination will lead to undesirable consequences for you.
Important: antibiotics and other drugs.For the information of our readers, it is undesirable to combine antibiotics not only with alcohol, but also with other drugs.When prescribing antibacterial therapy, the doctor will certainly ask what medications the patient is currently taking.As a rule, it is not recommended to combine antibiotics with anticoagulants, anticonvulsants, some hypoglycemic drugs and other drugs.If for some reason your doctor forgot to ask you what medications you are taking, don't hesitate to ask him this question.
Antibiotics and beer
Or maybe beer with antibiotics, because of all alcoholic drinks this is the least "strong"?In fact, beer is a low-alcohol drink.However, its insidiousness is that, as a rule, people drink a lot of beer.So, 100 ml of beer contains approximately 3-6 ml of pure alcohol.Therefore, if you drink 0.5 liters of beer, this is already 15-30 ml of ethanol.And if the beer is strong, that's already 40-50 ml of alcohol.
You shouldn't relax even with non-alcoholic beer, because it still contains a certain amount of alcohol.Therefore, if you are taking antibiotics (especially if it is a short-term course), it is best to abstain from alcohol, even if it is beer.For the sake of your health, you can wait a week or two without a bottle of beer.
Wine with antibiotics
The situation with wine is the same as with beer.At the same time, wine is a stronger drink and contains more alcohol per unit volume than in beer.
Cognac and antibiotics
Cognac, brandy, whiskey, vodka and other strong alcoholic drinks contain much more alcohol than wine and beer.During antibacterial therapy it is better to avoid the consumption of such alcoholic beverages.It is not a fact that alcohol somehow interferes with the action of antibiotics.But even in the absence of convincing data it is still better to give up alcohol.It certainly won't get any worse.
Antibiotics and alcohol: myths
So, as mentioned above, the negative effect of alcohol on antibiotics is a controversial issue.Nobody has proven it yet.Medical recommendations regarding abstinence from alcohol consumption during antibacterial therapy are rather an "insurance" against a possible negative effect.
There are several theories as to why doctors still prohibit drinking alcohol while taking antibiotics.One of them is that in the treatment of sexually transmitted diseases, doctors in this way simply punished their patients for their dissolute lifestyle.
There is a second interesting story related to penicillin shortages during World War II.It was in Africa, where British troops were conducting military operations.For the doctors there, penicillin was worth its weight in gold.It got to the point that urine was taken from sick soldiers to isolate penicillin and reuse the drug.But if you drink beer at the same time, the volume of urine increases significantly, which complicates the process of eliminating the medicine from urine.Therefore, patients who were prescribed an antibiotic were prohibited from drinking.
Antibiotics based on amoxicillin and alcohol
Among other things, many patients may have a question: is it possible to drink alcohol while taking such drugs?Do they go well with beer, cognac and other alcoholic drinks?Interestingly, foreign instructions for amoxicillin with clavulanic acid do not indicate side effects associated with the combined use of alcohol.Furthermore, no studies have been conducted on the adverse effects of combining amoxicillin and alcohol to reasonably prohibit patients from drinking alcohol during antibiotic therapy.
Antibiotics cephalosporins and alcohol
It is undesirable to combine such drugs with alcohol, as this can lead to a reaction similar to disulfiram.With this interaction, the decomposition of ethyl alcohol is inhibited, which leads to the accumulation of acetaldehyde, which has a toxic effect on the body.
Antibiotics based on azithromycin and alcohol
Regarding the popular antibiotic based on azithromycin, studies have been conducted on laboratory animals.In particular, it has been demonstrated in rats that the effectiveness of azithromycin does not decrease when alcohol is taken at the same time.However, the instructions for the drug indicate that the simultaneous use of the drug with alcohol is undesirable.This is mainly due to the negative effect of alcohol on the liver.
Conclusion
If we summarize all of the above, we can say the following.In most cases, antibiotics do not lose their effectiveness when taken with alcohol.However, given the negative effects of alcohol on the liver, it is better to abstain from such a combination.Drinking alcohol will definitely not speed up the treatment, so it is best to avoid alcohol during the antibiotic treatment period.