Often, patients ask the doctor the question, is it possible to combine alcohol and antibiotics?
Every person has to deal with diseases that can be defeated only with the help of special antimicrobial drugs. The latter, as you know, are quite aggressive drugs, therefore, antibiotic therapy is associated with certain restrictions, including the use of alcohol.
The question of whether it is possible to take alcohol while taking antibiotics is debatable - you may find conflicting opinions in the media. Previously, during a party, a guest guest could easily refuse another portion of alcoholic beverages, citing antibiotic treatment. They sympathized with such a person and did not persuade him to drink. Now they can oppose it, referring to articles in various publications, claiming that alcoholic beverages do not interfere with the recovery process. Where is the truth?
The combination of alcohol and antibiotics are the main risks
By justifying the prohibition of concomitant use of antimicrobial agents and intoxicants, physicians usually explain the limitations by the following reasons:
- Alcohol blocks (reduces) the therapeutic effect of antibiotics and / or causes side effects. The effectiveness of therapy decreases.
- With the simultaneous use of alcohol and antibacterial agents, severe toxic damage to the liver and other organs occurs.
How true are these statements?
Indeed, the intake of alcoholic beverages may reduce the therapeutic effect of pharmaceutical products. In particular, this is due to the fact that alcohol either destroys the active substance itself, or makes it difficult for the antibiotic to bind to pathogen proteins. In addition, drinking alcohol can lead to a faster elimination of the drug from the body, which reduces its effectiveness, or, conversely, slows down the elimination of drug residues, as a result of which unwanted symptoms appear.
Medical research and practice confirm that both alcohol and antibiotics have a depressant effect on the liver.
It is no coincidence that the instructions for antibacterial drugs show their negative effect on this important organ (some drugs are completely contraindicated for people with severe liver disease). If you combine alcohol and an antibiotic, the liver suffers doubly, so the doctors' fear is fully justified. By the way, not only the liver is under attack: the "cocktail" of alcohol with antimicrobial drugs negatively affects the work of the cardiovascular system, it is also dangerous for the pancreas and central nervous system.
Once in the body, alcohol is gradually broken down into carbon dioxide and water. The sooner the alcohol is processed, the less harmful the effect on the body. But with the simultaneous use of alcohol and antibiotics, the use of alcohol slows down, as the antibiotic blocks the enzyme alcohol dehydrogenase, which is necessary for breakdown. Because of this, a toxic metabolite of alcohol accumulates in the blood, which poisons the body.
What is the basis for the claims of experts who believe that alcohol in no way affects the action of commonly used antibiotics?
Has it been possible to prove the negative effect of alcohol on antibiotics?
To provide a reasoned answer to the question of whether it is possible to drink alcohol while taking antibiotics, appropriate studies were conducted.
The scientists conducted laboratory experiments on animals, and then invited volunteers to participate in the research. They were offered a course of treatment with antibacterial agents, during which they could drink alcohol. The main purpose set by the organizers of the experiments was to determine how alcohol (ethanol) affects antibiotics.
Studies have shown that most antibacterial agents are unlikely to interact with alcohol. In other words, there is no significant effect on the drugs.
They reached this conclusion based on the fact that the effect of antibiotic therapy in the group of patients where alcohol was prohibited and in the group where patients drank intoxicated drinks was identical. The indicators of drug absorption, distribution and withdrawal were almost the same, with slight deviations.
But do not conclude that the combination of alcohol and antibiotics does not pose any threat. Experts pay attention to the following nuances:
- The studies were sporadic, so it is impossible to speak with 100% certainty about the safety of the combination.
- During the experiments, small doses of alcohol were used (not to mention excessive intake of uncontrolled intoxicants).
- The studies conducted dealt exclusively with the interaction of the drug with ethyl alcohol. No one denied the negative effect of antibiotic symbiosis + alcohol on the liver and the whole body as a whole.
5 reasons why antibioticsIt's impossibleundesirable to combine with alcohol
- Alcohol disrupts normal metabolism (nutrient absorption processes deteriorate).
- Alcohol increases the concentration of sugar in the blood.
- Alcohol depletes the body, and the immune system deteriorates.
- This combination can lead to allergic reactions.
- It is impossible to predict the outcome of the interaction of alcohol and antibiotics in each specific case due to the individual characteristics of the organism.
When and why is the use of antibiotics and alcohol completely banned?
So, according to available data, when you take beverages containing ethyl alcohol, most antibiotics do not change their pharmacological properties and have no significant side effects. But there are antimicrobial drugs and those that can not be combined with intoxicating drinks, as such a tandem leads to dangerous consequences.
What are alcohol incompatible antibiotics? This category of medicines includes funds that:
- When consumed concomitantly with products containing alcohol, they lead to serious metabolic disorders (metabolism). We have already written above that a special enzyme is needed to break down ethyl alcohol into safe ingredients. For the processing of some antibiotics, this enzyme is also needed, but its amount in the body may not be enough to break down alcohol and drugs, which leads to the accumulation of harmful substances (intoxication of the body). To avoid poisoning the body, it is forbidden to drink alcohol at the same time with such antimicrobial drugs.
- They cause a disulfiram-like reaction. These are antibiotics that prevent the decomposition of ethyl alcohol and thus contribute to the accumulation of a toxic substance - acealdehyde. This, combined with alcohol, results in nausea and vomiting. A similar reaction occurs when antibacterial agents are taken concomitantly with alcohol.
The term "disulfiram-like reaction" (aka rash reaction) is associated with the drug of the same name, disulfiram, which is used to treat alcohol dependence. The therapy is as follows: the patient is implanted with disulfiram tablets through an incision in the subcutaneous tissue, which block the breakdown of alcohol. If such a person drinks alcohol, he develops painful and unpleasant symptoms: palpitations, nausea, vomiting, etc.
When combined with strong drinks, they have a depressing effect on the central nervous system. For example, people being treated with antimicrobial drugs complain of dizziness, weakness, drowsiness, and seizures. This condition is especially dangerous if the person is out of the house.
Doctors draw attention to the fact that the ban on taking products containing alcohol is not limited to a glass of vodka or brandy (when taking antibiotics, it is recommended to forget about wine and beer for a while). Ethyl alcohol can be found in other foods and medicines, so if you need to take more than one medicine, you need to make sure there is no alcohol in it. Similarly, it is necessary to adhere to the restrictions regardless of the dosage form of the drug used - in the form of tablets, syrup or external oil.
What happens if you drink antibiotics and alcohol: side effects
You can often hear that some acquaintance practiced drinking alcohol and taking antibiotics and he had nothing wrong with such a dubious combination. But no one knows what was going on in this person's body, and how things went with his health. But in medical practice, there are many recorded cases where a combination of an intoxicating drug with medication led to:
- violations in the liver;
- serious dysfunctions of the brain and central nervous system (headache, dizziness, nausea, vomiting, convulsions);
- sleep problems;
- development of diseases of the gastrointestinal tract;
- painful sensations in the abdomen;
- adverse skin reactions (redness, rash);
- increase in blood pressure, decrease in cardiac activity;
- anaphylactic shock.
There is one more important point to pay attention to: when you can start drinking alcohol after taking antibiotics. At the end of the course of therapy, it is advisable to stay a few more days before opening a bottle of your favorite wine or brandy. This is due to the fact that it takes some time to remove the rotten products of the medicine from the body (for different medicines, these periods vary, detailed information can be obtained from your doctor or from the instructions).
Why is there a strong belief that alcohol and antibiotics should not be mixed?
Alcohol is undesirable to use in combination with many medications, and not just antimicrobial medications. However, why exactly has combination with antibiotics always been strictly forbidden?
There are two historical theories that explain why doctors have always supported a complete rejection of alcoholic beverages during antibiotic therapy.
| Prevention of sexually transmitted diseases | Lack of penicillin during the war |
There is an opinion that venereologists were the first to introduce a categorical ban on alcohol consumption during the period of antibiotic treatment. During the course of treatment, the beloved patients drank and, vaguely, again went to the priestesses of love. In order not to infect patients, doctors scared their wards that, using alcohol along with antibiotics, they risked death. |
During the war, penicillin was required in large quantities and was in short supply. Therefore, valuable medicine had to be extracted from the urine of soldiers undergoing antibiotic therapy. Urine was taken from patients, from which the antibiotic was isolated again. Due to the use of alcohol (soldiers who were recovering were allowed to drink beer), the production of penicillin was difficult. Therefore, a complete ban on drinking was imposed on anyone who was shown an antibiotic. |
Summary for those who are wondering whether or not they drink alcohol while taking antibiotics
- Studies have shown that alcohol does not significantly affect the effectiveness of most modern antibacterial drugs. However, there is a list of medicines that is strictly forbidden to deal with any strong drink.
- Despite the fact that expert opinion on the compatibility of alcoholic beverages and antibacterial agents was divided (with the exception of those drugs for which restrictions are categorical), most of them are inclined to believe that it is better for the patient to refuse alcoholduring treatment. At the same time, you should know: if during therapy you still drank a glass of wine, you should not refuse to take the other antibiotic (again, if this is a medicine for which there is no clear contraindication to alcohol).
To be sure that your antibiotic is not included in the group of medicines that can not be combined with alcoholic beverages, check with your doctor and read the instructions carefully.