Is it possible to combine alcohol and antibiotics? Even doctors do not give a correct answer to this popular question. And if some are categorically against such duets, others believe it is important to consider what kind of alcohol you drink and how much. There is also a third opinion that by competently approaching the issue, it can be successfully addressed, while maintaining social activity.
Is it really necessary to abstain from alcohol in combination with a course of antibiotics? Let us understand.
Much depends on the active substance of the drug. Some types of antibiotics are not at all friendly to alcohol, while others may interact normally. Of course, mixing alcohol with pills after reading this article is not worth it. However, knowing a few things will help you not to panic, but to understand correctly the issue, if for some reason you still drank alcohol during antibiotic therapy.
Antibiotics and alcohol: myths and legends
There is a version that scary stories that alcohol and antibiotics should not be combined began to spread after the war. The first legend says that in this period the venereal clinics in our country and abroad were simply overcrowded. Patients are soldiers and officers who have fully enjoyed the "graces" of martial law. The medical staff specifically intimidated the patients, talking about the terrible consequences of the combination of alcohol and antibiotics, because after drinking, the patients could re-enter into all the serious problems and the result of such "exploitation" could be an infection ofri sexual.
Another legend says that due to the possible toil of taking penicillin, it evaporated from the urine of treated soldiers. For this reason, soldiers were forbidden to drink beer during therapy.
The risk of drinking alcohol while taking antibiotics is in the air and modern people prefer to avoid such mixtures. But what does evidence-based medicine think about this?
What do the studies say?
In the early 21st century, studies were conducted on the effects of ethanol on different types of antibiotics. During experiments on laboratory animals and human volunteers, it has been proven that alcohol does not affect most types of antibiotics.
Thus, in the experimental and control groups, the antibiotics studied were equally effective. No significant deviations in the mechanisms of absorption, distribution throughout the body and secretion of putrefaction products were identified.
By the way, there is a hypothesis that the intake of alcoholic beverages increases the negative effect of antibiotics on the liver. In the medical literature, such cases are rarely described due to their rare occurrence (up to 10 cases per 100, 000). At the same time, no further studies have been conducted in this regard. Are all fears unfounded?
Which antibiotics can not be combined with alcohol
No, the fear is not unfounded: there are a number of antibiotics that, when in contact with alcohol, cause extremely unpleasant symptoms - the so-called disulfiram-like reaction. The reaction occurs during the chemical interaction of ethanol with certain specific antibiotic molecules, as a result, the exchange of ethyl alcohol in the body changes. In particular, there is an accumulation of an intermediate substance - acetaldehyde. Intoxication with this substance gives the following symptoms:
- severe headaches
- nausea and vomiting
- increased heart rate
- redness of the face, neck, chest area, "heat" in them
- heavy intermittent heavy breathing
- limb cramps
Large doses of alcohol can be fatal!
These symptoms are very difficult to tolerate, often causing fear of suffocation or death. Disulfiram-like reaction is used in clinics in the treatment of alcoholism ("coding").
Antibiotics that can cause these symptoms:
- The active ingredient is metronidazole
- The active substance ketoconazole (prescribed for thrush, for example, in the form of suppositories)
- active ingredient furazolidone (prescribed for food poisoning or diarrhea of an unspecified nature)
- active substance chloramphenicol (toxic, rarely used: for urinary tract infections, bile ducts and some other diseases)
- Active substance co-trimoxazole (can be prescribed for infections of the respiratory tract, kidneys and ureters, prostatitis)
- Active ingredient lornoxicam (used to treat bacterial infections of the respiratory tract and ENT, kidney, urinary tract, etc. )
- Active ingredient tinidazole (often prescribed for infection with the bacterium Helicobacter pylori, which causes stomach ulcers)
- Active ingredient cefamandol (injections for infections of an unspecified nature)
- active ingredient cefoperazone (available in injections, they treat the respiratory tract, including pneumonia, bacterial diseases of the genitourinary system and other diseases)
- active substance moxifloxacin (broad-spectrum antibiotic, prescribed for severe conditions, including fever, if a bacterial infection is suspected)
Alcohol should be avoided during therapy with these drugs (both oral medications and suppositories or eye drops)!
To make sure that your antibiotic is not included in the group of medicines that are forbidden to be combined with alcohol, consult your doctor and carefully read the instructions for the medicine.
Rational decision
When treating any illness with antibiotics, in any case, you should not overload your body with alcoholic beverages. After all, like any toxic substance, ethanol requires "neutralization" in the body. To fight the poison, the body sheds extra reserves, often the latter, especially if the disease is prolonged. Spending energy on cleansing the body can damage the immune system and significantly increase the recovery period.
In addition, studies and medical practice confirm that both alcohol and antibiotics have a depressant effect on the liver.
Despite the fact that experts' opinions on the compatibility of alcoholic beverages and antibacterial agents are divided (with the exception of those drugs for which restrictions are categorical), most tend to believe that it is better to refuse alcohol during a course of therapy withantibiotics. . You should also know: if during therapy you still drank a glass of wine, you should not refuse the next antibiotic (of course, if it is a medicine for which there is no contraindication to alcohol).