Quite often, patients turn to their doctor with the question, is it possible to combine alcohol and antibiotics?
Each 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 can find conflicting opinions in the media. Previously, during a feast, an invited guest could easily refuse another portion of booze, citing antibiotic treatment. They sympathized with such a person and did not persuade him to drink. Now they can object to him, referring to articles in various publications, claiming that alcoholic beverages do not interfere with the recovery process. Where is the truth?
Combining alcohol and antibiotics are the main risks
Justifying the ban on the simultaneous use of antimicrobial agents and intoxicating drinks, doctors usually explain the restrictions by the following reasons:
- Alcohol blocks (reduces) the therapeutic effect of antibiotics and / or causes unwanted reactions. 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 intoxicated beverages can reduce the therapeutic effect of pharmaceuticals. 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 the proteins of pathogens. 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 occur.
Research and medical practice confirm that both alcohol and antibiotics have a depressant effect on the liver.
It is no coincidence that the instructions for antibacterial drugs indicate their negative effect on this important organ (some drugs are completely contraindicated for people with severe liver diseases). If you combine alcohol and an antibiotic, the liver suffers doubly, so the fears of doctors are 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 the central nervous system.
Once in the body, alcohol is gradually broken down to carbon dioxide and water. The faster the alcohol is processed, the less harmful effect on the body. But with the simultaneous use of alcohol and antibiotics, the utilization of alcohol slows down, since the antibiotic blocks the enzyme alcohol dehydrogenase, which is necessary for breakdown. Because of this, a poisonous metabolite of alcohol accumulates in the blood, which poisons the body.
What is the basis for the assertions of experts who believe that alcohol does not in any way affect the action of commonly used antibiotics?
Has it been possible to prove the negative effect of alcohol on antibiotics?
To give a reasoned answer to the question of whether it is possible to drink alcohol while taking antibiotics, relevant studies were carried out.
Scientists conducted laboratory experiments on animals, and then invited volunteers to participate in the research. They were offered to undergo a treatment course with antibacterial agents, during which they could drink alcohol. The main goal that the organizers of the experiments set themselves was to establish how alcohol (ethanol) affects antibiotics.
Studies have shown that most antibacterial agents are unlikely to interact with alcohol. In other words, it has no significant effect on drugs.
They came to this conclusion on the basis that the effect of antibiotic therapy in the group of patients where alcohol was prohibited and in the group where the patients drank intoxicated drinks was identical. The indicators of absorption, distribution and withdrawal of drugs were almost the same, with minor deviations.
But do not jump to the conclusion 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.
- In the course of the experiments, small doses of alcohol were used (there is no talk of uncontrolled, excessive intake of intoxicating drinks).
- The studies carried out concerned exclusively the interaction of the drug with ethyl alcohol. No one denied the negative effect of the antibiotic + alcohol symbiosis on the liver and the entire body as a whole.
5 reasons why antibioticsit is impossibleundesirable to combine with alcohol
- Alcohol disrupts the normal metabolism (the processes of absorption of nutrients 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.
- Due to the individual characteristics of the organism, it is impossible to predict the result of the interaction of alcohol and antibiotics in each specific case.
When and why is the use of antibiotics and alcohol completely banned?
So, according to available data, when taking drinks containing ethyl alcohol, most antibiotics do not change their pharmacological properties and do not have significant side effects. But there are among the antimicrobial drugs and those that definitely cannot be combined with strong drinks, since such a tandem leads to dangerous consequences.
What are antibiotics incompatible with alcohol? This category of drugs includes funds that:
- When consumed simultaneously with alcohol-containing products, they lead to serious metabolic disorders (metabolism). We already wrote above that a special enzyme is needed to break down ethyl alcohol into safe components. For the processing of some antibiotics, this enzyme is also needed, but its amount in the body may not be enough to break down both alcohol and medicine, 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 as such antimicrobial drugs.
- They cause a disulfiram-like reaction. These are antibiotics that prevent the decomposition of ethyl alcohol, and thereby contribute to the accumulation of a poisonous substance - acetaldehyde. This, combined with alcohol, results in nausea and vomiting. A similar reaction occurs when antibacterial agents are taken simultaneously with alcohol.
The term "disulfiram-like reaction" (aka flushing reaction) is associated with the drug of the same name, disulfiram, which is used in the treatment of alcohol dependence. The therapy is as follows: the patient is implanted with disulfiram tablets through an incision into the subcutaneous tissue, which block the breakdown of alcohol. If such a person drinks alcohol, he develops painful and unpleasant symptoms: heart palpitations, nausea, vomiting, etc.
When combined with strong drinks, they have a depressing effect on the central nervous system. For example, people who are being treated with antimicrobial drugs complain of dizziness, weakness, drowsiness, and seizures. This condition is especially dangerous if the person is outside the home.
Doctors pay attention that the ban on taking alcohol-containing products is not limited to a glass of vodka or brandy (when taking antibiotics, it is recommended to forget about both wine and beer for a while). Ethyl alcohol can be found in other foods and drugs, so if you need to take more than one drug, you should make sure that they are free of alcohol. Similarly, it is necessary to adhere to the restrictions regardless of which dosage form the drug is used in - in the form of tablets, syrup or external ointment.
What happens if you drink antibiotics and alcohol: undesirable consequences
You can often hear that some acquaintance practiced drinking alcohol and taking antibiotics, and he had nothing bad from such a dubious combination. But no one knows what was happening in the body of this person, and how things went on with his health. But in medical practice there are many recorded cases when the combination of intoxicating potion with drugs led to:
- violations in the liver;
- serious malfunctions of the brain and central nervous system (headaches, dizziness, nausea, vomiting, convulsions);
- sleep problems;
- the development of diseases of the gastrointestinal tract;
- painful sensations in the abdomen;
- negative skin reactions (redness, rashes);
- surges in blood pressure, decreased cardiac activity;
- anaphylactic shock.
There is another important point to note: when can you start drinking alcohol after taking antibiotics. At the end of the course of therapy, it is advisable to stand for 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 decay products of the drug from the body (for different drugs, these periods differ, 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 drugs, and not only with antimicrobial drugs. However, why exactly the combination with antibiotics has always been strictly prohibited?
There are two historical theories explaining why physicians have always advocated a complete rejection of intoxicants during antibiotic therapy.
| Prevention of sexually transmitted diseases | Penicillin deficiency during the war |
There is an opinion that venereologists were the first to introduce a categorical prohibition on alcohol consumption during the period of antibiotic treatment. During the course of treatment, the loving patients drank and, tipsy, again went to the priestesses of love. To keep patients from re-infection, doctors frightened their wards that, using alcohol along with antibiotics, they risked death. |
During the war, penicillin was required in huge quantities and was in short supply. Therefore, the valuable medicine had to be extracted from the urine of soldiers undergoing antibiotic therapy. Urine was taken from patients, from which the antibiotic was re-isolated. Drinking alcohol (recovering soldiers were allowed to drink beer) made penicillin production difficult. Therefore, a complete ban on drinking was introduced for everyone who was shown an antibiotic. |
Summary for those contemplating whether or not to 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 medications that are strictly prohibited to be taken with any strong drinks.
- Despite the fact that the opinion of experts on the compatibility of alcoholic beverages and antibacterial agents was divided (with the exception of those drugs for which the restrictions are categorical), most of them are inclined to believe that it is better for the patient to refuse alcohol during the course of 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 next antibiotic (again, if this is a drug for which there is no clear contraindication for alcohol).
To be sure that your antibiotic is not included in the group of drugs that cannot be combined with alcoholic beverages, check with your doctor and carefully read the instructions.