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 antibacterial drugs. The latter, as you know, are quite potent drugs, so antibiotic therapy is associated with certain limitations, including the use of alcohol.
The question of whether it is okay to drink alcohol while taking antibiotics - you can find mixed opinions in the media. In the past, at a party, an invited guest could easily refuse another portion of alcohol, citing antibiotic treatment. They sympathize with such a person and do 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 is the main risk
Justifying the ban on the simultaneous use of antimicrobials and intoxicating drinks, doctors often explain the limitations by the following reasons:
- Alcohol (reduces) the therapeutic effects of antibiotics and/or causes unwanted reactions. The effectiveness of the therapy is reduced.
- With the simultaneous use of alcohol and antibacterial substances, serious damage to the liver and other organs will be caused.
How true are these statements?
Indeed, binge drinking can reduce the therapeutic effects of pharmaceuticals. In particular, this is because alcohol either destroys the active substance itself, or makes it difficult for the antibiotic to bind to the pathogen's protein. In addition, drinking alcohol can lead to faster elimination of drugs from the body, reducing effectiveness or conversely slowing the elimination of drug residues, thereby causing unwanted symptoms.
Research and medical practice confirm that both alcohol and antibiotics have a degrading effect on the liver.
It is no coincidence that the instructions for use of antibacterial drugs indicate their negative effect on this vital organ (some drugs are completely contraindicated in people with severe liver disease). If you combine alcohol and an antibiotic, the liver is doubly affected, so the doctors' concerns are completely justified. By the way, not only the liver is attacked: alcohol "cocktails" with antibacterial drugs negatively affect 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 faster alcohol is processed, the less harmful it is to the body. But with the simultaneous use of alcohol and antibiotics, alcohol use slows down, as antibiotics block the enzyme alcohol dehydrogenase, which is needed to break down. As a result, a toxic metabolite of alcohol builds up in the blood, poisoning the body.
What is the basis for experts' assertion that alcohol does not affect the effectiveness of commonly used antibiotics?
Is it possible to demonstrate a negative effect of alcohol on antibiotics?
To provide a reasonable answer to the question of whether alcohol can be consumed while on antibiotics, appropriate studies have been performed.
The scientists conducted laboratory experiments on animals, then invited volunteers to participate in the study. They were offered to undergo a course of treatment with antibacterial agents, during which they could drink alcohol. The main goal that the organizers set themselves was to determine 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 the drug.
They came to this conclusion on the basis that the effect of antibiotic therapy in the group of patients who banned alcohol and the group of patients who drank intoxicants were similar. The indices of drug absorption, distribution and withdrawal are almost the same, with small deviations.
But don't jump to the conclusion that the combination of alcohol and antibiotics doesn't pose any threat. Experts pay attention to the following nuances:
- Studies are sporadic, so it is not possible to say with 100% certainty about the safety of the combination.
- During the experiment, people used a small amount of alcohol (there is no such thing as drinking too many intoxicating drinks out of control).
- The studies performed were only concerned with the interaction of the drug with ethyl alcohol. No one denies the negative impact of the symbiosis between antibiotics and alcohol on the liver and the whole body in general.
5 reasons why antibioticsit is impossibledon't want to mix with alcohol
- Alcohol disrupts normal metabolism (poor absorption of nutrients).
- Alcohol increases blood sugar levels.
- Alcohol depletes the body, and the immune system weakens.
- This combination can lead to an allergic reaction.
- The outcome of the interaction of alcohol and antibiotics cannot be predicted on a case-by-case basis due to the unique characteristics of the organism.
When and why is the use of antibiotics and alcohol completely banned?
Therefore, according to the available data, when drinking beverages containing ethyl alcohol, most antibiotics do not change their pharmacological properties and do not have significant side effects. But there are antibacterial drugs and those that cannot be combined with intoxicating drinks, because such parallel use will lead to dangerous consequences.
What are alcohol-incompatible antibiotics? This drug includes funds:
- When consumed concurrently with alcohol-containing products, they lead to serious metabolic (metabolic) disorders. We wrote above that a special enzyme is required to break down ethyl alcohol into safe components. To make some antibiotics, this enzyme is also needed, but its amount in the body may not be enough to break down both alcohol and drugs, leading to accumulation of harmful substances (intoxicating the body). . To avoid poisoning the body, it is forbidden to drink alcohol at the same time as such antibacterial drugs.
- They cause a disulfiram-like reaction. These are antibiotic substances that prevent the breakdown of ethyl alcohol, and thus contribute to the accumulation of a toxic substance - acetaldehyde. This combined with alcohol will lead to nausea and vomiting. A similar reaction occurs when antibacterial agents are administered concomitantly with alcohol.
The term "disulfiram-like reaction" (also known as a flushing reaction) is related to the drug of the same name, disulfiram, used in the treatment of alcoholism. The therapy is as follows: the patient is implanted disulfiram tablets through an incision into the subcutaneous tissue, which works to prevent the breakdown of alcohol. If such a person drinks alcohol, he will develop painful and unpleasant symptoms: heart palpitations, nausea, vomiting, etc. v.
When combined with strong drinks, they work to reduce the feeling of fatigue on the central nervous system. For example, people who are being treated with antimicrobials complain of dizziness, weakness, drowsiness, and convulsions. This condition is especially dangerous if the person is outside the home.
Doctors note that the ban on drinking alcohol-containing products is not limited to a glass of vodka or brandy (when taking antibiotics, both alcohol and beer should be forgotten for a while). Ethyl alcohol can be found in other foods and medications, so if you need to take multiple medications, you should make sure there's no alcohol in them. Similarly, restrictions must be observed regardless of the dosage form the drug is used in - as a tablet, syrup, or topical ointment.
What happens if you take antibiotics and alcohol: unwanted consequences
You can often hear that some acquaintance has been drinking and taking antibiotics, and he has nothing bad from such dubious combination. But no one knows what is going on in this person's body, and how things are going with his health. But in medical practice, there are many documented cases when combining drugs with drugs leads to:
- violations in the liver;
- severe malfunctions of the brain and central nervous system (headache, dizziness, nausea, vomiting, convulsions);
- sleep problems;
- the development of diseases of the gastrointestinal tract;
- pain in the abdomen;
- negative skin reactions (redness, rash);
- increased blood pressure, decreased heart activity;
- anaphylaxis.
There is one more important point to pay attention to: when can you start drinking alcohol after taking antibiotics. At the end of the course, you should stand for a few more days before opening a bottle of your favorite wine or spirits. 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 this time varies, detailed information can be obtained from your doctor). your doctor or from your guide).
Why is there a strong belief that alcohol and antibiotics should not be mixed?
Alcohol should not be used in combination with many drugs, and not only with antibacterial drugs. However, why exactly is the combination with antibiotics so strictly forbidden?
There are two historical theories as to why doctors have always advocated the complete elimination of intoxicants during antibiotic treatment.
| Prevention of sexually transmitted diseases | Penicillin shortage during the war |
It has been suggested that religious doctors were the first to introduce a ban on drinking alcohol during antibiotic treatment. In the course of treatment, loving patients who were drunk and drunk, turned to the nuns of love. To keep patients from being reinfected, doctors fear that, using alcohol along with antibiotics, they risk death. |
During the war, penicillin was in great demand and in short supply. Therefore, the precious medicine must be extracted from the urine of soldiers who are being treated with antibiotics. The patient's urine was taken, from which antibiotics were isolated. Due to the heavy use of alcohol (recovering soldiers were allowed to drink beer), the production of penicillin was difficult. As a result, a complete ban on drinking alcohol was put in place for anyone who was shown antibiotics. |
Summary for those who are considering whether to drink alcohol while on antibiotics
- Studies have shown that alcohol does not significantly affect the effectiveness of most modern antibacterial drugs. However, there is a list of drugs that are strictly prohibited from being taken with any strong drink.
- Despite the fact that the opinions of experts on the compatibility of alcoholic beverages and antibacterial substances are divided (with the exception of drugs with classification restrictions), most of them tend to believethat patients should refuse alcohol during treatment. At the same time, you should know: if during treatment you still drink a glass of alcohol, you should not refuse to take the next antibiotic (again, if this is a drug with no obvious contraindications to the treatment). with alcohol).
To make sure your antibiotic is not in the category of drugs that should not be combined with alcohol, check with your doctor and read the instructions carefully.