Are antibiotics and alcohol compatible, in which cases is the danger of this combination justified and when is it exaggerated? We answer this question in our article.
Sometimes antibiotics are essential. They are prescribed for a variety of ailments and often happen completely "at the wrong time": on the eve of a long-awaited party or, for example, a corporate party.
Finding themselves in this situation, some get bored of the festive table, categorically refusing even a glass of wine or a sip of beer, others decide to interrupt the course of antibiotics, being absolutely sure that they do much less harm to their bodies.
Let's make a caveat: skipping one or two doses of a drug can nullify the effectiveness of the treatment, and irregular ingestion of an antibiotic will make the pathogen more resistant to its effects and, therefore, will only aggravate the problem. To defeat "hardened" bacteria by these experiments, you will either have to increase the dose or prescribe a stronger drug.
And what happens if you drink a glass of wine or some beer in the context of antibacterial treatment? Probably nothing. According to British scientists, quoted by the Russian Air Force Service, alcohol in no way affects the action of the most commonly used antibiotics. They're neutral to each other, which means you shouldn't expect any unpleasant "side effects" from such a combination, of course, if the subject is limited to just a glass of wine and we're not talking about some medications you shouldn't. be mixed with alcohol in no amount.
To understand all the risks associated with taking any medications, including antibiotics, with alcohol at the same time, you should read the instructions carefully and make sure this point is not included.
What are the best antibiotics not to combine with alcohol
It is not worth taking the risk of consuming alcohol during treatment with antibiotics, which belong to this class, as several studies confirm that ethanol weakens its effect.
It is also important to take into account the fact that metronidazole and tinidazole substances enter into a chemical reaction with alcohol and potentiate its toxic effect on the liver. The data on this score, however, is quite contradictory, however, is it worth the risk?
Some members of the cephalosporin group slow down the degradation of ethanol, thus causing a disulfiram reaction. These drugs block enzymes that help break down acetaldehyde, which eventually builds up in the body and causes headaches, nausea, rapid heartbeat, shortness of breath, seizures, and other unpleasant symptoms.
A similar reaction, according to some reports, can also be caused by some bacteriostatic antibiotics, which, however, have not been used as often recently. The combination of alcohol and antifungal agents is dangerous.
Alcohol and some antibiotics can not only nullify the entire therapy, but also harm
Long-term use of antibiotics and alcohol
At the same time, it is important to understand that with prolonged use, many antibiotics, including erythromycin, rifampicin, tetracyclines, sulfonamides, nitrofurans, and lincomycin, accumulate to high concentrations in bile and, over time, can cause toxic liver damage. As the main detoxification organ, it itself suffers mainly from the side effects of drugs. And although phenomena such as cholestatic hepatitis and even fatty infiltration of liver cells are usually temporary, it is still not worth adding extremes to this important organ, which will have to function with a double load if both drugs and alcohol are to be metabolized.
Avoiding alcohol is the best option for most drugs.
Another argument for avoiding alcohol during antibiotic treatment is ethanol's ability to cause dehydration and delay the overall healing process.
Which antibiotics have not yet been combined
However, the issue is not limited to simply giving up alcohol while taking antibiotics. An important role is played by what other medications a person takes and even what to drink with the medications taken.
So, for example, a glass of milk drunk along with an antibiotic pill or a piece of curd casserole ingested can negate all the medicine's benefits. Penicillins and tetracyclines, which form stable chelate complexes with calcium, are the worst combined with dairy products. But it is quite acceptable to drink erythromycin with milk.
Antibiotics are not combined with tea, coffee, lemonade, fruit and fruit juices, as well as dishes containing vinegar.
You need to take the antibiotic strictly as instructed at regular intervals. If it's not just a matter of taking a drug, it's important to make sure the drugs don't conflict. Of course, a qualified doctor will not prescribe incompatible medications, but they may not even know that you are being treated by another specialist and taking the pills they have prescribed.
Thus, for example, the substance cholestyramine and enterosorbent preparations taken simultaneously with antibiotics reduce the absorption of the latter. Taking erythromycin with oral contraceptives can lead to intrahepatic cholestasis, and some antibiotics can reduce the effectiveness of oral contraceptives.
It is dangerous to combine cephalosporins with thrombolytics because of the risk of bleeding, and macrolides and fluoroquinolones can potentiate the toxic effect of theophylline.
The combination of alcohol and various drugs can be fatal
What drugs are dangerous when combined with alcohol
Do not combine analgesics, antidepressants, muscle relaxants, antihypertensives, antipsychotics, diuretics, antipyretics, cardiovascular medications, anticoagulants, analgesics, antihistamines and sleeping pills and alcohol-containing oral contraceptives. In each case, the unwanted side effects will be different and sometimes quite dangerous.
Finally, we note: so that there are no problems with antibiotics, read the instructions carefully. And, of course, you shouldn't make the decision to drink antibiotics alone. Your doctor should prescribe them. Self-medication is fraught with serious health problems.