Is it possible to combine alcohol and antibiotics?Even doctors do not give an exact answer to this common question.And while some people are completely against such duets, others believe it's important to consider the type of alcohol you drink and how much.There is a third opinion that by approaching the problem wisely, you can have successful treatment while still remaining socially active.
Is it really necessary to abstain from alcohol in conjunction with a course of antibiotics?Let's figure it out.
Much depends on the active ingredient of the drug.Some antibiotics are completely unfriendly to alcohol, while others may interact normally.Of course, after reading this article, you should not mix alcohol with medicine.However, knowing a few things will help you not to panic but also to understand the problem intelligently if for some reason you still drink alcohol during antibiotic treatment.
Antibiotics and alcohol: myths and legends
There is a version that scary stories about not combining alcohol and antibiotics began to spread after the war.The first legend says that during this period, venereal clinics in our country and abroad were overcrowded.The patients are soldiers and officers who have tasted the "joy" of martial law.Medical staff deliberately threaten patients, talking about the dire consequences of combining alcohol and antibiotics, because after drinking alcohol, the patient can again commit all sorts of serious acts, and the result of such "exploitation" may very well be a new sexually transmitted disease.
Another legend says that because obtaining penicillin was laborious, it evaporated through the urine of the soldiers receiving the treatment.For this reason, soldiers were forbidden to drink beer during treatment.
The dangers of drinking alcohol while taking antibiotics are increasing, and modern people want to avoid such mixtures.But what does evidence-based medicine think about this?
What do the studies say?
At the beginning of the 21st century, studies were conducted on the effects of ethanol on many antibiotics.In experiments on laboratory animals and human volunteers, it has been shown that most antibiotics are not affected by alcohol intake.
Thus, in the experimental group and control group, the studied antibiotics were equally effective.No significant deviations in the mechanisms of absorption, distribution throughout the body, or elimination of degradation products were identified.
By the way, there is a theory that drinking alcoholic beverages will increase the side effects of antibiotics on the liver.Such cases are rarely described in the medical literature due to their rarity (up to 10 cases per 100,000).At the same time, no additional research has been conducted on this issue.Are all fears unfounded?
Which antibiotics should not be combined with alcohol?
No, the fear is not unfounded: there are some antibiotics that, when exposed to alcohol, cause extremely unpleasant symptoms - the so-called disulfiram-like reaction.The reaction occurs when ethanol reacts chemically with certain antibiotic molecules, leading to changes in the metabolism of ethyl alcohol in the body.In particular, an intermediate acetaldehyde will accumulate.Poisoning with this substance will cause the following symptoms:
- severe headache
- nausea and vomiting
- heart rate increases
- red face, neck, chest area, "hot" there
- heavy intermittent breathing
- limb spasms
Large doses of alcohol can be fatal!
These symptoms are difficult to endure, often causing fear of suffocation or death.Disulfiram-like reactions are used in clinics to treat alcoholism ("encoding").
Antibiotics can cause the following symptoms:
- Active ingredient metronidazole
- active ingredient ketoconazole (prescribed for thrush, for example, in suppository form)
- active ingredient furazolidone (prescribed for food poisoning or unexplained diarrhea)
- active ingredient chloramphenicol (toxic, rarely used: for urinary tract, bile duct infections, 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 infections in the respiratory and ENT organs, kidneys, urinary tract, etc.)
- active ingredient tinidazole (often prescribed when infected with Helicobacter pylori bacteria, causing stomach ulcers)
- active ingredient cefamandole (injection for unspecified infections)
- active substance cefoperazone (available in injections, treatment of the respiratory tract, including pneumonia, bacterial diseases of the genitourinary system and others)
- active ingredient moxifloxacin (broad-spectrum antibiotic, prescribed for serious conditions, including fever, if a bacterial infection is suspected)
When taking these medications (both oral and suppositories or eye drops), you must avoid alcohol!
To make sure your antibiotic is not in the group of drugs prohibited from being combined with alcoholic beverages, consult your doctor and carefully read the instructions for use.
Smart decision
When treating any disease with antibiotics, in no case should you overload your body with alcoholic beverages.After all, like any toxic substance, ethanol needs to be "neutralized" in the body.The body uses additional reserves to fight toxins, often as a last resort, especially if the disease is prolonged.Expending energy to cleanse the body can damage the immune system and significantly increase recovery time.
Additionally, research and medical practice confirm that both alcohol and antibiotics have liver-suppressing effects.
Despite the fact that the opinions of experts on the compatibility of alcoholic beverages and antibacterial agents are divided (with the exception of drugs that are categorically restricted), most are inclined to believe that it is better to avoid alcoholic beverages during antibiotic treatment.You should also know: if you drank a glass of wine during treatment, you should not refuse the next dose of antibiotics (of course, if it is a drug that does not have contraindications to alcohol).