Why shouldn't you take alcohol with antibiotics?

Quite often, patients turn to their doctor with the question: is it possible to combine alcohol and antibiotics?

Every person has to deal with diseases that can only be defeated 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 alcohol consumption.

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Whether it is possible to drink alcohol while taking antibiotics is debatable - you may find conflicting opinions in the media. Previously, at a feast, a guest could easily refuse another serving of alcohol, 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 for 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 ingestion of intoxicated drinks can reduce the therapeutic effect of pharmaceutical products. In particular, this is due to the fact that alcohol destroys the active substance itself or makes it difficult for the antibiotic to bind to the proteins of pathogens. In addition, alcohol consumption can lead to faster elimination of the drug from the body, which reduces its effectiveness or, on the contrary, slows down the elimination of drug residues, which leads to the appearance of unwanted symptoms.

Research and medical practice confirm that 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 antibiotics, the liver suffers twice, so the fears of doctors are fully justified. By the way, not only is the liver attacked: 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 into carbon dioxide and water. The faster the treatment of alcohol, the less severe the harmful effects on the body. But with the simultaneous use of alcohol and antibiotics, the use of alcohol slows down, because the antibiotic blocks the enzyme alcohol dehydrogenase, which is necessary for degradation. Because of this, a toxic metabolite of alcohol builds up in the blood, which poisons the body.

What are the claims of experts who believe that alcohol in no way affects 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, appropriate studies have been conducted.

Scientists conducted laboratory experiments on animals and then invited volunteers to participate in the research. They were offered to undergo a course of treatment with antibacterial agents, during which they could drink alcohol. The main objective set by the organizers of the experiments 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 patients drank intoxicated drinks was identical. The indicators of drug absorption, distribution and withdrawal were almost the same, with minor differences.

But don't jump to the conclusion that the combination of alcohol and antibiotics poses no 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.
• During the experiments, small doses of alcohol were used (there is no question of excessive and uncontrolled consumption of intoxicating drinks).
• The studies carried out exclusively concerned the interaction of the drug with ethyl alcohol. No one has denied the negative effect of the antibiotic + alcohol symbiosis on the liver and the whole body as a whole.

5 reasons why antibioticsit's impossibleundesirable to combine with alcohol

• Alcohol disrupts normal metabolism (nutrient absorption processes deteriorate).
• Alcohol increases the concentration of sugar in the blood.
• Alcohol exhausts the body and the immune system deteriorates.
• This combination can cause allergic reactions.
• It is impossible to predict the outcome of the interaction of alcohol and antibiotics in each specific case due to the individual characteristics of the organism.

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 antimicrobial drugs and those that can not be combined with intoxicating drinks, since such a tandem leads to dangerous consequences.

What antibiotics are incompatible with alcohol? This category of drugs includes funds that:

1. When consumed simultaneously with products containing alcohol, they lead to serious metabolic disorders (metabolism). We have already written above that a special enzyme is needed to break down ethyl alcohol into safe components. For the treatment of some antibiotics, this enzyme is also needed, but its amount in the body may not be enough to break down both alcohol and drugs, 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.
2. They cause a disulfiram-type reaction. These are antibiotics that prevent the breakdown of ethyl alcohol and thus contribute to the accumulation of a toxic substance - acetaldehyde. This, combined with alcohol, causes nausea and vomiting. A similar reaction occurs when antibacterial agents are taken simultaneously with alcohol.

The term "disulfiram-like reaction" (aka hot flash 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 in the subcutaneous tissue, which blocks the breakdown of alcohol. If such a person drinks alcohol, then he develops painful and unpleasant symptoms: heart palpitations, nausea, vomiting, etc.

Associated with strong drinks, they have a depressant effect on the central nervous system. For example, people who are treated with antimicrobial drugs complain of dizziness, weakness, drowsiness, and seizures. This condition is especially dangerous if the person is outside the house.

Doctors draw attention to the fact that the ban on taking products containing alcohol is not limited to a glass of vodka or brandy (when taking antibiotics, it is recommended to forget about onewine and beer). Ethyl alcohol can be found in other foods and drugs, so if you need to take more than one medicine, you should make sure that it does not contain alcohol. Likewise, it is necessary to adhere to the restrictions regardless of the dosage form in which the drug is used - in the form of tablets, syrup or external ointment.

What happens if you drink antibiotics and alcohol: unwanted consequences

You can often hear that an acquaintance practiced drinking alcohol and taking antibiotics, and that there was nothing wrong with such a dubious combination. But no one knows what was going on in that person's body and how things turned out with his health. But in medical practice there are many recorded cases when a combination of an intoxicating potion with drugs has led to:

• violations in the liver;
• severe dysfunctions of the brain and central nervous system (headache, dizziness, nausea, vomiting, seizures);
• sleep problems;
• the development of diseases of the gastrointestinal tract;
• painful sensations in the abdomen;
• negative skin reactions (redness, rashes);
• increases in blood pressure, decreased heart activity;
• anaphylactic shock.

There is another important point to watch out for: when can you start drinking alcohol after taking antibiotics. At the end of the treatment, 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 in 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 just with antimicrobial drugs. However, why exactly has the combination with antibiotics always been strictly prohibited?

There are two historical theories as to why doctors have always advocated complete rejection of intoxicants during antibiotic therapy.

Summary for those considering 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 drugs that are strictly prohibited to be taken with strong drinks.
• Despite the fact that the opinion of experts regarding the compatibility of alcoholic beverages and antibacterial agents was divided (except for drugs for which the restrictions are categorical), most of them are inclined to believe that it is worthbetter that the patient refuses alcohol during treatment. At the same time, you need to know: if during the treatment you still drank a glass of wine, you should not refuse to take the next antibiotic (again, if it is a drug for which itthere is no clear contraindication to alcohol).

To be sure that your antibiotic is not in the group of medicines that cannot be combined with alcoholic drinks, consult your doctor and read the instructions carefully.

Prevention of sexually transmitted diseases

Penicillin deficiency during the war

There is an opinion that venereologists were the first to introduce a categorical ban on alcohol consumption during the period of antibiotic treatment. During the treatment, the loving patients drank and, drunk, again went to the priestesses of love. To prevent patients from re-infecting themselves, doctors scared their departments that by using alcohol and antibiotics, they risked death.

During the war, penicillin was needed in enormous quantities and was scarce. Therefore, the precious medicine had to be extracted from the urine of soldiers undergoing antibiotic treatment. Urine was collected from patients, from whom the antibiotic was re-isolated. Due to the consumption of alcohol (recovering soldiers were allowed to drink beer), penicillin production was difficult. Therefore, a total drinking ban was introduced for anyone who was shown an antibiotic.