Patients often ask their doctors if it is possible to combine alcohol and antibiotics.
Everyone has to deal with diseases that can only be defeated with the help of special antimicrobial drugs. The second, as you know, is a very aggressive drug, so antibiotic therapy is associated with certain restrictions, including alcohol use.
The question of whether it is possible to drink alcohol while taking antibiotics is controversial - you can find conflicting opinions in the media. Previously, a guest invited to a banquet could easily refuse another portion of the drink, citing antibiotic treatment. They sympathized with such a person and did not persuade him to drink. Now they can object to it, citing articles in various publications, claiming that alcohol does not interfere with the recovery process. Where is the truth?
The combination of alcohol and antibiotics are the main risks
Doctors, who justify the ban on the simultaneous use of antimicrobials and intoxicants, generally explain the restrictions for the following reasons:
- Alcohol reduces the therapeutic effect of antibiotics and / or causes adverse reactions. The effectiveness of therapy decreases.
- Concomitant use of alcohol and antibacterial agents can cause serious toxic damage to the liver and other organs.
How true are these statements?
Indeed, the intake of alcoholic beverages can reduce the therapeutic effect of drugs. In particular, this means that alcohol either destroys the active substance itself or makes it harder for the antibiotic to bind to the proteins of the pathogens. In addition, alcohol intake can lead to faster elimination of the drug from the body, which reduces its effectiveness or, conversely, delays the elimination of drug residues that cause unwanted symptoms.
Studies and medical practice confirm that both alcohol and antibiotics have a depressant effect on the liver.
It is no coincidence that the indications for antibacterial drugs indicate their negative effects on this important organ (some drugs are completely contraindicated for people with severe liver disease). If you combine alcohol and an antibiotic, the liver suffers twice, so the fears of doctors are completely justified. By the way, it's not just an attack on the liver: a "cocktail" of alcohol with antimicrobial drugs has a negative effect on the cardiovascular system, 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 the processing of alcohol, the less harmful it is to the body. However, the simultaneous use of alcohol and antibiotics slows down the use of alcohol because it blocks the enzyme dehydrogenase, which is needed for antibiotic breakdown. Therefore, a toxic alcohol metabolite accumulates in the blood and poisons the body.
What about the claims of experts who believe that alcohol has no effect on the effects of commonly used antibiotics?
Is it possible to prove the negative effects of alcohol on antibiotics?
Appropriate work has been done to provide a reasoned answer to the question of the possibility of alcohol intake while taking antibiotics.
The scientists conducted laboratory experiments on the animals and then invited volunteers to participate in the research. They were offered a course of treatment with antibacterial drugs that they could drink alcohol. The main goal of the organizers of the experiments was to determine how alcohol (ethanol) affects antibiotics.
Studies show that most antibacterial agents interact poorly with alcohol. In other words, there is no effective effect on the drug.
They concluded that the effect of antibiotic therapy was the same in the group of patients where alcohol was prohibited and in the group of patients who drank alcohol. The absorption, distribution, and withdrawal rates of the drugs were almost identical with small deviations.
But do not rush to the conclusion that the combination of alcohol and antibiotics poses no danger. Experts pay attention to the following nuances:
- Studies have been intermittent, so it is impossible to say with 100% certainty about the safety of the combination.
- Small doses of alcohol were used during the experiments (there was no question of uncontrolled, excessive intoxication).
- The studies are exclusively on the interaction of the drug with ethyl alcohol. No one has denied the negative effects of antibiotic + alcohol symbiosis on the liver and the body as a whole.
5 reasons for antibioticsit is impossibleIt is undesirable to combine with alcohol
- Alcohol disrupts normal metabolism (worsens the process of absorption of nutrients).
- Alcohol increases the concentration of sugar in the blood.
- Alcohol reduces the body and the immune system deteriorates.
- This compound can cause allergic reactions.
- Due to the individual characteristics of the organism, it is impossible to predict the outcome of the interaction of alcohol and antibiotics in each specific situation.
When and why is the use of antibiotics and alcohol completely banned?
Thus, according to available data, when taking ethyl alcohol, most antibiotics do not change their pharmacological properties and do not have serious side effects. However, there are antimicrobial drugs that cannot be combined with intoxicants, because such a tandem leads to dangerous consequences.
What are non-alcoholic antibiotics? This category of drugs includes:
- When consumed at the same time as alcoholic products, they cause serious metabolic diseases (metabolism). We have already written above that a special enzyme is needed to separate ethyl alcohol into safe components. Some antibiotics also need this enzyme to work, but the amount in the body may not be enough to break down both alcohol and drugs, leading to harmful substances (intoxication of the body). It is forbidden to drink alcohol at the same time with such antimicrobial drugs to avoid poisoning the body.
- They cause a disulfide-like reaction. These are antibiotics that prevent the breakdown of ethyl alcohol and thus help the accumulation of a toxic substance - acetaldehyde. This results in nausea and vomiting with alcohol. A similar reaction occurs when antibacterial agents are taken at the same time as alcohol.
The term "disulfiram-like reaction" (aka leaching reaction) is associated with the drug disulfiram of the same name used in the treatment of alcohol dependence. The therapy is as follows: the patient is placed disulfiram tablets through a subcutaneous incision that prevents the breakdown of alcohol. If such a person consumes alcohol, he develops painful and unpleasant symptoms: palpitations, nausea, vomiting, etc.
When combined with strong drinks, they have a depressant effect on the central nervous system. For example, people treated with antimicrobials complain of dizziness, weakness, drowsiness, and seizures. This situation is especially dangerous when the person is away from home.
Doctors note that the ban on alcohol is not limited to a glass of vodka or brandy (it is recommended to forget about both wine and beer for a while when taking antibiotics). Ethyl alcohol can be found in other foods and medicines, so if you need to take more than one medicine, you need to make sure there is no alcohol in it. Similarly, it is necessary to follow the restrictions, regardless of the dosage form of the drug - in the form of tablets, syrups or external ointments.
What happens if you take antibiotics and alcohol: undesirable consequences
Sometimes you often hear an acquaintance practice drinking alcohol and taking antibiotics, and nothing bad has happened without such a suspicious combination. But no one knows what happened to this man's body and how things went with his health. However, in medical practice, there are many cases where a intoxicating potion is combined with drugs.
- disorders of the liver;
- severe disorders of the brain and central nervous system (headache, dizziness, nausea, vomiting, convulsions);
- sleep problems;
- development of diseases of the gastrointestinal tract;
- abdominal pain;
- adverse skin reactions (redness, rash);
- waves in blood pressure, decreased heart activity;
- anaphylactic shock.
There is another important point to note: when can you start drinking alcohol after taking antibiotics. At the end of the therapy course, it is advisable to stand for a few more days before opening a bottle of your favorite wine or brandy. This is because the medication takes some time to remove the putrefactive products from the body (these periods are different for different medications, details can be obtained from your doctor or instructions).
Why is there a strong belief that alcohol and antibiotics should not be mixed?
It is undesirable to use alcohol not only with antimicrobial drugs, but also with many drugs. However, why is the combination with antibiotics always strictly forbidden?
There are two historical theories as to why physicians have always advocated the complete rejection of intoxicants during antibiotic therapy.
| Prevention of sexually transmitted diseases | Penicillin deficiency during war |
There is an opinion that venereologists were the first to propose a strict ban on alcohol consumption during antibiotic treatment. During the treatment, the loving patients drank and still went to the priests of love. To prevent patients from re-infecting, doctors warned wards that they were at risk of death by using alcohol in addition to antibiotics. |
During the war, penicillin was in high demand and in short supply. Therefore, valuable drugs had to be removed from the urine of soldiers undergoing antibiotic therapy. Urine was collected from patients who were re-isolated from the antibiotic. Due to the use of alcohol (recovered soldiers were allowed to drink beer), the production of penicillin became difficult. Therefore, anyone who was prescribed an antibiotic was banned from drinking. |
Summary for those who are thinking about not drinking 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 forbidden to take with any strong drink.
- Although experts are divided on the compatibility of alcohol and antibacterial agents (with the exception of drugs with strict restrictions), most are inclined to believe that it is better for the patient to refuse. alcohol during treatment. At the same time, you should know: if you drank a glass of wine during therapy, you should not refuse to take the next antibiotic (again, if it is a drug that has no obvious contraindications to alcohol).
See your doctor and read the instructions carefully to make sure that your antibiotic does not belong to the group of drugs that cannot be combined with alcohol.