Why shouldn't you take alcohol with antibiotics?

Patients often ask their doctor if it is possible to combine alcohol and antibiotics?

Every person has to deal with illnesses that can only be defeated with the help of special antimicrobials. The latter, as you know, are very aggressive drugs, so antibiotic therapy is associated with certain restrictions, including the use of alcohol.

The question of whether it is possible to drink alcohol while taking antibiotics is debatable - you may find conflicting opinions in the media. Previously, during a banquet, a guest could easily refuse another portion of the drink, citing antibiotic treatment. They sympathized with this 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 antimicrobials and intoxicating beverages, doctors usually explain the restrictions for the following reasons:

• Alcohol blocks (reduces) the therapeutic effect of antibiotics and/or causes unwanted reactions. The therapy's effectiveness diminishes.
• With the simultaneous use of alcohol and antibacterial agents, severe toxic damage to the liver and other organs occurs.

How true are these statements?

In fact, drinking intoxicated beverages can reduce the therapeutic effect of pharmaceuticals. In particular, this is because alcohol destroys the active substance itself or makes it difficult for the antibiotic to bind to pathogen proteins. In addition, alcohol consumption can lead to more rapid elimination of the drug from the body, which reduces its effectiveness, or, conversely, delays the elimination of drug residues, resulting in unwanted symptoms.

Research and medical practice confirm that both alcohol and antibiotics have a depressant effect on the liver.

It is not by chance that the instructions for antibacterial drugs indicate their negative effect on this important organ (some drugs are totally contraindicated for people with severe liver disease). If you combine alcohol and antibiotics, the liver will suffer doubly, so the doctors' fears are fully justified. In fact, not only is the liver under attack: the "cocktail" of alcohol with antimicrobials negatively affects the functioning of the cardiovascular system, it is also dangerous for the pancreas and the central nervous system.

Once in the body, alcohol is gradually turned into carbon dioxide and water. The faster the alcohol is processed, the less harmful effects on the body. But with the simultaneous use of alcohol and antibiotics, the use of alcohol is slower, as the antibiotic blocks the enzyme alcohol dehydrogenase, necessary for degradation. Because of this, a poisonous metabolite of alcohol builds up in the blood, poisoning the body.

What is the basis for the claims of experts who believe that alcohol in no way affects the action of commonly used antibiotics?

Was it 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 carried out.

Scientists performed laboratory experiments on animals and then invited volunteers to participate in the research. They were asked to take a course of treatment with antibacterials, during which they could drink alcoholic beverages. The main objective that the organizers of the experiments proposed 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 on the group of patients where alcohol was prohibited and on the group where patients drank intoxicated beverages was identical. The indicators of drug absorption, distribution and withdrawal were almost the same, with small deviations.

But don't jump to conclusions that the combination of alcohol and antibiotics poses no threat. Experts pay attention to the following nuances:

• Studies have been sporadic, so it is impossible to speak with 100% certainty about the safety of the combination.
• In the course of the experiments, small doses of alcohol were used (we are not talking about excessive and uncontrolled ingestion of intoxicating drinks).
• The studies performed were exclusively about the interaction of the drug with ethyl alcohol. Nobody denied the negative effect of the antibiotic + alcohol symbiosis on the liver and throughout the body.

5 reasons why antibioticsit's impossibleundesirable to combine with alcohol

• Alcohol disrupts normal metabolism (nutrient absorption processes deteriorate).
• Alcohol increases blood sugar concentration.
• Alcohol depletes 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 with antibiotics in each specific case due to the individual characteristics of the organism.

When and why is the use of antibiotics and alcohol completely prohibited?

Thus, 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 they exist among antimicrobials and those that cannot be combined with intoxicating beverages, as such a tandem leads to dangerous consequences.

What are alcohol-incompatible antibiotics? This drug category includes funds that:

When consumed simultaneously with products containing alcohol, they lead to severe metabolic disturbances (metabolism). We have already written above that a special enzyme is needed to break down ethyl alcohol into safe components. For the processing of some antibiotics, this enzyme is also necessary, but its amount in the body may not be enough to break down 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 antimicrobials.

They cause a similar reaction to disulfiram. They are antibiotics that prevent the decomposition of ethyl alcohol and, in this way, contribute to the accumulation of a toxic substance - acetaldehyde. This, combined with alcohol, results in nausea and vomiting. A similar reaction occurs when antibacterial agents are administered simultaneously with alcohol.

The term "disulfiram-like reaction" (also known as a flushing reaction) is associated with the drug of the same name, disulfiram, which is used to treat 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 that person drinks alcohol, he will develop painful and unpleasant symptoms: heart palpitations, nausea, vomiting, etc.

When combined with strong drinks, they have a depressant effect on the central nervous system. For example, people being treated with antimicrobial drugs complain of dizziness, weakness, drowsiness and seizures. This condition is especially dangerous if the person is away from home.

Doctors point out that the prohibition of ingesting products that contain alcohol is not limited to a glass of vodka or brandy (when taking antibiotics, it is advisable to forget about wine and beer). Ethyl alcohol can be found in other foods and drugs, so if you need to take more than one medication, make sure it doesn't contain alcohol. Likewise, it is necessary to respect the restrictions, regardless of the pharmaceutical form in which the medicine is used - in the form of tablets, syrup or external ointment.

What Happens If You Drink Antibiotics and Alcohol: Undesirable Consequences

You can often hear that an acquaintance practiced drinking alcohol and taking antibiotics, and he had nothing wrong with this dubious combination. But no one knows what was going on in that person's body and how healthy things were. But, in medical practice, there are many cases recorded where the combination of an intoxicating potion with drugs has led to:

• liver disturbances;
• severe disorders of the brain and central nervous system (headaches, dizziness, nausea, vomiting, seizures);
• sleep problems;
• the development of diseases of the gastrointestinal tract;
• painful sensations in the abdomen;
• negative skin reactions (redness, rash);
• spikes in blood pressure, decreased cardiac activity;
• anaphylactic shock.

There's one more important point to pay attention to: when you can start drinking alcohol after taking antibiotics. At the end of the course of therapy, it is advisable to wait 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 drug's breakdown products from the body (for different drugs these periods are different, 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 for use in combination with many drugs, not just antimicrobial drugs. However, why exactly was combination with antibiotics always strictly prohibited?

There are two historical theories that explain why doctors have always advocated a complete rejection of toxics during antibiotic therapy.

Summary for those thinking about drinking or not drinking alcohol while taking antibiotics

• Studies have shown that alcohol does not significantly affect the effectiveness of most modern antibacterial medications. However, there is a list of medications that are strictly prohibited to be taken with any strong drinks.
• Although experts' opinion on the compatibility of alcoholic beverages with antibacterials (with the exception of drugs whose restrictions are categorical) is divided, most of them are inclined to believe that it is better for the patient to refuse alcohol during treatment. At the same time, you should know: if during therapy you still drank a glass of wine, you should not refuse to take the next antibiotic (again, if this is a drug for which there is no clear contraindication for alcohol) .

To make sure that your antibiotic is not included in the group of medications that cannot be combined with alcoholic beverages, 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 the consumption of alcohol during the period of antibiotic treatment. During treatment, the loving patients drank and, intoxicated, went back to seeking out the priestesses of love. To prevent patients from re-infecting, doctors frightened their wards that by using alcohol along with antibiotics, they risked death.

During the war, penicillin was needed in large quantities and supplies were scarce. Therefore, the valuable medicine had to be extracted from the urine of soldiers undergoing antibiotic therapy. Urine was collected from patients, from which the antibiotic was isolated again. Due to the use of alcohol (recovering soldiers could drink beer), the production of penicillin was difficult. Therefore, a total ban on drinking has been introduced for anyone who has been shown an antibiotic.