Sometimes the dentist prescribes a course of antibiotic treatment to the patient.This happens with oral bacterial infections.You should take antibacterial drugs, following certain rules, which your doctor will tell you separately.One of the most frequently asked questions is whether it is possible to combine antibiotics and alcohol?We talk about this in detail in our material.
Is it possible to drink alcohol with antibiotics?
You've been prescribed antibiotics, and you don't know if you can drink a glass of wine or a glass of beer.There is an opinion that you should not mix antibiotics and alcohol.For many who do not like to drink, it is also an easy excuse to drink.As soon as you say that you are taking antibiotics, the urge to drink immediately stops.However, legends are legends, but it doesn't hurt to know the truth.Let's think about whether you can afford alcohol during antibacterial therapy.
First, a few words about antibiotics.These are drugs prescribed for bacterial infections.Different antibiotics have different mechanisms of action, but the result is the same - the death of bacteria or their inability to reproduce.
Important.Antibiotics are not taken for viral diseases because they cannot fight viruses.Therefore, for colds and flu, taking antibiotics is not recommended.Many people, with symptoms of acute respiratory disease, immediately take antibiotics, which makes a big mistake.You can take these medicines only with your doctor's permission.
Like other medicines, antibiotics have side effects.It should be noted that when combined with alcoholic beverages, the possibility of side effects may increase.In addition, there is a new danger of adverse reactions.This, by the way, does not only apply to antibiotics, but also to other drugs, for example, sleeping pills, anti-regulatory drugs, sedatives, anti-inflammatory drugs and pain relievers.
Speaking of antibiotics and alcohol, the compatibility of which is in question, it is important to note how alcohol interacts with drugs.Let's consider the 2 main mechanisms by which it is impossible to mix antibiotics and alcohol.
Drug metabolism
Any drug is metabolized in the body, that is, it goes through a series of transformations.This medicine begins to disintegrate already in the oral cavity.This process is enhanced in the gastrointestinal tract, where the drug is absorbed into the blood in the small intestine.The substance then passes through the liver, where it can undergo changes.The drug circulates in the bloodstream for some time, after which it is excreted in the urine (often in an altered form).
Now let's think about what happens when you drink alcohol during antibiotic therapy.Like drugs, alcohol is also metabolized.This happens in the liver with the help of certain enzymes.If the liver has to cope with both alcohol and drugs at the same time, then the enzymes will work quickly or will not have time to do their job.
If the liver works too quickly, then the antibiotic will be destroyed early and will not have time to fully realize the therapeutic effect.If liver function is slowed down, antibiotics will accumulate in the blood too quickly, leading to significant drug toxicity.
Increased side effects
In some cases, the combination of alcohol with antibiotics can cause increased side effects or new ones (from taking antibiotics).In particular, this is indicated for antibiotics that, for example, cause drowsiness.If you also drink alcohol, your sleepiness will increase.
However, in addition to the increase in the main side effects (which are indicated in the instructions for the drug), new ones may also appear.Often these are headaches, nausea, heart rhythm disorders, intestinal disorders and stomach aches.
IMPORTANT: Antibiotic resistance.Bacteria, like any other living organism, evolve, adapting to new environmental conditions.In this case, they can adapt to the action of antibiotics.This is how antibiotic resistance develops - the resistance of certain types of bacteria to one or another type of antibiotic.Currently, this is one of the most serious medical problems, because resistant bacteria are becoming more and more, and the search for new antibiotics is difficult.Uncontrolled use of antibiotics is one of the reasons for bacterial resistance.Often patients stop taking the medication themselves as soon as they feel better.You can't do this with antibiotics.It is important to drink the entire course prescribed by the doctor, even if you feel significant relief "ahead of schedule."
What happens if you drink alcohol with antibiotics?
Let's look at some of the negative consequences of taking alcohol and antibiotics at the same time.Let us immediately note that such a phenomenon cannot be observed, but we are obliged to tell the reader about this, because such reactions occur in medical practice.
- Liver dysfunction.If you have a healthy liver, you may not feel the effects of mixing alcohol with antibiotics.However, be aware that the liver experiences a double burden processing both alcohol and drugs.
- Nervous system disorders.In some people, alcohol in combination with antibiotics causes significant disturbances in the central and peripheral nervous system.In particular, this is expressed by headaches, dizziness, nausea and even convulsions.
- Sleep disturbance.Disruption may occur until the reversal of day and night.
- Cardiovascular Disorders.Often this is a change in blood pressure (both up and down).
- Allergic reaction.In rare cases, antibiotics and alcohol can cause severe allergic reactions, including anaphylactic shock.The latter is a serious condition that threatens human life.In this case, you need to call an ambulance.
- Digestive tract disorders.Combining antibacterial drugs with alcohol can cause indigestion, stomach pain, and diarrhea.
How many days after taking antibiotics can you drink alcohol?
How much can you not drink after taking antibiotics?This is also one of the most common questions asked by patients who have to take antibacterial drugs.In this case, a lot depends on the specific drug, that is, the time it takes to remove it from the body.
In most cases, it is enough to take a break of two days (48 hours) after taking antibiotics, after which you can enjoy alcohol.In some countries they recommend waiting 3 days.There is no consensus on this.The only thing that can be said for sure is that you have to wait at least 2 days.
Why you should not drink during antibiotics
Medical literature (scientific articles, treatment recommendations, etc.), which talks about the harm of combining antibacterial drugs with alcohol, shows some negative phenomena that occur when taking alcoholic beverages and antibiotics at the same time.The negative effects come down to two unwanted effects, namely:
- Reduces the effectiveness of antibacterial therapy.It shows that alcohol inhibits the antibacterial activity of antibiotics.Therefore, the suppression of pathogenic microflora is less effective, which creates the need to expand treatment or find new antibiotics.
- Heartbreak.With the simultaneous use of alcoholic beverages and antibiotics, a large burden is placed on the liver tissue.The risk of intoxication not only from the liver, but also the body increases, because the liver is a filter through which the blood passes.
Let's find out how true this statement is.And if antibiotics and alcohol have mixed, what will happen to the body?
As for reducing the effectiveness of antibiotic therapy, such dangers really exist.But this does not only apply to antibiotics, but also to other drugs.It should be noted that there is still no convincing data on the negative effects of alcohol on various groups of antibiotics.In one animal study, no interaction between antibiotics and alcohol was observed.A study in humans did not show a significant decrease in the effectiveness of antibacterial therapy.
However, the instructions for those medicines state in black and white that it is advised to stay away from drinking alcohol.Experts say that insufficient research has been done on this issue, so it is better to stay away from alcohol while taking antibiotics.In addition, in the study conducted, volunteers were given small doses of alcohol, which most likely did not have a significant effect on the metabolism of pharmacological drugs.Therefore, to the question of whether you can drink if you take antibiotics, the answer is still negative.
To summarize the above, we can identify 5 main reasons why it is undesirable to combine antibiotics and alcohol:
- Impairment of metabolic processes.Alcoholic beverages affect the absorption of nutrients, vitamins, minerals, and medications.This means that antibiotics will be less absorbed into the blood, which will reduce their effectiveness.
- Increased blood sugar.Alcohol is metabolized in the body to form sugar.This is a very dangerous condition for diabetics.In addition, increased sugar levels during infectious diseases can only worsen the pathological process, because sugar is a substrate for pathogenic microorganisms.
- Decreased immunity.Drinking alcoholic beverages reduces the body's defenses.Therefore, the infectious process will only increase.
- Allergies.Combining antibiotics and alcohol increases the likelihood of allergic reactions such as skin rashes.
- Unforeseen consequences.Despite the conflicting evidence base, it is difficult to make predictions about drug interactions with alcohol in each specific case.Perhaps this combination will lead to undesirable consequences for you.
Important: Antibiotics and other medicines.For the information of our readers, it is undesirable to combine antibiotics not only with alcohol, but also with some other drugs.When prescribing antibacterial therapy, the doctor will definitely ask what medications the patient is taking.As a rule, antibiotics are not recommended to be combined with anticoagulants, anticonvulsants, some hypoglycemic drugs and other drugs.If for some reason the doctor forgot to ask about the medications you are taking, then do not hesitate to ask him this question.
Antibiotics and beer
Or maybe beer with antibiotics, because of all these alcoholic drinks it is the least "strong"?Indeed, beer is a low-alcohol drink.However, the downside is that, as a rule, people drink a lot of beer.So, 100 ml of beer contains about 3-6 ml of pure alcohol.Therefore, if you drink 0.5 liters of beer, then this is already 15-30 ml of ethanol.And if the beer is strong, then this is already 40-50 ml of alcohol.
You can't relax about non-alcoholic beer either, because it still contains some alcohol.Therefore, if you take antibiotics (especially if it is a short-term course), then it is better to stay away from alcohol, even if it is beer.For the sake of your health, you can wait a week or two without a bottle of beer.
Wine with antibiotics
The situation with wine is the same as with beer.At the same time, wine is a stronger drink, and there is more alcohol per unit volume in wine than in beer.
Cognac and antibiotics
Cognac, brandy, whiskey, vodka and other strong spirits contain more alcohol than wine and beer.During antibacterial therapy, it is better to avoid consuming such alcoholic beverages.It is not a fact that alcohol will somehow interfere with the action of antibiotics.But even without convincing data, it is still better to give up alcohol.It definitely couldn't get any worse.
Antibiotics and Alcohol: Myths
So, as mentioned above, the negative effect of alcohol on antibiotics is a debatable issue.No one has proven it yet.Medical recommendations regarding abstinence from drinking alcohol during antibacterial therapy are somewhat "insurance" against possible negative effects.
There are several theories why doctors still prohibit drinking alcohol while taking antibiotics.One of these is that when treating sexually transmitted diseases, doctors in this way only punish their patients for their unintended lifestyle.
There is a second interesting story related to the penicillin shortage during World War II.It was in Africa, where the British army was conducting military operations.For doctors there, penicillin is worth its weight in gold.It got to the point that urine was taken from sick soldiers to isolate penicillin from it and reuse the drug.But if you drink beer at the same time, the amount of urine increases significantly, which complicates the process of removing the drug from the urine.Therefore, patients prescribed antibiotics are forbidden to drink.
Amoxicillin-based antibiotics and alcohol
Among other things, many patients may have questions: Is it possible to drink alcohol while taking the drug?Do they go well with beer, cognac and other alcoholic beverages?It should be noted that foreign instructions for amoxicillin with clavulanic acid do not indicate side effects associated with the combined use of alcohol.There are also no studies on the negative effects of combining amoxicillin with alcohol to prohibit patients from consuming alcohol during antibiotic therapy.
Antibiotics and cephalosporin alcohol
It is not desirable to combine such drugs with alcohol, as this can lead to a disulfiram-like reaction.With this interaction, the breakdown of ethyl alcohol is inhibited, which leads to the accumulation of acetaldehyde, which has a toxic effect on the body.
Azithromycin-based antibiotics and alcohol
Regarding the popular antibiotic based on azithromycin, studies have been conducted on laboratory animals.In particular, it was shown in rats that the effectiveness of azithromycin does not decrease when taking alcohol simultaneously.However, the instructions for the drug indicate that the simultaneous use of the drug with alcohol is not desirable.This is mainly due to the negative effects of alcohol on the liver.
Conclusion
If we summarize all the above, we can say the following.In most cases, antibiotics do not lose their effectiveness when taken with alcohol.However, given the negative effects of alcohol on the liver, it is better to refrain from such combinations.Drinking alcohol will definitely not speed up the treatment, so it is better to avoid alcohol during the antibiotic treatment period.