Is it possible to combine alcohol and antibiotics?Even doctors don't give an exact answer to this popular question.And while some are adamantly against such duos, others say it's important to think about what type of alcohol you're drinking and how much.There is a third opinion that by approaching the problem wisely, you can successfully undergo treatment while maintaining social activity.
Is it really necessary to abstain from alcohol in combination with a course of antibiotics?Let's see that.
It all depends on the active ingredient of the drug.Some types of antibiotics are not friendly to alcohol at all, while others can interact normally.Of course, after reading this article, you should not mix alcohol with pills.However, knowing some things will help you not to panic, but to intelligently understand the problem 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 the non-combination of alcohol and antibiotics began to spread after the war.The first legend says that during this period venereology clinics in our country and abroad were simply overcrowded.The patients are soldiers and officers who have fully tasted the “delights” of martial law.Medical staff deliberately intimidated patients, talking about the dire consequences of the combination of alcohol and antibiotics, because after drinking, patients could again indulge in any serious acts, and the result of such "exploits" may well be a new sexually transmitted infection.
Another legend says that due to the difficulty in obtaining penicillin, it evaporated from the urine of treated soldiers.For this reason, soldiers were forbidden to drink beer during their therapy.
The danger of drinking alcohol while taking antibiotics is in the air and modern people prefer to avoid such mixtures.But what does evidence-based medicine think?
What do the studies say?
At the beginning of the 21st century, studies were carried out on the effects of ethanol on different types of antibiotics.In experiments on laboratory animals and human volunteers, it has been proven that most types of antibiotics are not affected by alcohol consumption.
Thus, in the experimental and control groups, the antibiotics studied were equally effective.No significant deviations in the mechanisms of absorption, distribution throughout the body or elimination of decay products have been identified.
By the way, there is a hypothesis that the consumption of alcoholic beverages enhances the harmful 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 in this regard.Are all these fears unfounded?
Which antibiotics should not be combined with alcohol?
No, the fears are not unfounded: there are a number of antibiotics that, upon contact with alcohol, cause extremely unpleasant symptoms - the so-called disulfiram-like reaction.The reaction occurs when ethanol reacts chemically with certain specific antibiotic molecules, leading to changes in the metabolism of ethyl alcohol in the body.In particular, an intermediate substance, acetaldehyde, accumulates.Poisoning with this substance causes the following symptoms:
- severe headache
- nausea and vomiting
- increased heart rate
- redness of the face, neck, chest, “heat” inside
- heavy, intermittent breathing
- limb spasms
Large doses of alcohol can be fatal!
These symptoms are very difficult to bear, often leading to fear of suffocation or death.The disulfiram-like reaction is used clinically in the treatment of alcoholism (“coding”).
Antibiotics that can cause the following symptoms:
- active ingredient metronidazole
- active ingredient ketoconazole (prescribed for thrush, for example, in the form of suppositories)
- active ingredient furazolidone (prescribed for food poisoning or diarrhea of unspecified nature)
- active ingredient chloramphenicol (toxic, rarely used: for urinary tract infections, bile duct infections and some other diseases)
- active ingredient co-trimoxazole (can be prescribed for infections of the respiratory tract, kidneys and ureters, prostatitis)
- the active ingredient lornoxicam (used to treat bacterial infections of the respiratory and ENT organs, kidneys, urinary tract, etc.)
- the active ingredient tinidazole (often prescribed for infection with Helicobacter pylori bacteria, which causes stomach ulcers)
- active ingredient cefamandole (injections for infections of unspecified nature)
- active ingredient cefoperazone (available in injections, treats the respiratory tract, including pneumonia, bacterial diseases of the genitourinary system and other diseases)
- the active ingredient moxifloxacin (broad-spectrum antibiotic, prescribed for serious conditions, including fever, if a bacterial infection is suspected)
When taking these medications (both oral medications and suppositories or eye drops), you should avoid drinking alcohol!
To be sure that your antibiotic is not part of the group of drugs whose combination with alcoholic beverages is prohibited, consult your doctor and carefully read the instructions for the drug.
Smart decision
When treating an illness with antibiotics, in no case should you overload your body with alcoholic beverages.After all, like any toxic substance, ethanol requires “neutralization” in the body.The body uses additional reserves to fight the poison, often the last ones, especially if the illness is prolonged.Spending energy on cleansing the body can damage the immune system and significantly increase the recovery period.
In addition, research and medical practice confirm that alcohol and antibiotics have a depressant effect on the liver.
Despite the fact that the opinion of experts regarding the compatibility of alcoholic beverages and antibacterial agents is divided (with the exception of drugs for which the restrictions are categorical), 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 antibiotic (of course, if it is a drug for which there is no contraindication to alcohol).