Almost each of us has had to face diseases that require the use of antibacterial drugs to achieve a therapeutic effect. These are aggressive drugs towards the microflora. That is why the question arises how long you can drink alcohol after antibiotics, because many would not want to give up wine, cognac, beer or vodka for a long time.
The question is ambiguous and there is no direct monosyllabic answer. There are different opinions in the media. Some people, on a holiday accompanied by a feast, consider it more correct to refuse to drink alcoholic beverages, relying more on intuition than on reliable information from authoritative sources. Such a person in a company evokes sympathy and understanding, usually no onedon't persuade him to drink. However, sometimes someone refers to an article in which a doctor explains in a popular way that does not always interfere with the healing process.
Why you shouldn't take medicine with alcohol
As you know, there is no smoke without fire. Doctors can scientifically justify banning the use of antimicrobial agents and the consumption of vodka or beer at the same time. Additionally, they claim that one can take antibiotics after drinking alcohol after a strictly defined period of time. Experts appeal to the following facts:
- ethanol at the biochemical level significantly reduces the therapeutic effect of antimicrobial agents;
- the combination of alcohol with antibacterial drugs causes toxic damage to liver cells as well as other internal organs;
- Alcohol consumption weakens the immune system and has a devastating effect on health, which during the period of drug treatmenthighly undesirable.
There is an element of rationality in the above arguments. Biochemical processes occurring in the body are extremely complex and balanced, so saturation of the tissues of internal organs with a biologically active compound such as ethyl alcohol cannot but affect metabolism. Alcohol can in fact considerably reduce the therapeutic effect of medications. It either destroys the atomic structure of the active substance or prevents the reaction of drugs with proteins of pathogenic microorganisms. Additionally, alcohol can speed up the elimination or make it difficult to absorb medications. It happens like thisdecreased effectiveness of treatment, or undesirable side symptoms develop.
Effect on liver function and condition
Scientific research and clinical medical practice confirm the destructive effect on the liver of the combination of antimicrobial drugs and alcoholic beverages. That is why the instructions for use of drugs indicate contraindications and side effects on this extremely important organ. For patients with chronic liver diseases, many medications are not available. If you combine antimicrobial drugs and alcohol, the negative impact will be twofold. How long should you drink alcohol after a course of antibiotics?it depends on the general conditionthe body and its ability to recover.
Under the action of enzymes, ethanol is broken down into water and carbon dioxide, but not immediately, but bypassing the intermediate stage of the formation of an extremely toxic compound - acetaldehyde, which is a tissue poison. The faster alcohol breaks down, the less damage it causes to the body. However, with the simultaneous presence of antimicrobial drugs in the tissues of internal organs, the catabolism of alcohol significantly slows down due to the inhibition of the production of the enzyme alcohol dehydrogenase, necessary to complete the breakdown reaction ofethanol in simple compounds. .
Ethanol does not interact directly with antibiotics
To find out how alcohol affects medications, as well as how many days after completing a course of antibiotics you can drink alcohol,laboratory experiment. First, scientists conducted experiments on animals, and then invited volunteers to complete a therapeutic course using antibacterial drugs. Participants were divided equally into two groups. Representatives of the first group were offered alcoholic beverages during the experiment, while the second was not. The main goal that the organizers tried to achieve was to establish the effect of ethanol on the biological activity of drugs.
The results of the experiment showed that most antibacterial drugs interact little or not at all with ethyl alcohol - this practically does not reduce the effectiveness of the drugs used. A similar conclusion was reached after studying and comparing the results of antibacterial drug treatment between the two groups. They turned out to be identical. The difference did not exceed the tolerated error. The rate of absorption, distribution in the tissues of internal organs, as well as elimination of active substances wereabout the same.
HoweverIt should not be hastily concluded that the simultaneous use of antibiotics and alcohol is completely safe. Experts ask you to consider some nuances:
- the experience was isolated and has not been confirmed by other studies, so the safety of the combination of drugs and alcohol should not be emphasized;
- experimental subjects were offered small doses of alcoholic beverages, but in real life, moderation in the consumption of vodka and beer is quite rare;
- The studies concerned only the interaction of drugs with ethanol, the effect of this combination on the state of internal organs has not been studied, therefore the negative impact cannot be denied.
This was the first tentative step towards a complete answer to the important question of how long after a course of antibiotics can you drink alcohol.no clear results.
Reasons to avoid drinking during treatment
Clinical medicine has every right to say that the combination of alcohol and drugs should be avoided. Although their mutual effects have not been properly studied, enough is known about the health effects of ethanol to draw some conclusions. It is impossible to deny that:
- alcohol disrupts metabolic processes if drunk regularly;
- ethanol causes an increase in blood sugar levels;
- alcohol consumption leads to physical and nervous exhaustion;
- the risk of an allergic reaction increases by an order of magnitude.
Each person has individual characteristics of internal biological processes, so it is possible to predict the body's reaction. almost impossible, but it is unlikely to be positive.
Interaction of alcohol with antimicrobial drugs
According to experience, consumption of alcohol-containing beverages does not affect the pharmacological properties of most antimicrobial agents and does not cause significant side effects. However, there are antimicrobial drugs that absolutely cannot be taken with alcoholic beverages, since such a combination leads to truly dangerous consequences.
Only a few days laterYou can drink alcohol after taking antibiotics, which affect metabolism. For example, these drugs for fungal infections and their analogues require the participation of an enzyme in the biochemical reaction, which is also necessary for the breakdown of ethanol. Its supplies are limited. When large doses of ethanol are consumed, conflict arises. There simply aren't enough enzymes to interact with the drug or to react with the ethyl alcohol. In the first case, we will certainly observe a decrease in the therapeutic effectiveness of the drug, as well as possible allergic reactions and an increase in side effects of the drug. If you do not decompose ethanol, acute poisoning with all the ensuing consequences cannot be avoided. This is why you should not take antimicrobial agents of this type together with alcohol.
A disulfiram-like reaction is the main reason to prohibit alcohol consumption during antimicrobial treatment. Interfering with the catabolism of ethanol in the body leads to the accumulation of the previously mentioned acetaldehyde - acetaldehyde. This is a powerful toxin that has an overall negative effect on the body. The most common andunpleasant signs of intoxication:
- nausea with bouts of vomiting;
- stomach ache;
- acute headache;
- profuse sweating;
- general weakness, dizziness;
- tachycardia;
- increase in pressure.
Agree that this physical condition most clearly proves the thesis that antibiotics should be used after a course of alcohol a few days later, so that ethanol and its toxic breakdown products have time to naturally leave the body.
By the way, the disulfiram-like reaction is so called because of the drug used for the prohibitive treatment of chronic alcoholism - disulfiram. Its use forces alcoholics to give up drinking alcohol precisely due to the development of panic fear of symptoms.acute poisoning. The drug is injected into the subcutaneous (implantation) layer, from where it gradually enters the body and blocks the production of the enzyme responsible for the breakdown of ethanol.
What complications to expect
How long it takes to safely drink alcohol again after a course of antibiotics depends on the antimicrobial drug (the rate of its absorption and elimination), as well as the individual characteristics of a person's metabolism.
Doctors emphasize that the ban does not apply only to a glass of cognac or vodka. You should forget about wine, beer and low-alcoholic drinks. In addition, ethyl alcohol is often found in other foods, as well as medicines, so you should pay attention to this aspect.
You often hear that someone you know drank alcohol and took antimicrobial medications, without any negative consequences. However, no one knows what happened to this man's body.how effective is itIt turned out that the treatment lasted, how long it lasted, what is his current state of health. Meanwhile, in the practice of clinical medicine, many cases have been recorded where people did not comply with the recommendation regarding the duration of drinking alcohol after antibiotics, but drank it during treatment and arefinally became victims:
- violationsliver function;
- anaphylactic shock;
- disturbances in the functioning of the brain and the central nervous system in general (severe headaches accompanied by dizziness, nausea with vomiting, seizures);
- gastrointestinal diseases;
- sleep dysfunctions;
- high blood pressure;
- negative skin reactions (dermatitis);
- heart rhythm disturbances;
Our natural filter, the liver, suffers the most. Despite its ability to renew cells, it is so affected that it eventually loses its functionality.
The last word in the debate on the association of alcohol and antibiotics
After completing the drug treatment, you should wait a few days before starting to drink alcohol. This is due to the elimination of the products of drug catabolism from the body, which requires some time. All drugs have different time frames for reaching their peak concentrations in the blood and being eliminated. It is alwaysindicated in the instructions.
It is not recommended to consume alcoholic beverages at the same time not only with antimicrobial agents, but also with other medications. However, antimicrobial drugs are among the few that are strictly prohibited. If you are considering medication, be sure to ask your doctor how long you can drink alcohol after taking antibiotics.
Despite the fact that the opinion of specialists on the admissibility of the simultaneous use of alcoholic beverages and antibacterial drugs is divided (excluding drugs that havethe restrictions are clear), most doctors are inclined to conclude that it is better for patients to stop drinking alcohol during treatment.
Regardless, alcoholic beverages are far from a product worth risking your health for, even if the risk seems insignificant. Nothing bad will happen if you become an avid abstainer for 2 weeks. Even a healthy person's body succumbs to alcohol over time. Long-term consumption of alcoholic beverages leads to the development of a large number of different somatic and mental disorders. If a person does not give up alcohol during illness, then we can say with confidence that its physical and mental effectsdegradation will accelerateduring this period of time. Even if you could drink alcohol at the same time as taking medication, you still shouldn't do it. Ethanol is poison, but it's impossible to count how many destinies vodka has broken