Sometimes the dentist prescribes a course of antibiotics for the patient.This happens with bacterial mouth infections.You should take antibacterial drugs, observing certain rules that the doctor will tell you individually.One of the most frequently asked questions is whether antibiotics and alcohol can be combined?We talk about this in detail in our material.
Can you drink alcohol with antibiotics?
You've been prescribed antibiotics and you don't know if you can have a glass of wine or a beer.There is an opinion that antibiotics and alcohol should not be mixed.For many people who don't like drinking, it has even become a convenient excuse to drink.As soon as you say that you are taking antibiotics, the persuasion to drink alcohol will immediately stop.However, a legend is still a legend, but it doesn't hurt to find out the truth.Let's find out if you can afford alcohol during antibiotic treatment.
To start, a few words about antibiotics.These are medications prescribed to treat bacterial infections.Different antibiotics have different mechanisms of action, but the result is the same - the bacteria die or they are unable to reproduce.
Important.Antibiotics should not be used to treat viral diseases because they do not have the ability to fight viruses.Therefore, for flu and colds, taking antibiotics is not recommended.When many people have symptoms of acute respiratory illness, they immediately use antibiotics, which is a big mistake.You can only take these medications with your doctor's permission.
Like other drugs, antibiotics also have side effects.It is noteworthy that when combined with alcoholic beverages, the likelihood of side effects may increase.In addition, there is a risk of new adverse reactions.By the way, this applies not only to antibiotics, but also to other drugs, for example, sleeping pills, antihistamines, sedatives, anti-inflammatory drugs and painkillers.
Speaking of antibiotics and alcohol, their compatibility is questionable, it is important to note how alcohol interacts with the medication.Let's look at the two main mechanisms that make it impossible to mix antibiotics and alcohol.
Drug metabolism
Any drug is metabolized in the body, meaning it undergoes a series of changes.The medicine begins to disintegrate in the oral cavity.This process is enhanced in the gastrointestinal tract, where the drug is absorbed into the bloodstream in the small intestine.This substance then passes through the liver, where it can undergo changes.The drug circulates in the blood for a while, then is excreted in the urine (usually in a modified form).
Now let's find out what happens when you drink alcohol during antibiotic treatment.Like drugs, alcohol is also metabolized.This happens in the liver with the help of specific enzymes.If the liver has to deal with both alcohol and drugs at the same time, the enzymes will work too quickly or won't have time to do their job.
If the liver works too quickly, the antibiotic will be destroyed prematurely and will not have time to take full effect.If liver function is slowed, antibiotics will accumulate in the blood too quickly, leading to great drug toxicity.
Increased side effects
In some cases, combining alcohol with antibiotics can increase side effects or appear new side effects (due to antibiotic use).In particular, this is indicated for antibiotics that, for example, cause drowsiness.If you also drink alcohol, your drowsiness will increase.
However, in addition to an increase in the main side effects (stated in the instructions for use), new side effects may also appear.Often these are headaches, nausea, heart rhythm disturbances, intestinal disorders and abdominal pain.
Important: antibiotic resistance.Bacteria, like any other living organism, evolve, adapting to new environmental conditions.In this case, they can adapt to the effects of antibiotics.This is how antibiotic resistance develops - the resistance of certain types of bacteria to one or another antibiotic.Currently, this is one of the most serious medical problems, as drug-resistant bacteria are increasing and finding new antibiotics is difficult.Uncontrolled use of antibiotics is one of the reasons why bacteria become resistant to drugs.Normally, patients will stop taking the medicine as soon as they feel better.You cannot do this with antibiotics.It is important to take the entire course prescribed by your doctor, even if you feel significant relief "ahead of time".
What happens if you drink alcohol with antibiotics?
Let's look at some of the negative consequences of drinking alcohol and antibiotics at the same time.We immediately note that such phenomena may not be observed, but we are obliged to inform the reader about this, since 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 has a double burden of processing both alcohol and drugs.
- Nervous system disorders.In some people, alcohol combined with antibiotics causes significant disturbances in the central and peripheral nervous systems.In particular, this is expressed by headaches, dizziness, nausea and even seizures.
- Sleep disorders.Disturbance can occur until day and night are reversed.
- Cardiovascular disorders.Usually this is a change in blood pressure (both increased and decreased).
- Allergic reactions.In rare cases, antibiotics and alcohol can cause serious allergic reactions, including anaphylactic shock.The latter is a serious condition that threatens human life.In this case, you need to call an ambulance.
- Gastrointestinal disorders.Combining antibacterial drugs with alcohol can cause indigestion, stomach pain and diarrhea.
How many days after taking antibiotics can I drink alcohol?
How much should you not drink after taking antibiotics?This is also one of the most frequently asked questions of patients who are forced to take antibacterial drugs.In this case, much depends on the specific drug, specifically the time required to remove it from the body.
In most cases, a two-day (48-hour) break from taking antibiotics is enough, after which you can drink alcohol.In some countries they recommend waiting 3 days.There is no consensus on this issue.The only thing that can be said for sure is that you have to wait at least 2 days.
Why should you not drink alcohol while taking antibiotics?
Medical literature (scientific articles, treatment recommendations, etc.) talks about the harmful effects of combining antibacterial drugs with alcohol, pointing out a number of negative phenomena that occur when drinking alcohol and antibiotics at the same time.Negative consequences have two unwanted effects, which are:
- Reduced effectiveness of antibacterial therapy.It has been shown that alcohol inhibits the antibacterial activity of antibiotics.Therefore, the inhibition of pathogenic microflora is less effective, leading to the need to prolong treatment or find a new antibiotic.
- Liver damage.With the simultaneous use of alcoholic beverages and antibiotics, a large load will be placed on liver tissue.The risk of intoxication not only of the liver, but also of the body increases, because the liver is a filter through which blood passes.
Let's find out how true these statements are.And if antibiotics and alcohol are mixed, what will happen to the body?
As for reducing the effectiveness of antibiotic therapy, such a danger really exists.But this applies not only to antibiotics, but also to other drugs.It is noteworthy that there is still no conclusive data on the negative effects of alcohol on different classes of antibiotics.In an animal study, no interaction between antibiotics and alcohol was observed.A human study did not show a significant reduction in the effectiveness of antibacterial therapy.
However, the instructions for using these drugs clearly state that alcohol should be avoided.Experts say there isn't enough research on this issue, so it's better to stay away from alcohol when taking antibiotics.In addition, in the conducted studies, volunteers were given small amounts of alcohol, which most likely did not have a significant effect on the metabolism of pharmacological drugs.Therefore, to the question of whether antibiotics can be taken or not, the answer is still negative.
Summing up the above, we can identify 5 main reasons why combining antibiotics and alcohol is undesirable:
- Degradation of metabolism.Alcoholic beverages reduce the ability to absorb nutrients, vitamins, minerals and medications.This means that antibiotics will be less absorbed into the bloodstream, thereby reducing their effectiveness.
- Increase blood sugar.Alcohol is metabolized in the body to form sugar.This is a particularly dangerous condition for patients with diabetes.In addition, increased sugar levels in infectious diseases can only aggravate the pathological process, since sugar is a substrate for pathogenic microorganisms.
- Reduced immunity.Drinking alcoholic beverages reduces the body's defenses.So the infection process will only intensify.
- Allergy.Combining antibiotics and alcohol increases the likelihood of an allergic reaction such as a skin rash.
- Unpredictable consequences.Despite the conflicting evidence base, it is difficult to make predictions about drug-alcohol interactions on a case-by-case basis.Perhaps this combination will lead to undesirable consequences for you.
Important: antibiotics and other drugs.According to readers' information, it is undesirable to combine antibiotics not only with alcohol, but also with some other drugs.When prescribing antibacterial therapy, the doctor will certainly ask what medications the patient is currently taking.As a rule, antibiotics are not recommended to be combined with anticoagulants, anticonvulsants, some hypoglycemic drugs and other drugs.If for some reason your doctor forgot to ask about the medication you are taking, don't hesitate to ask him this question.
Antibiotics and beer
Or could it be that beer contains antibiotics, since of all alcoholic beverages this is the least “strong”?In fact, beer is a drink with low alcohol content.However, its insidious side is that, as a rule, people drink a lot of beer.Thus, 100 ml of beer contains about 3-6 ml of pure alcohol.Thus, if you drink 0.5 liters of beer, there will be 15-30 ml of ethanol.And if the beer is strong, then this is already 40-50 ml of alcohol.
You also shouldn't worry too much about non-alcoholic beer because it still contains some alcohol.Therefore, if you are taking antibiotics (especially if it is a short course), it is better to abstain from alcohol, including beer.For your health, you can wait a week or two without drinking a beer.
Alcohol has antibiotics
The status of wine is the same as that of beer.At the same time, wine is a stronger drink and the amount of alcohol per unit volume in wine is higher than in beer.
Cognac and antibiotics
Cognac, brandy, whiskey, vodka and other strong alcoholic beverages contain more alcohol than wine and beer.During antibacterial treatment, it is better to avoid consuming such alcoholic beverages.It's not a fact that alcohol will somehow interfere with the action of antibiotics.But even without convincing data, it's better to give up alcohol.It certainly won't get any worse.
Antibiotics and alcohol: myth
Therefore, as mentioned above, the negative effect of alcohol on antibiotics is a controversial issue.No one has yet proven this.Medical recommendations regarding abstinence from alcohol during antibiotic treatment serve as "insurance" against possible negative effects.
There are several theories as to why doctors still prohibit drinking alcohol while taking antibiotics.One of them is that when treating sexually transmitted diseases, doctors simply punish patients for their promiscuous 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.To the doctors there, penicillin was worth its weight in gold.So much so that urine was taken from sick soldiers to separate the penicillin from it and reuse the drug.But if you drink beer at the same time, the amount of urine will increase sharply, which complicates the process of excreting the drug through urine.Therefore, patients prescribed antibiotics are prohibited from drinking alcohol.
Amoxicillin-based antibiotics and alcohol
Among other things, many patients may ask the question: is it possible to drink alcohol while taking such medication?Do they go well with beer, cognac and other alcoholic drinks?It is noteworthy that foreign instructions for amoxicillin with clavulanic acid do not indicate side effects associated with the combined use of alcohol.There have also been no studies on the side effects of combining amoxicillin with alcohol to appropriately prohibit patients from drinking alcohol during antibiotic treatment.
Cephalosporin antibiotics and alcohol
Combining these drugs with alcohol is undesirable as this may result in a disulfiram-like reaction.With this interaction, the decomposition of ethyl alcohol is inhibited, leading to the accumulation of acetaldehyde, which is toxic to the body.
Azithromycin-based antibiotics and alcohol
Regarding the popular antibiotic based on azithromycin, studies have been conducted on laboratory animals.In particular, it has been shown in mice that the effectiveness of azithromycin is not reduced by concurrent alcohol intake.However, the instructions for use of the drug indicate that simultaneous use of the drug with alcohol is undesirable.This is mainly due to the negative effects of alcohol on the liver.
Conclude
If we summarize all of the above, we can say the following.In most cases, antibiotics do not lose their effectiveness when used with alcohol.However, due to the negative effects of alcohol on the liver, it is better to limit such a combination.Drinking alcohol certainly won't speed up the treatment process, so it's better to avoid drinking alcohol during antibiotic treatment.