Everyone knows that alcohol and antibiotics should not be combined under any circumstances, but now the course of treatment is complete and the last pill has been taken and it is not clear how long it is possible to remain strong alcohol after taking antibioticsdrink? Should I wait a few days or can I have a few drinks that same evening? To answer this question, you need to understand in more detail how antibacterial drugs and alcoholic beverages affect the body and how long it must pass after treatment so that drinking does not affect health.
How many days after antibiotic treatment can you drink alcohol?
Drugs from this group are prescribed to treat inflammatory diseases that the body cannot cope with on its own. Antibiotics attack pathogens and destroy their cell structure, so that the disease regresses and the patient feels better.
There is another side to the use of antibacterial agents. Since their excretion from the body completely falls on the liver, it will suffer a significant blow. Experts have also shown that in people who consumed alcohol while on antibiotic therapy, the effectiveness of the treatment was significantly less than in patients who completely refused alcohol.
It all depends on the drug that is used for treatment. It is best to check with your doctor. He will tell you in detail the time after which you can return to your usual way of life and have alcoholic beverages. If it is impossible to contact a doctor, then you can carefully read the instructions for the drug.
It should be marked there:
- duration of treatment;
- This drug is compatible with ethanol.
- The period during which you should not drink alcohol even after the end of therapy.
The ban usually lasts three to seven days. It all depends on the type of drug and the duration of its elimination from the body.
If the annotation does not contain any information about the tolerance of a drug with alcohol, it does not mean that you can start drinking immediately after the end of treatment.
In any case, it is recommended to wait at least one day so that the remaining components of the drug can leave the body.
It is important to remember that even if the instructions for the medicine do not mention an interaction with ethyl alcohol, you should not drink alcohol immediately after taking antibiotics. This can damage the body, which is still immature after the illness, and cause undesirable side effects.
Which antibiotics should never be combined with alcoholic beverages?
Despite all doctors' bans, some patients undergoing treatment with antibacterial agents can still drink strong beverages. At the same time, they do not even think about the possible consequences, pointing to the fact that all the bans from doctors are nothing more than an unnecessary precaution. If the simultaneous consumption of alcohol and medication did not affect the patient's well-being in any way, this does not mean that everything went without a trace to the body.
The components of ethyl alcohol and the drug may not interact directly. However, ethanol can significantly reduce the therapeutic properties of the drug and the effectiveness of treatment. The disease will not go back anywhere, and additional therapy will be required, which will put a lot of stress on the liver and other organs of the excretory system.
There is also a group of antibacterial drugs, against the background of which it is strictly forbidden to drink alcoholic beverages. Information on intolerance to alcohol is given in the note on these drugs. In addition, the patient must be informed of this by the attending physician, who is responsible for prescribing the drug.
Among the drugs that are completely incompatible with ethyl alcohol are:
- Tetracyclines.They are often used in medical practice to treat various infectious diseases.
- Levomycetine.The drugs in this group can cause serious side effects on their own, and taking them with strong drinks can worsen the toxic effects of the drug.
- Lincosamide.Drinking alcohol while taking these antibiotics has negative effects on the central nervous system and liver.
- aminoglycosides.Some of the strongest antibacterial agents that don't work well with other medicines. It is categorically contraindicated to drink strong drinks while being treated with these drugs.
- Cephalosporins.Disulfiram-like reactions can occur due to the simultaneous use of these drugs with strong drinks. The person experiences symptoms of severe intoxication, which leads to a significant deterioration in their health.
- Antibiotics against tuberculosis.
- macrolides.The interaction of these substances with ethanol has a strong toxic effect on the brain and liver.
- Antibioticsfor the treatment of leprosy.
There are some groups of antibacterial drugs whose comments do not specify how they interact with ethyl alcohol.
These drugs include:
- antifungal drugs;
- penicillin drugs and others.
The fact that the instructions for use do not contain information on the effects of combining these drugs with alcohol does not mean that their combination is acceptable. It should be borne in mind that each person's body is unique, and after a combination of alcohol and antibacterial agents, someone will remain safe, healthy and at high risk.
How long after treatment with antibacterial drugs can you afford to drink alcohol? It all depends on the type of antibiotics and the physical condition of the patient. If the note indicates that it is forbidden to drink alcohol while taking the drug, then it is better to wait until the remaining components of the drug are completely removed from the body. This usually takes about two weeks so it is better to wait until the end of this time with strong drinks.
If the instructions for the drug do not give the details of its interaction with ethanol, it is still better not to drink alcoholic beverages for at least three days after the end of therapy.
If you have any further questions, you can ask your doctor. He explains in detail whether it is possible to consume alcohol while taking one or another antibacterial drug, and tells you how long after the end of therapy it is better not to drink alcoholic beverages.
Possible consequences of the combination
Drinking alcohol after taking antibiotics can cause unwanted symptoms and negative side effects on the body. The fact is that there are a number of antibiotics that can block the breakdown of ethanol in the body. For this reason, acetaldehyde is no longer excreted from tissues and organs and accumulates in them.
In this case, the body is poisoned and the person has painful symptoms of poisoning:
- attacks of nausea and vomiting;
- An unbearable headache that even painkillers cannot relieve;
- dizziness;
- difficulty breathing;
- press chest pain;
- reddening of the skin;
- sweating;
- An increase or decrease in blood pressure.
This is far from an exhaustive list of the dire consequences of combining alcohol and drugs.
It is important to remember that only a small number of antibiotics have been incompatible with ethanol in clinical studies. The rest is either not fully understood or remains in doubt.
In any case, a person should be aware that heavy drinking negatively affects the treatment process. Ethanol disrupts the normal absorption of drugs and significantly reduces their effectiveness. Therefore, during therapy, you should refuse to drink alcohol, even the weakest.
This will help you avoid unpleasant side effects and stay healthy. After all, no one can say for sure how taking alcohol and antibacterial agents at the same time will affect a particular person's health.