Sometimes the dentist prescribes antibiotic treatment to the patient.This happens with bacterial infections of the oral cavity.You should take antibacterial drugs adhering to certain rules, about which your doctor will inform you separately.One of the most frequently asked questions is whether antibiotics and alcohol can be combined.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 whether 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 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 immediately stops.However, legends are legends, but it doesn't hurt to find out the truth.Let's find out whether you can afford alcohol during antibiotic therapy.
First a few words about antibiotics.These are medications that are prescribed against bacterial infections.Different antibiotics have different mechanisms of action, but the result is the same - the death of bacteria or their inability to multiply.
Important.Antibiotics are not taken for viral diseases because they are not able to fight viruses.Therefore, it is not advisable to take antibiotics for flu and colds.Many people with symptoms of acute respiratory illness immediately resort to antibiotics, which is a big mistake.You should only take these medications with your doctor's approval.
Like other medications, antibiotics also have side effects.It is worth noting that when combined with alcoholic beverages, the likelihood of side effects may increase.In addition, there is a risk of new side effects.By the way, this applies not only to antibiotics, but also to other medications, for example sleeping pills, anti-allergics, sedatives, anti-inflammatory drugs and painkillers.
When talking about antibiotics and alcohol, the compatibility of which is questionable, it is important to note how alcohol interacts with the medication.Let's consider two main mechanisms due to which it is impossible to mix antibiotics and alcohol.
Metabolism of drugs
Every drug is metabolized in the body, meaning it goes through a series of transformations.The medicine begins to break down 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 changes can occur.The drug circulates in the bloodstream for some time and is then excreted (often in a modified form) in the urine.
Now let's find out what happens if you drink alcohol during antibiotic therapy.Like medications, alcohol is also metabolized.This happens in the liver with the help of specific enzymes.If the liver has to cope with alcohol and drugs at the same time, the enzymes either work too quickly or don't have time to do their job.
If the liver works too quickly, the antibiotic is destroyed prematurely and does not have time to fully develop its therapeutic effect.When liver function slows down, the antibiotic accumulates too quickly in the blood, resulting in severe drug toxicity.
Increased side effects
In some cases, combining alcohol with antibiotics can lead to increased side effects or the appearance of new side effects (from taking antibiotics).This is particularly indicated for antibiotics that cause drowsiness, for example.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 use of the drug), new ones may also appear.These often include headaches, nausea, cardiac arrhythmias, intestinal problems and abdominal pain.
Important: antibiotic resistance.Like all other living organisms, bacteria evolve and adapt to new environmental conditions.In this case, they are able to adapt to the effects of antibiotics.This is how antibiotic resistance arises - the resistance of certain types of bacteria to one type of antibiotic or another.This is currently one of the most serious medical problems because there are more and more resistant bacteria and the search for new antibiotics is difficult.The uncontrolled use of antibiotics is one of the reasons for bacterial resistance.Patients often stop taking the medication on their own as soon as they feel improvement.This is not possible with antibiotics.It is important to drink the entire course prescribed by the doctor, even if you feel significant relief “sooner than planned”.
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.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 combining alcohol and antibiotics.However, keep in mind that the liver is under a double burden of processing alcohol and drugs.
- Nervous system disorders.In some people, alcohol combined with antibiotics causes significant disturbances in the central and peripheral nervous systems.This is particularly manifested by headaches, dizziness, nausea and even cramps.
- Sleep disorder.This can lead to disruptions and even a day-night reversal.
- Cardiovascular diseases.Most commonly this involves a change in blood pressure (both up and down).
- Allergic reactions.In rare cases, antibiotics and alcohol can cause severe allergic reactions including anaphylactic shock.The latter is a serious disease that threatens people's lives.In this case, you need to call an ambulance.
- Disorders of the digestive tract.Combining antibacterial medications with alcohol can cause indigestion, abdominal pain, and diarrhea.
How many days after taking antibiotics can you drink alcohol?
How much should you not drink after taking antibiotics?This is also one of the most common questions asked by patients who are forced to take antibacterial drugs.In this case, a lot depends on the specific drug, namely the time it takes to remove it from the body.
In most cases, it is enough to take a two-day break (48 hours) after taking antibiotics and then drink alcohol.In some countries a waiting time of 3 days is recommended.There is no consensus on this matter.The only thing that can be said for sure is that you have to wait at least 2 days.
Why you shouldn't drink while taking antibiotics
Medical literature (scientific articles, treatment recommendations, etc.), which speaks about the harmfulness of combining antibacterial drugs with alcohol, indicates a number of negative phenomena that occur when alcoholic beverages and antibiotics are taken at the same time.The negative consequences can be attributed to two undesirable effects, namely:
- Reduced effectiveness of antibacterial therapy.It is noted that alcohol inhibits the antibacterial effects of antibiotics.As a result, the suppression of pathogenic microflora is less effective, which makes it necessary to extend treatment or find a new antibiotic.
- Liver damage.Taking alcoholic beverages and antibiotics at the same time puts a lot of strain on the liver tissue.The risk of poisoning not only the liver, but also the body increases, since the liver is a filter through which blood flows.
Let's find out how true these statements are.And if an antibiotic and alcohol have already been mixed, what happens to the body?
As for reducing the effectiveness of antibiotic therapy, such a danger actually exists.This applies not only to antibiotics, but also to other medications.It is noteworthy that there is still no convincing data on the negative effects of alcohol on various groups of antibiotics.No interaction between antibiotics and alcohol was observed in an animal study.A human study showed no significant decrease in the effectiveness of antibacterial therapy.
However, the instructions for use of such medications state in black and white that it is advisable to avoid alcohol.Experts say that not enough research has been conducted on this topic, which is why it is better to avoid alcohol while taking antibiotics.In addition, in the studies conducted, volunteers were administered small doses of alcohol, which most likely do not have a significant effect on the metabolism of pharmacological drugs.Therefore, the answer to the question of whether it is allowed to drink when taking antibiotics is still negative.
In summary, we can identify five main reasons why the combination of antibiotics and alcohol is undesirable:
- Deterioration of metabolic processes.Alcoholic drinks impair the absorption of nutrients, vitamins, minerals and medications.This means that antibiotics are less absorbed into the blood, which reduces their effectiveness.
- Increased blood sugar.Alcohol is metabolized into sugar in the body.This is a particularly dangerous situation for patients with diabetes.In addition, an increase in sugar levels in infectious diseases can only aggravate the course of the pathological process, since sugar is a substrate for pathogenic microorganisms.
- Decreased immunity.Consuming alcoholic beverages weakens the body's defenses.This will only intensify the infection process.
- allergy.The combination of antibiotics and alcohol increases the likelihood of allergic reactions such as rashes.
- Unforeseeable consequences.Despite the contradictory evidence base, it is difficult to make predictions about the interaction of drugs with alcohol in individual cases.It is possible that this combination will lead to undesirable consequences for you.
Important: antibiotics and other medications.For the information of our readers: it is undesirable to combine antibiotics not only with alcohol, but also with some other medications.When prescribing antibacterial therapy, the doctor will definitely ask what medications the patient is currently taking.As a rule, the combination of antibiotics with anticoagulants, anticonvulsants, some hypoglycemic drugs and other medications is not recommended.If for some reason the doctor forgot to ask about the medications you are taking, do not hesitate to ask him this question.
Antibiotics and beer
Or maybe beer with antibiotics because it is the least “strong” of all alcoholic drinks?In fact, beer is a low alcohol content drink.The tricky thing, however, is that people tend to drink a lot of beer.So 100 ml of beer contains around 3-6 ml of pure alcohol.So if you drink 0.5 liters of beer, that's already 15-30 ml of ethanol.And if the beer is strong, then that's already 40-50 ml of alcohol.
Even with non-alcoholic beer you shouldn't sit back because it still contains a certain amount of alcohol.Therefore, when taking antibiotics (especially for short-term use), it is better to avoid alcohol, even if it is beer.For the sake of your health, you can also wait a week or two without drinking a bottle of beer.
Wine with antibiotics
It's the same with wine as it is with beer.At the same time, wine is a stronger drink and wine contains more alcohol per unit volume than beer.
Cognac and antibiotics
Cognac, brandy, whiskey, vodka and other strong alcoholic drinks contain much more alcohol than wine and beer.During antibacterial therapy, it is better to avoid consuming such alcoholic drinks.It is not a fact that alcohol somehow interferes with the action of antibiotics.But even without convincing data, it is better to avoid alcohol.It definitely won't get any worse.
Antibiotics and alcohol: myths
Therefore, as mentioned above, the negative effect of alcohol on antibiotics is controversial.Nobody has proven that yet.Medical recommendations for abstinence from alcohol during antibacterial therapy are more of an “insurance” against possible negative effects.
There are several theories why doctors still prohibit alcohol consumption while taking antibiotics.One is that in treating sexually transmitted diseases, doctors were simply punishing their patients for their licentious lifestyles.
There is a second interesting story related to the penicillin shortage during World War II.It was in Africa where British troops conducted military operations.For the doctors there, penicillin was worth its weight in gold.It got to the point where urine was taken from sick soldiers in order to isolate penicillin and reuse the drug.However, if you drink beer at the same time, the amount of urine increases sharply, which makes it difficult for the drug to be excreted from the urine.Therefore, patients who were prescribed an antibiotic were forbidden to drink.
Amoxicillin-based antibiotics and alcohol
Many patients may have, among other questions, the question: is it possible to drink alcohol while taking such medications?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 consumption of alcohol.There are also no studies on the negative effects of combining amoxicillin with alcohol to meaningfully prohibit patients from drinking alcohol during antibiotic therapy.
Cephalosporin antibiotics and alcohol
It is undesirable to combine such drugs with alcohol, as this can cause a disulfiram-like reaction.As a result of 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 were carried out on laboratory animals.In particular, it has been shown in rats that the effectiveness of azithromycin does not decrease when consumed at the same time as alcohol.However, the instructions for use of the drug indicate that taking the drug simultaneously with alcohol is undesirable.This is primarily due to the negative effect of alcohol on the liver.
Conclusion
If we summarize all of 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 avoid such a combination.Drinking alcohol will definitely not speed up treatment, so it is better to avoid alcohol during antibiotic treatment.