Is it possible to combine alcohol and antibiotics? Even doctors do not give an exact answer to this popular question. And while some categorically oppose such duets, others believe it’s important to consider what kind of alcohol they drink and how much. There is also a third opinion that the problem can be successfully addressed with a competent approach while maintaining social activity.
Do I really need to abstain from alcohol in combination with a course of antibiotics? Let's figure it out.
Much depends on the active ingredient of the drug. Some types of antibiotics are not at all friendly to alcohol, while others may interact normally. Of course, mixing alcohol with tablets after reading the article is not worth it. However, knowing certain things will help you avoid panic, but a correct understanding of the problem if, for some reason, you have consumed alcohol during antibiotic therapy.
Antibiotics and alcohol: myths and legends
There is a version that after the war, the scary stories that alcohol and antibiotics should not be combined began to spread. According to the first legend, during this period, sex clinics in Hungary and abroad were simply overcrowded. The patients are soldiers and officers who have completely tasted the "magic" of the state of war. may result in another sexually transmitted infection.
According to another legend, due to the laborious nature of obtaining penicillin, it evaporated from the urine of treated soldiers. Because of this, soldiers were not allowed to drink beer during 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 of this?
What do the studies say?
In the early 21st century, studies were conducted on the effects of ethanol on various types of antibiotics. Experiments in laboratory animals and volunteers have shown that alcohol has no effect on most types of antibiotics.
Thus, the antibiotics tested were equally effective in the experimental and control groups. No significant differences in the mechanism of absorption, distribution in the body and excretion of degradation products have been identified.
Incidentally, there is a hypothesis that the consumption of alcoholic beverages increases the harmful effects of antibiotics on the liver. Such cases are rarely described in the medical literature due to their rare occurrence (up to 10 out of 100, 000 cases). However, no further studies have been performed in this regard. Is all fear unfounded?
What antibiotics should not be combined with alcohol
No, the fears are not unfounded: there are a number of antibiotics that cause extremely unpleasant symptoms when in contact with alcohol - this is called a disulfiram-like reaction. The reaction occurs during the chemical interaction of ethanol and some specific antibiotic molecules, resulting in changes in the exchange of ethyl alcohol in the body. In particular, there is an accumulation of an intermediate, acetaldehyde. Toxicity of the substance causes the following symptoms:
- severe headache
- stimuli for nausea and vomiting
- increased heart rate
- redness of the face, neck, chest area, "warm" in them.
- intermittent difficulty breathing
- limb cramps
High doses of alcohol can be fatal!
These symptoms are very difficult to tolerate, often causing fear of suffocation or death. The disulfiram-like reaction is used in clinics to treat alcoholism ("coding").
Antibiotics that can cause the following symptoms:
- active substance metronidazole
- active ingredient ketoconazole (prescribed to treat thrush, for example in the form of suppositories)
- active substance furazolidone (prescribed in case of food poisoning or diarrhea of unspecified nature)
- active substance chloramphenicol (toxic, rarely used: for urinary tract infections, bile ducts and some other diseases)
- active substance co-trimoxazole (prescribed for respiratory, renal and urinary tract infections, inflammation of the prostate)
- active substance lornoxicam (used to treat bacterial infections of the respiratory and ear-nose organs, kidneys, urinary tract infections, etc. )
- tinidazole (often prescribed for infections caused by the bacterium Helicobacter pylori, which causes a stomach ulcer)
- active substance cefamandole (injections for infections of an unspecified nature)
- Cefoperazone (available for injection to treat airways, including pneumonia, bacterial diseases of the genitourinary system and other diseases)
- active substance moxifloxacin (a broad-spectrum antibiotic prescribed for severe conditions, including fever, if a bacterial infection is suspected)
Alcohol should be avoided during treatment with these medicines (both oral medicines and suppositories or eye drops)!
To make sure that your antibiotic does not belong to the group of medicines that must not be combined with alcohol, contact your doctor and read the instructions for this medicine carefully.
Rational decision
If we treat any disease with antibiotics, we should not overload our body with alcohol. After all, like all toxic substances, ethanol requires "neutralization" in the body. To fight the poison, the body throws up extra reserves, often the last ones, especially if the disease is prolonged. Energy spent on cleansing the body can damage the immune system and significantly prolong the recovery period.
In addition, studies and medical practice confirm that alcohol and antibiotics also have a depressing effect on the liver.
Although experts are divided on the compatibility of alcoholic beverages with antibacterial agents (except for drugs that are severely restricted), most believe it is better to refrain from alcohol during antibiotic therapy. . You should also know that if you do drink a glass of wine during therapy, you should not refuse the next antibiotic (of course, if it is a drug for which there is no contraindication to alcohol).