Sometimes the dentist prescribes a course of antibiotic treatment for the patient.This happens with bacterial infections of the mouth.You must take antibacterial drugs, observing certain rules, which the doctor will tell you separately.One of the most frequently asked questions is whether it is possible to combine antibiotics and alcohol?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 if you can drink a glass of wine or a glass of beer.There is an opinion that antibiotics and alcohol should not be mixed.For many who do not like to drink, it has even become a convenient excuse to drink.As soon as you say you drink antibiotics, the persuasion to drink immediately stops.But legends are legends, but it does not prevent you from knowing the truth.Let's find out if you can afford alcohol during antibacterial therapy.
First, a few words about antibiotics.These are drugs prescribed for bacterial infections.Different antibiotics have different mechanisms of action, but the result is the same - death of the bacteria or their inability to reproduce.
important.Antibiotics are not taken for viral diseases because they cannot fight viruses.That is why taking antibiotics is not recommended for flu and colds.Many people with symptoms of acute respiratory diseases immediately grab antibiotics, which makes a big mistake.You can only take these medicines with your doctor's permission.
Like other drugs, antibiotics have side effects.It should be noted that when combined with alcoholic beverages, the likelihood of side effects may increase.In addition, there is a risk of new side effects.This, by the way, applies not only to antibiotics, but also to other drugs, for example, sleeping pills, anti-allergic drugs, sedatives, anti-inflammatory and pain relievers.
Speaking about antibiotics and alcohol, the compatibility of which is in question, it is important to note how alcohol interacts with the drug.Let's look at 2 main mechanisms why it is impossible to mix antibiotics and alcohol.
Drug metabolism
Every drug is metabolized in the body, i.e.undergoes a series of transformations.The medicine begins to disintegrate already in the oral cavity.This process is enhanced in the gastrointestinal tract, where the drug is absorbed into the bloodstream in the small intestine.The substance then passes through the liver, where it can undergo changes.The drug circulates in the bloodstream for some time, after which it is excreted in the urine (often in an altered form).
Now let's find out what happens when you drink alcohol during antibiotic therapy.Like drugs, alcohol is also metabolized.This happens in the liver with the help of specific enzymes.If the liver has to deal with alcohol and drugs at the same time, then the enzymes will either work too quickly, or they won't have time to do their job.
If the liver works too quickly, then the antibiotic will be destroyed prematurely and will not have time to fully realize the therapeutic effect.If liver function slows down, the antibiotic will accumulate in the blood too quickly, resulting in high drug toxicity.
Increased side effects
In some cases, the combination of alcohol with antibiotics can cause an increase in adverse reactions or the appearance of new ones (from taking antibiotics).In particular, this is indicated for antibiotics that, for example, cause drowsiness.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 the drug), new ones may also appear.Often these are headaches, nausea, heart rhythm disorders, intestinal disorders and abdominal pain.
Important: antibiotic resistance.Bacteria, like all other living organisms, evolve, adapting to new environmental conditions.In this case, they are able to adapt to the action of antibiotics.This is how antibiotic resistance develops - the resistance of certain types of bacteria to one or another type of antibiotic.It is currently one of the most serious medical problems, as resistant bacteria are becoming more and more and the search for new antibiotics is difficult.Uncontrolled use of antibiotics is one of the causes of bacterial resistance.Often, patients stop taking the drug on their own as soon as they feel better.You can't do that with antibiotics.It is important to drink the entire course prescribed by the doctor, even if you feel significant relief "early".
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.Let us immediately note that such phenomena may not be observed, but we are obliged to tell 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.Keep in mind, however, that the liver experiences a double burden in processing both the alcohol and the drug.
- Disorders of the nervous system.In some people, alcohol in combination with antibiotics causes significant disturbances in the central and peripheral nervous system.In particular, this is expressed in headaches, dizziness, nausea and even convulsions.
- Sleep disorder.Interference may occur until the change of day and night.
- Cardiovascular disorders.Most often this is 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 condition that threatens human life.In this case, you should call an ambulance.
- Disorders of the digestive tract.Combining antibacterial drugs 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 forced to take antibacterial drugs.In this case, a lot depends on the specific drug, namely the time required for its removal from the body.
In most cases, it is enough to take a two-day break (48 hours) after taking antibiotics, after which you can indulge in alcohol.In some countries they recommend waiting 3 days.There is no consensus on this.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 on antibiotics
The medical literature (scientific articles, treatment recommendations, etc.), which talks about the harm 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 boil down to two unwanted effects, namely:
- Decreased effectiveness of antibacterial therapy.Alcohol has been shown to inhibit the antibacterial activity of antibiotics.Thus, the suppression of the pathogenic microflora is less effective, which creates the need to prolong the treatment or find a new antibiotic.
- Liver damage.The simultaneous use of alcoholic beverages and antibiotics results in a heavy load on the liver tissue.The risk of intoxication not only of the liver, but also of the body increases, since the liver is a filter through which the blood passes.
Let's find out how true these claims are.And if antibiotic and alcohol are already mixed, what will happen to the body?
As for reducing the effectiveness of antibiotic therapy, such a danger does exist.But this applies not only to antibiotics, but also to other drugs.It should be noted that there is still no conclusive data on the negative impact of alcohol on different groups of antibiotics.No interaction between antibiotics and alcohol was observed in an animal study.A human study did not show a significant reduction in the effectiveness of antibacterial therapy.
But in the instructions for such drugs it is written in black and white that it is advisable to refrain from drinking alcohol.Experts say not enough research has been done on this, so it's better to stay away from alcohol while taking antibiotics.In addition, in the studies conducted, volunteers were given small doses of alcohol, which most likely do not have a significant effect on the metabolism of pharmacological drugs.Therefore, to the question of whether you can drink if you take antibiotics, the answer is still negative.
To summarize the above, we can identify 5 main reasons why it is undesirable to combine antibiotics and alcohol:
- Deterioration of metabolic processes.Alcoholic beverages impair the absorption of nutrients, vitamins, minerals, and medications.This means that the antibiotics will be absorbed less into the blood, which will reduce their effectiveness.
- High blood sugar.Alcohol is metabolized in the body to form sugars.This is a particularly dangerous situation for diabetic patients.In addition, the increase in sugar levels during infectious diseases can only worsen the course of the pathological process, since sugar is a substrate for pathogenic microorganisms.
- Reduced immunity.Drinking alcoholic beverages reduces the body's defenses.Thus, the infectious process will only intensify.
- Allergy.Combining antibiotics and alcohol increases the likelihood of allergic reactions such as skin rashes.
- Unpredictable consequences.Despite the conflicting evidence base, it is difficult to make predictions about the interaction of drugs with alcohol in any particular case.Perhaps this combination will lead to undesirable consequences for you.
Important: antibiotics and other drugs.For the information of our readers, it is not desirable to combine antibiotics not only with alcohol, but also with some other drugs.When prescribing antibacterial therapy, the doctor will definitely 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 the doctor forgot to ask about the medications you are taking, then do not hesitate to ask him this question.
Antibiotics and beer
Or maybe beer with antibiotics, because of all the alcoholic beverages it is the least "strong"?Indeed, beer is a low-alcohol drink.However, its insidiousness is that, as a rule, people drink a lot of beer.So, 100 ml of beer contains approximately 3-6 ml of pure alcohol.Thus, if you drink 0.5 liters of beer, this is already 15-30 ml of ethanol.And if the beer is strong, this is already 40-50 ml of alcohol.
You shouldn't slack off on non-alcoholic beer either, as it still contains some alcohol.Therefore, if you are taking antibiotics (especially if it is a short-term course), then it is better to refrain from alcohol, even if it is beer.For the sake of your health, you can wait a week or two without a bottle of beer.
Wine with antibiotics
The situation with wine is the same as with beer.At the same time, wine is a stronger drink and wine has more alcohol per unit volume than beer.
Cognac and antibiotics
Cognac, brandy, whiskey, vodka and other strong alcoholic beverages contain much more alcohol than wine and beer.During the antibacterial therapy, it is better to avoid the consumption of such alcoholic beverages.It is not a fact that alcohol will somehow interfere with the action of antibiotics.But even in the absence of conclusive data, it is still better to give up alcohol.It definitely won't get any worse.
Antibiotics and alcohol: myths
So, as mentioned above, the negative effect of alcohol on antibiotics is a controversial issue.No one has proven this yet.Medical recommendations to refrain from drinking alcohol during antibacterial therapy are rather "insurance" against a possible negative effect.
There are several theories as to why doctors still prohibit drinking alcohol while taking antibiotics.One of them is that in treating sexually transmitted diseases, doctors were thus simply punishing their patients for their loose lifestyles.
There is another interesting story related to the penicillin shortage during World War II.It was in Africa where British troops were conducting military operations.To the doctors there, penicillin was worth its weight in gold.It went so far as to collect urine from sick soldiers in order to isolate penicillin from it and reuse the drug.But if you drink beer at the same time, the volume of urine increases sharply, which complicates the process of separating the drug from the urine.Therefore, patients prescribed an antibiotic are forbidden to drink.
Antibiotics and alcohol based on amoxicillin
Among other things, many patients may have a question: is it possible to drink alcohol while taking such drugs?Do they go well with beer, cognac and other alcoholic beverages?It should be noted that foreign instructions for amoxicillin with clavulanic acid do not indicate side effects associated with the combined use of alcohol.Also, no studies have been conducted on the negative effects of combining amoxicillin with alcohol, so that it is reasonable to prohibit patients from taking alcohol during antibiotic therapy.
Cephalosporin antibiotics and alcohol
It is not desirable to combine such drugs with alcohol, as this can lead to a disulfiram-like reaction.With this interaction, the breakdown of ethyl alcohol is inhibited, which leads to the accumulation of acetaldehyde, which has a toxic effect on the body.
Antibiotics and alcohol based on azithromycin
As for the popular antibiotic based on azithromycin, studies have been conducted on laboratory animals.In particular, it has been shown in rats that the effectiveness of azithromycin is not reduced by the simultaneous intake of alcohol.However, the instructions for the drug indicate that the simultaneous use of the drug with alcohol is undesirable.This is primarily due to the negative effect of alcohol on the liver.
Conclusion
If we summarize everything above, we can say the following.In most cases, antibiotics do not lose their effectiveness when taken with alcohol.However, given the negative impact of alcohol on the liver, it is better to refrain from such a combination.Drinking alcohol will definitely not speed up the healing process, so it is better to avoid alcohol during the antibiotic treatment period.