Is it possible to combine alcohol and antibiotics? Even doctors do not give an exact answer to this popular question. And while some are categorically against such duets, others believe it is important to consider what kind of alcohol you drink and how much. There is also a third opinion that by competently addressing the issue, one can be successfully treated while maintaining social activity.
Is it really necessary to abstain from alcohol in combination with a course of antibiotics? Let's find out.
Much depends on the active ingredient of the drug. Some types of antibiotics are not alcohol-friendly at all, while others can interact normally. Of course, it's not worth mixing alcohol with pills after reading this article. However, knowing a few things will help not to panic, but to correctly understand the problem, if for some reason you still drank alcohol during antibiotic therapy.
Antibiotics and alcohol: myths and legends
There is a version that scary stories that alcohol and antibiotics shouldn't be combined began to spread after the war. The first legend has it that during this period the venereal clinics in our country and abroad were simply overcrowded. Patients are soldiers and officers who have fully savored the "charm" of martial law. Medical staff specifically intimidated patients, talking about the dire consequences of the combination of alcohol and antibiotics, because after drinking, patients could get into serious trouble again and the result of such "outbursts" could very well be a new sexual infection.
Another legend has it that due to the industriousness in obtaining penicillin, it evaporated from the urine of the soldiers treated. For this reason, soldiers were forbidden 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 about it?
What do the studies say?
At the beginning of the 21st century, studies were conducted on the effects of ethanol on various types of antibiotics. In experiments on laboratory animals and human volunteers, alcohol has been shown to have no effect on most types of antibiotics.
Thus, in the experimental and control groups, the antibiotics studied were equally effective. No significant deviations were identified in the mechanisms of absorption, distribution throughout the body and excretion of the decomposition products.
By the way, there is a hypothesis that the intake of alcoholic beverages increases the negative effect of antibiotics on the liver. In the medical literature, such cases are rarely described due to their rare occurrence (up to 10 cases in 100, 000). At the same time, no further studies have been conducted in this regard. Are all fears unfounded?
What antibiotics can not be combined with alcohol
No, the fears are not unfounded: there are numerous antibiotics which, in contact with alcohol, give extremely unpleasant symptoms - the so-called disulfiram-like reaction. The reaction occurs during the chemical interaction of ethanol with some specific antibiotic molecules, as a result the exchange of ethyl alcohol in the body changes. In particular, there is an accumulation of an intermediate substance - acetaldehyde. Intoxication from this substance gives the following symptoms:
- bad headache
- nausea and urge to vomit
- increased heart rate
- redness of the face, neck, chest area, "heat" in them
- heavy intermittent breathing
- cramps in the limbs
Large doses of alcohol can be fatal!
These symptoms are very difficult to tolerate and often cause fear of suffocation or death. The disulfiram-like reaction is used in clinics to treat alcoholism ("coding").
Antibiotics that can cause these symptoms:
- active ingredient metronidazole
- active ingredient ketoconazole (prescribed for thrush, for example, in the form of suppositories)
- active ingredient furazolidone (prescribed for food poisoning or diarrhea of an unspecified nature)
- active ingredient chloramphenicol (toxic, rarely used: for infections of the urinary tract, bile ducts and some other diseases)
- active ingredient co-trimoxazole (may be prescribed for infections of the respiratory tract, kidneys and ureters, prostatitis)
- active ingredient lornoxicam (used to treat bacterial infections of the respiratory and ENT organs, kidneys, urinary tract, etc. )
- active substance tinidazole (often prescribed for infection with the bacterium Helicobacter pylori, which causes stomach ulcers)
- active substance cefamandol (injections for infections of an unspecified nature)
- active ingredient cefoperazone (available in injections, treat the respiratory tract, including pneumonia, bacterial diseases of the genitourinary system and other diseases)
- active ingredient moxifloxacin (broad-spectrum antibiotic, prescribed for severe conditions, including fever, if bacterial infection is suspected)
During therapy with these drugs (both oral medications and suppositories or eye drops), alcohol should be avoided!
To be sure that your antibiotic is not included in the group of drugs that cannot be combined with alcohol, consult your doctor and carefully read the instructions for the drug.
Rational decision
In any case, when treating diseases with antibiotics, you should not overload your body with alcoholic beverages. After all, like any toxic substance, ethanol requires "neutralization" in the body. To combat the poison, the body throws in additional reserves, often the last, especially if the disease continues. Expending energy to cleanse the body can damage the immune system and greatly increase the recovery period.
Furthermore, studies and medical practice confirm that both alcohol and antibiotics have a depressing effect on the liver.
Despite the fact that expert opinions on the compatibility of alcoholic beverages and antibacterial agents are divided (except for those drugs for which the restrictions are categorical), most tend to believe that it is better to refuse alcohol during a cycle of antibiotic therapy. You should also know: if during therapy you still drank a glass of wine, then you should not refuse the next antibiotic (of course, if it is a drug for which there is no contraindication for alcohol).