When can you drink alcohol after taking antibiotics?
No doctor will give an answer to the question of how long it takes to take alcoholic beverages while taking antibiotics. The mechanism of action of drugs from this pharmaceutical group is so different that it is impossible to calculate the body's response to alcohol. In addition, diseases for which antibiotics are taken impose restrictions on part of the patient's diet.
Content:
- How to take antibiotics correctly?
- Is a ban on alcohol while taking antibiotics justified?
- The body's response to a combination of alcohol and antibiotics
- What antibiotics should not be consumed at the same time as alcohol?
- Antibiotics, the intake of which is not prohibited at the same time as alcohol
- When is it safe to drink alcohol after taking antibiotics?
How to take antibiotics correctly?
Drugs that are effective against pathogenic bacteria can be hazardous to the patient's health. Antibiotic treatment should not be started without a doctor's recommendation and good reason. The main indications are a bacterial infection, from which an organism with insufficiently strong immunity cannot independently get rid of. Antibiotics destroy the cellular structure of pathogenic microorganisms, helping to cope with the disease.
Rules for taking antibiotics prescribed by a doctor:
- To maintain the desired concentration of the active substance, the recommended dosage and frequency of administration should be strictly observed.
- The duration of antibiotic treatment is determined by the attending physician, on average this period is 5-14 days. Long-acting drugs can be taken within 1-3 days.
- Antibiotics are washed down with pure non-carbonated water only.
- Taking drugs is accompanied by a restriction in the diet of alcohol and fatty foods.
Is a ban on alcohol while taking antibiotics justified?
Restrictions on alcohol consumption are among the mandatory requirements for a patient taking antibiotics. These requirements apply to the period of rehabilitation after illness.
Reasons for contraindications to alcohol intake during a course of antibiotics:
- Getting into the digestive and circulatory systems, alcohol breaks down into simple chemical compounds. By interacting with each other, alcohol molecules and antibiotic molecules can create substances toxic to the body.
- The effectiveness of the active substance of antibiotics is markedly reduced against the background of alcohol.
- The negative effect of antibiotics mixed with alcohol on the functioning of the liver and the whole body is multiplied when they are taken simultaneously.
- It is impossible to predict the body's response to a combination of alcohol and drugs.
According to the observations of doctors, the effectiveness of antibiotic therapy is higher in those who did not take alcohol during the illness and after it.
The body's response to a combination of alcohol and antibiotics
One of the consequences of combining alcohol and antibiotics is blocking the ethanol breakdown reaction in the human body. The consequences of such a metabolic disorder are the accumulation of acetaldehyde in tissues and organs due to impaired excretion.
Possible consequences of drinking alcohol while taking antibiotics:
- Dysfunction of the liver, when the metabolism of alcohol and drugs, is atypical and inhibits the functioning of the organ. Instead of removing waste products, the liver accumulates toxins in its cells.
- Severe allergic reactions develop.
- Intoxication of the body occurs, its symptoms are nausea, unbearable headache, convulsions, vomiting and dizziness.
- Decrease or increase in blood pressure.
- Sweating and redness of the skin.
- Hangover syndrome against the background of taking antibiotics, its consequences are mental disturbances, confusion of mind.
What antibiotics should not be consumed at the same time as alcohol?
In order to avoid death, you must refrain from taking alcohol during the treatment of complex infections and 5 days after the end of the course of therapy.
Groups of drugs that are absolutely incompatible with alcohol:
- Aminoglycosides (not combined with other chemical compounds, including alcohol),
- Chloramphenicol (even without interaction with alcohol, cause severe side effects, which intensify when interacting with ethyl alcohol);
- Drugs for the treatment of tuberculosis, leprosy;
- Ketoconazole;
- Lincosamides (extremely toxic to the liver and central nervous system);
- Tetracyclines (alcohol neutralizes the effect of antibiotics, which block biochemical processes in the body of pathogenic bacteria);
- Nitroimidazoles (ban on alcohol for up to 7 days after the end of the course of these antibiotics);
- Bleomycin;
- Cephalosporins (a mixture with alcohol leads to tachycardia and other serious consequences due to a disulfiram-like reaction);
- Macrolides (doubles the toxic effects of alcohol on the liver and brain).
Antibiotics, the intake of which is not prohibited at the same time as alcohol
List of antibacterial drugs that do not interact with alcohol:
- Penicillins are broad-spectrum antibacterial drugs;
- Antifungal agents;
- Vancomycin is a glycopeptide drug that blocks the synthesis of the bacterial cell wall;
- Rifomycin is a drug from the ansamycin group used to treat many diseases;
- Heliomycin is a drug for the treatment of diseases of the ENT organs and infectious dermatitis.
Even if the joint use of antibiotics and alcohol theoretically cannot harm the body, one must not forget about the individual body's response to such combinations. It is advisable not to drink alcohol within 3 days after taking the last dose of antibiotics.
When is it safe to drink alcohol after taking antibiotics?
According to experts, the active substance of antibiotics can be in the body for at least 3 days. Sustained-release drugs have a long decay period of 10-24 days. A doctor's consultation will help to avoid negative consequences from the combination of incompatible substances. If for some reason it is impossible to get it, you need to carefully study the instructions for using the antibiotic. Important parameters to pay special attention to:
- The duration of the course of treatment;
- Compatibility of the active substance with ethyl alcohol;
- The time during which alcohol should not be consumed after the last dose.
If such information is not available, it does not mean that toxic effects cannot occur. It is necessary to withstand a period of at least a day to remove the components of the drug from the body. An organism whose immunity is impaired after a disease is not sufficiently strong to be exposed to the toxins of ethyl alcohol.
Author of the article: Alekseeva Maria Yurievna | Therapist
Education: From 2010 to 2016 Practitioner of the therapeutic hospital of the central medical-sanitary unit No. 21, city of elektrostal. Since 2016 she has been working in the diagnostic center No. 3.
