All people get sick from time to time, and most of them need to take antibiotics.There is a widespread belief in society that these drugs are incompatible with alcohol, but what if the treatment period coincides with the holidays?Where is the truth and where are the myths in our ideas about the interaction of antibiotics with alcoholic beverages?
Antibiotics and alcohol
Antibiotics are drugs designed to fight bacteria.They penetrate pathogenic microorganisms or disrupt their metabolism completely or partially by interfering with it.
Doctors still have different opinions on the compatibility of antibiotics with alcohol and when you can drink after therapy.There are many doctors who advise patients to completely abstain from alcohol during therapy in order to avoid the consequences of taking antibiotics and alcohol at the same time.They explain this by the fact that these drugs, together with ethanol, destroy the liver and negate the effectiveness of treatment.
To date, many studies have been conducted, the results of which allow us to confidently confirm that the pharmacological effect of most antibiotics does not deteriorate and the burden on the liver does not increase under the influence of alcohol.
However, alcohol itself causes intoxication and thirst.If you take antibiotics with a large dose of alcohol, the body will weaken, and in this case, the effectiveness of the treatment will, of course, decrease.
There are also a number of antibiotics that react with ethanol in a disulfiram-like manner.Their simultaneous use with alcohol is contraindicated, as it will cause intoxication accompanied by nausea and vomiting and convulsions.In very rare cases, death may occur.
Myths and reality
Historically, society has formed myths about the complications that occur after drinking alcohol during antibiotic treatment.
The main myths are:
- Alcohol neutralizes the effect of antibiotics.
- Alcohol combined with antibiotics increases liver damage.
- Alcohol reduces the effectiveness of experimental therapy.
In fact, these theses are only partially true, which is confirmed by the results of numerous compatibility studies.In particular, available data show that alcohol-containing beverages do not affect the pharmacokinetics of most antibiotics in any way.
In the 20th and early 21st centuries, many studies were conducted on the combined effects of antibacterial drugs and alcohol.Experiments involved humans and laboratory animals.The results of antibiotic therapy were the same in the experimental and control groups, but no significant deviation was found in the absorption, distribution and elimination of the active substances of the drugs from the body.The data from these studies showed that it is possible to drink alcohol while taking antibiotics.
Back in 1982, Finnish scientists conducted a series of experiments among volunteers, the results of which showed that antibiotics of the penicillin group did not react with ethanol in any way;therefore, it can be consumed with alcohol.In 1988, Spanish researchers tested the compatibility of amoxicillin with alcohol: a group of subjects showed only small changes in the absorption rate and retention time of the substance.
It was also determined that the pharmacokinetic parameters of some antibiotics, for example, the tetracycline group, are significantly reduced under the influence of alcohol.However, fewer drugs with this effect have been identified.
The common belief that alcohol and alcoholic beverages increase liver damage has been debunked by scientists around the world.Rather, alcohol can increase the hepatotoxicity of antibacterial drugs, but in very rare cases.This fact is more an exception to the rule.
The scientists also proved that ethanol had no effect on antibiotics used to treat experimental pneumococcal infection among experimental rats.
Reasons for non-compliance
Although the safety of the simultaneous use of most antibiotics with alcohol has been proven, there are a number of drugs that are incompatible with alcohol.These are drugs whose active ingredients react with ethyl alcohol similar to disulfiram - primarily nitroimidazoles and cephalosporins.
The reason for not being able to take both antibiotics and alcohol at the same time is that the above drugs contain special molecules that can change ethanol metabolism.As a result, there is a delay in the excretion of acetaldehyde, which accumulates in the body and causes intoxication.
The process is accompanied by characteristic symptoms:
- severe headache;
- rapid heartbeat;
- nausea with vomiting;
- heat in the face, neck, chest;
- difficulty breathing;
- convulsions.
A disulfiram-like reaction is used in the coding of alcoholism, but this method should be used only under the strict supervision of a specialist.During treatment with nitroimidazoles and cephalosporins, poisoning can occur even from a small dose of alcohol.In this case, alcohol abuse can lead to death.
Doctors allow small amounts of alcohol during treatment with penicillins, antifungal drugs and some broad-spectrum antibiotics.A portion of fortified drink while taking these drugs will not affect the effectiveness of the therapy and will not cause negative health consequences.
When possible
While it is okay to drink alcohol while taking most antibiotics, it is not okay to take them at the same time.The best way to take such drugs is indicated in the instructions.
For example, the effectiveness of erythromycin and tetracyclines increases with drinking alkaline mineral water, sulfonamides, indomethacin and reserpine with milk.
If the antibiotic does not react like disulfiram with ethanol, you can drink alcohol, but not later than 4 hours after taking the medicine.This is the minimum time that antibiotics circulate in the blood and, accordingly, the answer to the question of how long you can drink after taking the drug.
In any case, it is allowed to drink only a small amount of alcohol during treatment, otherwise the body will begin to dehydrate, and the antibacterial drug will simply be excreted in the urine.
The combination of alcohol with any antibacterial composition is dangerous for the body.By understanding how long you are allowed to drink alcohol after taking the drug, you can eliminate all possible side effects.
Results
The myth about the incompatibility of antibiotics with alcohol appeared in the last century, and there are several hypotheses about the reasons for its occurrence.According to one of them, the authorship of the legend belongs to venereologists who want to warn their patients against intoxication.
There is also an assumption that the myth was invented by European doctors.In the 1940s, penicillin was a rare drug, and soldiers liked to drink beer, which had a diuretic effect and flushed the drug out of the body.
It has now been proven that alcohol does not affect the effectiveness of antibiotics in most cases and does not increase liver damage.If the active ingredients of the drug do not react with ethanol in a similar way to disulfiram, you can drink alcohol during treatment.However, you should follow 2 basic rules: do not abuse alcohol and do not take antibiotics with it.