Is it possible to combine alcohol and antibiotics? Even doctors do not give an exact answer to this popular question. And if some are categorically against such duets, others believe that it is important to consider what kind of alcohol you drink and how much. There is also a third opinion that by competently approaching the problem, 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 substance of the drug. Some types of antibiotics are not friends with alcohol at all, while others can interact normally. Of course, it is not worth mixing alcohol with pills after reading this article. However, knowing certain 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 the scary stories that alcohol and antibiotics should not be combined began to spread after the war. The first legend says that during this period, venereal clinics in our country and abroad were simply overcrowded. The patients are soldiers and officers who have fully tasted the "charms" 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 have serious problems again, and the result of such "feats" could well be a new infection sexual.
Another legend says that due to the laboriousness of obtaining penicillin, it evaporated from the urine of treated soldiers. For this reason, soldiers were prohibited from drinking 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 carried out on the effects of ethanol on various types of antibiotics. During experiments with laboratory animals and human volunteers, alcohol has been shown not to affect most types of antibiotics.
So, in the experimental and control groups, the antibiotics studied were equally effective. No significant deviations in the mechanisms of absorption, distribution throughout the body and excretion of decomposition products were identified.
By the way, there is a hypothesis that the intake of alcoholic beverages enhances the adverse effect of antibiotics on the liver. In the medical literature, these cases are rarely described due to their rare occurrence (up to 10 cases per 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 a number of antibiotics, which, when in contact with alcohol, produce extremely unpleasant symptoms - the so-called disulfiram-like reaction. The reaction occurs during the chemical interaction of ethanol with some specific molecules of antibiotics, as a result, it changes the exchange of ethyl alcohol in the body. In particular, there is an accumulation of an intermediate substance - acetaldehyde. Intoxication with this substance gives the following symptoms:
- intense headache
- nausea and urge to vomit
- increased heart rate
- redness of the face, neck, chest area, "warmth" in them
- intermittent heavy breathing
- limb cramps
Large doses of alcohol can be fatal!
These symptoms are very difficult to tolerate and often cause fear of suffocation or death. Disulfiram-like reaction is used in clinics in the treatment of alcoholism ("coding").
Antibiotics that can cause these symptoms:
- active ingredient metronidazole
- active substance ketoconazole (prescribed for candidiasis, for example, in the form of pessaries)
- active ingredient furazolidone (prescribed for food poisoning or diarrhea of an unspecified nature)
- active substance chloramphenicol (toxic, rarely used: for infections of the urinary tract, bile ducts and some other diseases)
- active substance co-trimoxazole (can 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 ingredient tinidazole (often prescribed for infection with the bacterium Helicobacter pylori, which causes stomach ulcers)
- active ingredient cefamandole (injections for infections of an unspecified nature)
- active ingredient cefoperazone (available in injections, treats 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 a bacterial infection is suspected)
During therapy with these medications (both oral medications and suppositories or eye drops), alcohol should be avoided!
To make sure that your antibiotic is not included in the group of drugs that is prohibited to combine with alcohol, consult with your doctor and carefully read the instructions for the drug.
rational decision
Treating any disease with antibiotics, in any case, 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 out additional reserves, often the last ones, especially if the illness is prolonged. Spending energy cleaning the body can damage the immune system and significantly 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 the opinions of experts on the compatibility of alcoholic beverages and antibacterial agents are divided (with the exception of those drugs for which the restrictions are categorical), most tend to believe that it is better to refuse alcohol during a course 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 to alcohol).