Everyone gets sick periodically and many of them have to resort to taking antibiotics.There is a widespread belief in society that these drugs are incompatible with alcohol, but what to do if the treatment period coincides with vacations?Where is the truth and where are the legends in our ideas about the interaction of antibiotics with alcoholic beverages?
Antibiotics and alcohol.
Antibiotics are medications designed to fight bacteria.They penetrate pathogenic microorganisms or interfere with their metabolism, altering it totally or partially.
Doctors still have different views on the compatibility of antibiotics with alcohol and when you can drink after treatment.There are many doctors who strongly recommend that patients completely avoid alcoholic beverages during treatment to avoid the consequences of taking an antibiotic and alcohol simultaneously.They explain this by saying that these medications, together with ethanol, destroy the liver and nullify the effectiveness of the treatment.
To date, many studies have been conducted, the results of which allow us to confidently state that the pharmacological effect of most antibiotics under the influence of alcohol does not deteriorate and the load on the liver does not increase.
However, alcohol alone causes intoxication and dehydration.If you take antibiotics with large doses of alcohol, the body will weaken and in this case the effectiveness of the treatment will, of course, decrease.
There are also several antibiotics that react with ethanol in a reaction similar to disulfiram.Its simultaneous use with alcohol is contraindicated, as it will cause intoxication, accompanied by nausea, vomiting and seizures.In very rare cases, death can occur.
Myths and reality
Historically, society has developed myths about complications after drinking alcohol during antibiotic treatment.
The main myths are the following:
- Alcohol neutralizes the effect of antibiotics.
- Alcohol combined with antibiotics increases liver damage.
- Alcoholic beverages reduce the effectiveness of experimental therapy.
In fact, these theses are only partially true, as confirmed by the results of numerous compatibility studies.In particular, the available data suggest that the intake of alcohol-containing beverages does not in any way affect the pharmacokinetics of most antibiotics.
In the early 20th and 21st centuries, much research was conducted on the combined effects of antibacterial drugs and alcohol.People and laboratory animals participated in the experiments.The results of antibiotic therapy were the same in the experimental and control groups, but no significant deviations were found in the absorption, distribution and excretion of active substances of drugs from the body.Data from these studies showed that it is possible to drink alcohol while taking antibiotics.
In 1982, Finnish scientists conducted a series of experiments among volunteers, the results of which showed that antibiotics from the penicillin group do not react in any way with ethanol;Therefore, they can be consumed with alcohol.In 1988, Spanish researchers tested the compatibility of amoxicillin with alcohol: a group of subjects showed only minor changes in the rate of absorption of the substance and its retention time.
It was also found that the pharmacokinetic parameters of some antibiotics, for example, the tetracycline group, are significantly reduced under the influence of alcohol.However, fewer drugs have been identified with this effect.
The common belief that alcohol and alcoholic beverages increase liver damage has also been refuted by scientists around the world.More precisely, alcohol can increase the hepatoxicity of antibacterial drugs, but only in very rare cases.This fact becomes rather an exception to the rule.
Scientists have also shown that ethanol has no effect on antibiotics used in the treatment of experimental pneumococcal infection in experimental rats.
Reasons for incompatibility
Although the safety of the simultaneous use of most antibiotics with alcohol has been demonstrated, there are several drugs that are incompatible with alcohol.These are drugs whose active ingredients enter into a reaction similar to that of disulfiram with ethyl alcohol, mainly nitroimidazoles and cephalosporins.
The reason you cannot take antibiotics and alcohol at the same time is that the medications mentioned above contain specific molecules that can change the metabolism of ethanol.As a result, there is a delay in the excretion of acetaldehyde, which accumulates in the body and causes poisoning.
The process is accompanied by characteristic symptoms:
- severe headache;
- rapid heartbeat;
- nausea with vomiting;
- heat in the areas of the face, neck, chest;
- difficulty breathing;
- convulsions.
A disulfiram-like reaction is used to code for alcoholism, but this method should only be used under the strict supervision of a specialist.Poisoning during treatment with nitroimidazoles and cephalosporins can be caused by even a small dose of alcohol.Alcohol abuse in this case can lead to death.
Doctors allow the consumption of small amounts of alcohol during treatment with penicillins, antifungal drugs, and some broad-spectrum antibiotics.One serving of a fortified drink while taking these medications will not affect the effectiveness of the therapy and will not cause negative health consequences.
when possible
Although 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 medications is indicated in the instructions.
For example, the effectiveness of erythromycin and tetracyclines is increased by drinking alkaline mineral water and by drinking sulfonamides, indomethacin, and reserpine with milk.
If the antibiotic does not cause a reaction similar to that of disulfiram with ethanol, you can drink alcohol, but not earlier than 4 hours after taking the drug.This is the minimum time that antibiotics circulate in the blood and, consequently, is the answer to the question of how long you can drink after taking the drug.
In any case, during the treatment period you are only allowed to take a small dose of alcohol;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.If you understand how long after taking the drug you are allowed to drink alcohol, you will be able to eliminate all possible side effects.
Conclusions
The myth about the incompatibility of antibiotics and alcohol appeared in the last century, and there are several hypotheses about the reasons for its appearance.According to one of them, the authorship of the legend belongs to venereologists who wanted to warn their patients against drunkenness.
It is also assumed that the myth was invented by European doctors.Penicillin was a scarce drug in the 1940s and soldiers liked to drink beer, which has a diuretic effect and eliminates the drug from the body.
It has now been proven that alcohol in most cases does not affect the effectiveness of antibiotics and does not increase liver damage.If the active ingredients of the drug do not enter into a reaction similar to that of disulfiram with ethanol, you can drink alcohol during treatment.However, 2 main rules must be followed: do not abuse alcohol and do not take antibiotics with it.