All people get sick from time to time, and many of them have to resort to antibiotics.There is a widespread belief in society that these drugs are incompatible with alcohol, but what to do if the period of treatment coincides with the holidays?Where is the truth and where is the legend 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 interfere with their metabolism, completely or partially disrupting it.
Doctors still have different views on the question of the compatibility of antibiotics with alcohol and when it can be drunk after therapy.There are many doctors who strongly recommend patients to completely avoid alcoholic beverages during therapy in order to avoid the consequences of taking antibiotics and alcohol at the same time.They explain this by saying that these drugs, together with ethanol, destroy the liver and negate the effectiveness of the treatment.
To date, many studies have been conducted, the results of which allow us to say with certainty that the pharmacological effect of most antibiotics does not deteriorate under the influence of alcohol, and the burden on the liver does not increase.
However, alcohol itself causes intoxication and dehydration.If you take antibiotics with large doses of alcohol, the body will weaken, and in this case, of course, the effectiveness of the treatment will decrease.
There are also a number of antibiotics that react with ethanol in a disulfiram-like reaction.Their simultaneous use with alcohol is contraindicated, because it will cause intoxication, followed by nausea and vomiting, and convulsions.In very rare cases, death may occur.
Myths and reality
Historically, society has developed myths about complications after drinking alcohol during antibiotic treatment.
The main myths are as follows:
- Alcohol neutralizes the effect of antibiotics.
- Alcohol in combination 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 consumption of alcoholic beverages does not affect the pharmacokinetics of most antibiotics in any way.
At the turn of the 20th and 21st centuries, a lot of research was conducted on the combined effect of antibacterial drugs and alcohol.The experiments involved humans and laboratory animals.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 the active substances of the drugs from the body.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 do not react in any way with ethanol;therefore, they can be consumed with alcohol.In 1988, Spanish researchers tested amoxicillin for compatibility with alcohol: a group of subjects showed only small changes in the rate of absorption of the substance and retention time.
It was also established that the pharmacokinetic parameters of some antibiotics, for example the tetracycline group, were 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 also been debunked by scientists around the world.More precisely, alcohol can increase the hepatotoxicity of antibacterial drugs, but only in very rare cases.This fact becomes quite the exception to the rule.
Scientists have also proven that ethanol has no effect on antibiotics used to treat experimental pneumococcal infection in experimental rats.
Reasons for incompatibility
Despite the fact that the simultaneous use of most antibiotics with alcohol has been proven safe, there are a number of drugs that are incompatible with alcohol.These are medicines whose active substances enter into a reaction similar to disulfiram with ethyl alcohol - primarily nitroimidazoles and cephalosporins.
The reason why you cannot take antibiotics and alcohol at the same time is that these drugs 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 leads to intoxication.
The process is accompanied by characteristic symptoms:
- intense headache;
- rapid heartbeat;
- nausea with vomiting;
- heat in the areas of the face, neck, chest;
- difficulty breathing;
- convulsions.
A reaction similar to disulfiram is used in the coding of alcoholism, but this method should be used only under the strict supervision of a specialist.Poisoning during treatment with nitroimidazoles and cephalosporins can be caused by even a small dose of alcohol.Abuse of alcohol in this case can lead to death.
Doctors allow small amounts of alcohol during treatment with penicillins, antifungals, 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's okay to drink alcohol while taking most antibiotics, it's not okay to take them at the same time.The best way to take such drugs is listed in the instructions.
For example, the effectiveness of erythromycin and tetracycline is increased by drinking alkaline mineral water, and by drinking sulfonamides, indomethacin, and reserpine with milk.
If the antibiotic does not cause a disulfiram-like reaction with ethanol, you can drink alcohol, but not earlier than 4 hours after taking the drug.This is the minimum time in which antibiotics circulate in the blood, and accordingly it is the answer to the question of how long you can drink after taking the medicine.
In any case, during the treatment period it is allowed to take only 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 medicine you can drink alcohol, you can 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.
There is also an assumption that the myth was invented by European doctors.Penicillin was a rare drug in the 1940s, and soldiers liked to drink beer, which has a diuretic effect and removes the drug from the body.
It has now been proven that in most cases alcohol does not affect the effectiveness of antibiotics and does not increase liver damage.If the active ingredients of the drug do not react like disulfiram with ethanol, you can drink alcohol during treatment.However, 2 main rules should be followed: do not abuse alcohol and do not take antibiotics with it.