Alcohol in general has a strong negative effect on the body. If you use it immediately after the end of the antibiotic, the risk of problems increases significantly. Of course, in some cases the danger will be minimal, but a number of drugs that are usually prescribed for serious illnesses are categorically incompatible with alcohol.
During antibiotic therapy, doctors recommend refraining from drinking alcohol. Similar restrictions are described in the instructions for use of each antimicrobial agent. If you drink alcohol after antibiotics, the effect of therapy may be weakened or minimized. Perhaps the development of adverse reactions and complications.
How much does it cost to wait after antibiotic treatment before drinking wine, vodka, or even beer? Read more about this.
Antibiotic: what is this medicine?
There are several main types of antibiotics. The simplest ones are made from organic raw materials, others are purely synthetic, and still others are some kind of middle ground. Regardless of the group, all drugs help slow down the development of pathogenic microflora, suppress and destroy it.
The drugs in question can only be used for infections of a bacterial nature; they don't work at all with viruses (even like the flu).
Antibiotics are available in various forms:
- capsules;
- tablets;
- ointments;
- liquids for injection;
- syrups
Regardless of this, the drugs work the same way. In addition, even when it comes to external means, the main substance still penetrates the blood.
Can I drink alcohol after completing a course of antibiotics?
When a person falls ill, the main task of doctors is to ensure his speedy recovery. For this purpose, in addition to medications, the following may be prescribed:
- subsistence allowance;
- physiotherapy;
- various additional procedures.
At the same time, the doctor is obliged to minimize the effect of negative factors that may delay treatment, reduce its effectiveness or cause complications. It is for this reason that experts recommend refraining from drinking alcohol.
Any disease in itself is a heavy load on the immune system. Also, many antibacterial drugs don't work very well on internal organs. For this reason, its dosage and duration of administration is determined as accurately as possible. Alcohol, taken orally, has a negative effect on the liver and kidneys even of a completely healthy person. Consequently, together with a pathogen and antibiotics, it extremely overloads the aforementioned organs and increases intoxication.
Even when the course is completed, it is not worth rushing to catch up - doctors advise to wait a certain time. So, in the accept case:
- it is permissible to drink conventional antibiotics after at least 3 days (preferably 5);
- Long-acting medications: You must wait at least 3 weeks.
What antibiotics can not be combined with alcohol?
There are many varieties of drugs, in the process of taking which it is absolutely impossible to drink alcohol.
So nitroimidazoles are incompatible with alcohol. Its combination with ethanol causes a reaction similar to disulfiram, an acute intoxication used to code people who want to stop drinking.
In this situation, it is better to start drinking alcoholic beverages at least two days after the end of the course.
The next group are the fluoroquinolones. Alcohol is allowed here after 3 days. Drugs already have an overwhelming effect on the central nervous system and, along with alcohol, can cause the development of serious side effects (the worst of which is coma).
People taking cephalosporins should give up the idea of drinking alcohol during their cycle. It is necessary to wait at least a day after its completion. If there is any kidney pathology, it will be possible to relax no earlier than 3 days.
Taking tetracyclines is very painful for the liver. These drugs are excreted from the body for a long time. It is better to postpone the consumption of alcohol for 4 days.
Aminoglycosides are another quite toxic group of antibiotics. They damage both the kidneys and the liver. After treatment with these drugs, you can not drink alcohol for about 15 days.
Lincosamides (even when taken according to the system developed by the doctor) have a negative effect on the liver and the central nervous system. They can cause a reaction similar to disulfiram. Drink alcohol no earlier than 4 days.
All macrolides increase the risk of developing liver cirrhosis. They are poorly excreted from the body. How long do you have to wait? The recommended period of abstinence is 5 days.
Antibiotics that help get rid of tuberculosis are usually taken for a long time. They have a side effect: drug-induced reactive hepatitis. When it comes to such drugs, alcohol is drunk exclusively by suicides.
How long the antibiotic can last after the course is completed
Scientists have determined the amount of activity-sparing metabolites of specific antibiotics in the body. If we are talking about simple drugs, then the period is 3 days. In the case of prolonged - from 2 or more weeks.
A number of other factors also affect the length of alcohol withdrawal:
- course duration;
- drug compatibility with ethanol;
- the presence of direct contraindications.
It is impossible to independently determine how long to wait before drinking alcohol. For this reason, it is best to get a full consultation with a doctor.
What happens if you take an antibiotic with alcohol?
Alcohol in the process of taking antibiotics can cause many unwanted complications. First of all, ethanol is guaranteed to weaken the effectiveness of the drug, which leads to the development of resistance in the pathogenic strain.
It is impossible not to mention the possibility of the transition of the disease to a chronic form. Even due to the small amount of alcohol, the antibiotic is absorbed faster and does not reach the infected area.
Alcohol with the drug in question often provokes blood clotting, and this, in turn, is fraught with heart attacks or strokes. At best, existing ailments of the cardiovascular system will worsen.
When alcohol is consumed, the concentration of antibiotics decreases. Doctors have to increase the dose of the latter, which increases the load on the kidneys and liver. Nor should we forget the negative effect of ethanol itself on these organs.
There is also an additional risk of allergies. In simple cases, the patient will come out with a rash and itching, and in complex cases, Quincke's edema or even anaphylactic shock may develop.
When can you drink alcohol immediately after antibiotics?
There are several drugs with which it is allowed to use ethanol. The above cannot be considered as permission to drink tablets directly with alcohol. It is necessary to wait at least 3-6 hours, but it would be more correct to abandon the idea of breastfeeding until the treatment is completed.
These relatively safe medications include:
- penicillin and its derivatives;
- various glycopeptides;
- ansamycins and others.
Keep in mind that if you have to drink any of the above antibiotics, do not forget about the probability of an individual reaction to their combination with alcohol.
Admission Rules
Antibiotics must be taken correctly, only in this case will they have the proper effect. So in particular:
- the drug is prescribed exclusively by a doctor;
- it also determines how much should be consumed and in what dosage;
- the drug is washed down with cold, sugar-free drinks (preferably water);
- during treatment, you must follow a diet (fat is prohibited, protein foods and long carbohydrates are emphasized);
- while taking the antibiotic, drink plenty of water;
- Even if the symptoms have disappeared, continue the treatment for a period determined by the doctor.
Can I drink alcohol while taking antibiotics?
As practice shows, many people do not know whether it is permissible to combine alcohol and antibiotics. Some are sure that drinking alcohol is not dangerous if you drink it within hours of taking the drug. Others are convinced that they should not be mixed under any circumstances. Actually, the truth is somewhere in the middle: it all depends on the general condition of the patient and the type of medication that was prescribed. What effect does alcohol have on the body if you drink it along with antibiotics? We'll talk about this later.
How strongly does alcohol interact with antibiotics?
Only a naive person will ask doctors which antibiotics can be combined with alcohol. They will surely say that taking them in parallel is definitely a big mistake. In fact, they are right, because for them the main task is to get a person to his feet as quickly as possible.
Why can't you take antibiotics and drink alcohol at the same time? Doctors note that after taking antibacterial drugs (oral only), their decomposition products are used by the liver. This organ is generally the main filter that eliminates toxins, that is, it also cleanses the blood of substances that have reached it as a result of alcohol consumption. If you mix alcohol and drugs, the load increases by about half, which leads to accelerated wear and tear on the liver.
Also, when taking antibiotics, be sure to drink plenty of water, this allows you to speed up the withdrawal process. The same is true in the treatment of alcohol intoxication. Excess moisture increases the load on the kidneys, which is also not good.
At the same time, alcohol changes in a certain way the intensity and quality of metabolism. Here it is impossible to foresee what their influence will be. If a person mixes drugs and ethanol, then as a result the former may act too weak or too strong.
At the same time, there are antibiotics that, once in the human body, bind to alcohol, which leads to an increased negative effect on the central nervous system and the gastrointestinal tract.
Therefore, if you drink the drugs in question, it is worth finding out how they interact with strong alcohol and whether, in principle, it is permissible to combine them.
Why you shouldn't drink alcohol
If everything is more or less clear with strong alcohol, then certain difficulties arise with weak alcohol. Many patients are sure that they can drink the last one even while taking antibiotics, believing that the strength of the negative impact depends only on the strength of the alcohol.
In fact, this is a hoax. Both vodka and wine contain ethyl alcohol, which acts in both cases in the same way. In addition, the volume of light alcohol that is drunk is usually greater than in the case of strong alcohol, that is, as a result, we all have an increased load on the liver and kidneys.
The combination of weak alcohol with antibiotics is also dangerous for others, because such alcohol contains many additional ingredients:
- yeast residues;
- dyes;
- sweeteners;
- aromatic compounds;
- preservatives;
- carbon dioxide, etc.
All of these substances increase the risk of unwanted side effects.
Taking an antibiotic with alcohol: the possible consequences
The main consequence that threatens people who drink antibiotics and alcohol is intoxication. The severity of the latter may be different. In general, healthy people tend to have mild symptoms, while people with chronic illnesses tend to have the opposite. In all cases, intoxication is accompanied by:
- nausea;
- dizziness;
- loss of coordination;
- vomiting;
- Diarrhea
- migraines;
- hyperthermia;
- seizures;
- Fainting.
In serious situations, a person is urgently hospitalized.
It will definitely not be possible to avoid unpleasant consequences if it is combined with alcohol:
- tetracyclines and almost all drugs in this series;
- cephalosporins;
- Nitroimidazoles.
These antibiotics quite actively interact with ethanol, even if they do not interfere with each other, but are taken with an interval of 6-8 hours. As a result, a reaction called disulfiram begins in the body. Simply put, there are signs of serious poisoning.
In normal cases, this effect helps codify people who stop drinking, but here the process is controlled by narcologists, and if the state of health worsens excessively, then the patient is immediately stabilized with medication. At home, it is impossible to provide adequate assistance; therefore, alcohol should not be mixed with the drugs mentioned.
These drugs cannot be combined with any other chemicals at all. It is not recommended to mix ethanol with antibacterial drugs that help against tuberculosis and leprosy.
Never drink alcohol if your doctor has prescribed sulfonamides.
Antibiotics conditionally compatible with alcohol.
What drugs can be combined with alcoholic beverages? It all depends on its inherent pharmacodynamics.
Here a factor such as the half-life of the drug and the length of stay of its metabolites in the body matter. If these indicators do not change significantly when drinking alcohol, then you can take antibiotics and not deny yourself alcohol.
Drink ethanol in small amounts without fear when it comes to drugs related to penicillins.
How much is allowed to drink? If we are talking about vodka, then the dosage is about 50 ml. Dry wine is allowed no more than 150 ml, and dessert - 100.
Types of antibiotics that are not mixed with alcohol are presented in the table:
| Group | Effect |
|---|---|
| lincomycins | CNS damage |
| macrolides | Strong negative effect on the liver. |
The effects listed in the table often occur during long-term drug treatment, even in people who do not drink alcohol at all. Also, when there are no negative manifestations (for healthy people this is usually normal), then taking any of the mentioned antibiotics is not a contraindication. At the same time, it is worth remembering that it is better not to mix the drugs listed in the table with alcohol if you want to recover faster.
After how many days is it allowed to drink alcohol without special restrictions?
So, you have stopped taking an antibiotic and are wondering: after what period of time is it permissible to drink without fear? Primary excretion of most drugs is complete after one day (18-24 hours). When this period is over, in principle, it is not dangerous to take a little on the chest. Antibiotics are completely eliminated from the body after 14 days. That is, in the absence of other contraindications, it is after 2 weeks that it is possible to try to catch up.
Another question is also important: how long should you abstain before taking antibacterial drugs? When it comes to a non-acute illness, it is better to wait 4 days, in emergency cases one day is enough.
If we are talking about antibiotics belonging to the group of tetracyclines, then the patient must wait at least 72 hours.