Alcohol generally has a strong negative effect on the body. If you use the antibiotic immediately after it is finished, the risk of problems increases significantly. Of course, in some cases the danger will be minimal, but some drugs, usually prescribed for serious diseases, are not strictly compatible with alcohol.
During antibiotic therapy, doctors recommend abstinence from 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 and even beer? Read more about it.
Antibiotic - what is this drug
There are several basic types of antibiotics. The simplest are made from organic raw materials, others are purely synthetic, and others are a kind of intermediate choice. Regardless of the group, all drugs help to slow down the growth of pathogenic microflora, suppress and destroy it.
These drugs can be used only for bacterial infections - they do not affect viruses (even like the flu).
Antibiotics are available in different forms:
- capsules;
- pills;
- ointments;
- fluids for injection;
- syrups.
Regardless, the drugs work the same way. Moreover, even when it comes to external means, the main substance still penetrates into the blood.
Can I drink alcohol after completing the antibiotic course?
When a person falls ill, the main task of doctors is to ensure his speedy recovery. For this purpose, in addition to drugs, the following may be prescribed:
- diets;
- physiotherapy;
- various additional procedures.
In parallel, the physician is obliged to delay treatment, reduce its effectiveness or minimize the impact of any adverse factors that may lead to complications. For this purpose, experts recommend abstinence from alcohol.
Any disease in itself is a strong burden on the immune system. In addition, many antibacterial drugs do not work well on the internal organs. For this reason, their dose and duration of application are determined as accurately as possible. Oral alcohol has a negative effect on the liver and kidneys of even a completely healthy person. Accordingly, in combination with a pathogenic agent and antibiotics, it overloads these organs and increases intoxication.
Even at the end of the course, there is no need to rush to maturity - doctors recommend waiting for some time. Thus, when adopted:
- conventional antibiotics are allowed to be taken after at least 3 days (preferably 5);
- Long-acting drugs - you need to wait at least 3 weeks.
Which antibiotics can not be combined with alcohol
There is a wide range of drugs, it is absolutely impossible to drink alcohol while taking them.
Thus, nitroimidazoles are incompatible with alcohol. Their combination with ethanol causes a disulfiram-like reaction, a severe intoxication used in the coding of people who want to stop drinking.
In this case, it is better to start drinking alcohol at least two days after the end of the course.
The next group is fluoroquinolones. Alcohol is allowed here after 3 days. Drugs already have a major effect on the central nervous system and can cause severe side effects with alcohol (the worst of which is coma).
People taking cephalosporins should stop thinking about alcohol during the cycle. You need to wait at least a day after completion. If you have any kidney pathology, it will be possible to rest no later than 3 days.
Tetracyclines are very painful for the liver. These drugs are eliminated from the body for a long time. It is better to postpone drinking alcohol for 4 days.
Aminoglycosides are another group of fairly toxic antibiotics. They damage both the kidneys and the liver. You will not be able to drink alcohol for about 15 days after treatment with these drugs.
Lincosamides (even when taken according to a system prescribed by a doctor) have adverse effects on the liver and central nervous system. They can cause a disulfiram-like reaction. Drink alcohol no later 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 abstinence period is 5 days.
Antibiotics to help get rid of tuberculosis are usually taken for a long time. They have a side effect - reactive drug hepatitis. When it comes to such drugs, alcohol is only drunk with suicides.
How long can the antibiotic last after the course is over
Scientists have determined how much specific antibiotic metabolites save activity in the body. If we talk about simple drugs, the period is 3 days. In case of prolongation - 2 or more weeks.
A number of other factors also affect the duration of alcohol withdrawal:
- course duration;
- drug compatibility with ethanol;
- the presence of direct contraindications.
It is not possible to independently determine how long to wait before drinking alcohol. For this reason, it is better to consult a doctor thoroughly.
What happens if you drink antibiotics with alcohol
Alcohol can cause many undesirable complications in the process of taking antibiotics. 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 disease becoming chronic. Even with a small amount of alcohol, the antibiotic is absorbed faster and does not reach the infected area.
Alcohol with this drug often causes blood clots, which in turn are fraught with heart attacks or strokes. At best, existing diseases of the cardiovascular system will worsen.
When alcohol is consumed, the concentration of antibiotics decreases. Doctors should increase the dose of the latter, which increases the load on the kidneys and liver. We must not 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 rash and itching, and in complex cases may develop Quincke's edema or even anaphylactic shock.
When to drink alcohol immediately after antibiotics
There are several drugs that are allowed to use ethanol. The above cannot be taken as permission to take the tablets directly with alcohol. It is necessary to wait at least 3-6 hours, but it would be better to abandon the idea of breastfeeding until the end of treatment.
These relatively safe drugs include:
- penicillin and its derivatives;
- a number of glycopeptides;
- ansamycins, etc.
Keep in mind that if you have to take any of the above antibiotics, keep in mind the possibility of an individual reaction to their combination with alcohol.
Admission rules
Antibiotics must be taken correctly - only then will they have the desired effect. So, especially:
- the drug is prescribed only by a doctor;
- also determines how much and in what doses it should be consumed;
- the drug is washed down with cool and sugar-free drinks (preferably water);
- you should follow a diet during treatment (fat is prohibited, emphasis on protein foods and long carbohydrates);
- drink plenty of water while taking antibiotics;
- Even if there are no symptoms, continue treatment for the period prescribed by your doctor.
Can I drink alcohol while taking antibiotics?
Experience shows that many people do not know whether the combination of alcohol and antibiotics is allowed. Some believe that it is safe to drink alcohol a few hours after taking it. Others are convinced that they should not be confused. In fact, the truth is in the middle - it all depends on the general condition of the patient and the type of medication prescribed to him. What is the effect of alcohol on the body along with antibiotics? We will talk about this in more detail.
How strong alcohol interacts with antibiotics
Only a naive person will ask doctors which antibiotics can be combined with alcohol. They will definitely say that it is a big mistake to take them in parallel. In fact, they are right, because the main task for them is to get a person up quickly.
Why can't you take antibiotics and alcohol at the same time? Doctors note that after taking (oral) antibacterial drugs, their decay products are used by the liver. This organ is generally the main filter that removes toxins, ie it also cleanses the blood of substances that enter it as a result of drinking alcohol. If you mix alcohol and drugs, the load increases by about half - this leads to rapid erosion of the liver.
In addition, when taking antibiotics, be sure to drink plenty of water, which will speed up the withdrawal process. The same is true in the treatment of alcohol intoxication. Excessive moisture increases the load on the kidneys, which is not good.
At the same time, alcohol in some way changes the intensity and quality of metabolism. It is impossible to predict its impact here. If a person mixes drugs and ethanol, the result can be either very weak or very strong.
At the same time, there are antibiotics in the human body that are once bound to alcohol and have a more negative effect on the central nervous system and gastrointestinal tract.
So, if you are taking these drugs, it is worth learning how they interact with strong alcohol and whether it is permissible to combine them in principle.
Why You Shouldn't Drink Alcohol
If everything is more or less clear with strong alcohol, certain problems arise with weak alcohol. Many patients believe that the strength of the adverse effects depends only on the strength of alcohol, and are confident that you can drink the latter while taking antibiotics.
In fact, this is a deception. Both vodka and wine contain ethyl alcohol, which acts in the same way in both cases. In addition, the amount of light alcohol intoxicated is usually greater than in the case of strong alcohol, which means that we all have an increase in the load on the liver and kidneys.
The combination of weak alcohol with antibiotics is dangerous for others, because such alcohol contains many additives:
- yeast residues;
- paints;
- sweeteners;
- aromatic compounds;
- preservatives;
- carbon dioxide, etc.
All these substances increase the risk of undesirable side effects.
Taking antibiotics with alcohol - the possible consequences
The main outcome that threatens people who take both antibiotics and alcohol is intoxication. The severity of the latter may be different. In general, healthy people often have mild symptoms, while chronic patients have the opposite. In all cases, poisoning is accompanied by:
- nausea;
- dizziness;
- loss of coordination;
- vomiting;
- diarrhea
- migraine;
- hyperthermia;
- convulsions;
- fainting.
In severe cases, a person is urgently hospitalized.
When combined with alcohol, it will not be possible to prevent unpleasant consequences:
- tetracyclines and almost all drugs of this series;
- cephalosporins;
- Nitroimidazoles.
These antibiotics interact fairly actively with ethanol, and even if they do not interfere, they are taken with an interval of 6 or 8 hours. As a result, a disulfiram-like reaction begins in the body. There are simply signs of severe intoxication.
Normally, this effect helps to code people who stop drinking, but here the process is controlled by narcologists, and if the health condition deteriorates excessively, the patient is immediately stabilized with the drug. It is not possible to provide adequate care at home - so alcohol should not be mixed with these drugs.
These drugs cannot be combined with any chemicals. It is not recommended to mix ethanol with antibacterial drugs that help fight tuberculosis and leprosy.
Never drink alcohol if your doctor prescribes sulfonamides.
Conditionally compatible with antibiotics
What medications can be combined with alcohol? It all depends on their specific pharmacodynamics.
Factors such as the half-life of the drug and the length of time its metabolites remain in the body are important. If these parameters do not change significantly when drinking alcohol, then you can not take antibiotics and deny yourself alcohol.
When it comes to penicillin-related medications, drink small amounts of ethanol without fear.
How much is allowed to drink? If we talk about vodka, then the dose is about 50 ml. No more than 150 ml of dry wine is allowed, and 100 for dessert.
Non-alcoholic antibiotics are listed in the table:
| Group | Effect |
|---|---|
| Lincomycins | CNS damage |
| Macrolides | Has a strong adverse effect on the liver |
The effects shown in the table often occur during long-term drug treatment, even in people who do not drink alcohol at all. In addition, if there are no side effects (this is generally normal for healthy people), then taking any of these antibiotics is not contraindicated. At the same time, if you want to recover faster, it is worth remembering that it is better not to mix the drugs listed in the table with alcohol.
After a few days, alcohol is allowed to drink without special restrictions
So you stopped taking antibiotics and wondered: after what period can you drink without fear? The initial secretion of most drugs is completed after one day (18-24 hours). At the end of this period, in principle, it is not dangerous to take a little chest. Antibiotics are completely eliminated from the body after 14 days. That is, in the absence of other contraindications, it is possible to try to catch it after 2 weeks.
Another important question is: how long should you refrain from taking antibacterial drugs? When a non-acute illness is considered, it is better to wait 4 days, in emergencies one day is enough.
If we are talking about antibiotics belonging to the tetracycline group, then the patient should wait at least 72 hours.