Alcohol generally has a strong negative effect on the body. If you use it immediately after the end of antibiotics, then the risk of problems increases significantly. Of course, in some cases the danger will be minimal, but some drugs that are usually prescribed for serious diseases are categorically incompatible with alcohol.
During antibiotic therapy, doctors recommend refraining from drinking alcohol. The same restrictions are described in the instructions for use of each antimicrobial agent. If you drink alcohol after antibiotics, the effects of therapy may be weakened or reduced. Probably the development of adverse reactions and complications.
How long does it cost to wait after antibiotic treatment before drinking wine, vodka or even beer? Read more about this.
Antibiotics - what is this drug
There are several main types of antibiotics. Most are easily made from organic raw materials, others are purely synthetic, and others are some type of intermediate option. Regardless of the group, all drugs help slow down the development of pathogenic microflora, suppress it and destroy it.
The drug in question can only be used for infections of a bacterial nature - it does not work at all on viruses (even like the flu).
Antibiotics are available in various forms:
- capsule;
- pill;
- ointment;
- fluids for injection;
- syrup.
Regardless of this, medications work the same way. Moreover, even if it is related in an external way, the main ingredient still penetrates into the blood.
Can I drink alcohol after completing a course of antibiotics?
When a person falls ill, the main task of the doctor is to ensure a speedy recovery. For this purpose, in addition to medications, the following may be prescribed:
- diet;
- physiotherapy;
- various additional procedures.
In parallel, physicians are responsible for minimizing the impact of any negative factors that could potentially delay treatment, reduce its effectiveness or trigger complications. It is for this purpose experts recommend abstaining from drinking alcohol.
Any disease in itself is a strong burden on the immune system. Moreover, many antibacterial drugs do not work well on internal organs. For this reason, the dose and duration of their administration are determined as accurately as possible. Alcohol, taken orally, has negative effects on the liver and kidneys even in completely healthy people. Therefore, coupled with pathogenic agents and antibiotics, it greatly burdens the mentioned organs and increases toxicity.
Even if the course is completed, it is not worth rushing to catch up - doctors advise to wait a certain time. So, in terms of acceptance:
- it is permissible to take conventional antibiotics after at least 3 days (preferably 5);
- long -acting medication - you have to wait at least 3 weeks.
What are antibiotics that should not be combined with alcohol
There are many types of drugs, in the process of taking it is very impossible to drink alcohol.
Thus, nitroimidazoles are incompatible with alcohol. Their combination with ethanol provokes a disulfiram -like reaction, an acute intoxication used in coding people who want to stop drinking.
In this case, it is better to start consuming alcoholic beverages at least two days after the end of the course.
The next group is fluoroquinolones. Here alcohol is allowed after 3 days. Drugs already have a remarkable effect on the central nervous system, and together with alcohol can lead to the development of severe side effects (the worst of which is coma).
People taking cephalosporins should abandon the idea of consuming alcohol during their cycle. It should wait at least a day after completion. If there is any pathology of the kidneys, then it is possible to rest no earlier than after 3 days.
Taking tetracycline is very painful for the liver. These drugs are removed from the body for a long time. Drinking alcohol is better to postpone for 4 days.
Aminoglycosides are another group of relatively toxic antibiotics. They harm both the kidneys and the liver. After treatment with these drugs, you should not drink alcohol for about 15 days.
Lincosamides (even taken according to a system developed by a doctor) have negative effects on the liver and central nervous system. They can trigger a disulfiram -like reaction. Drink alcohol no earlier than after 4 days.
All macrolids increase the risk of liver cirrhosis. They are less removed from the body. How long do you have to wait? The recommended confinement period is 5 days.
Antibiotics that help get rid of tuberculosis are usually taken for a long time. They have a side effect - hepatitis caused by reactive drugs. When talking about such drugs, alcohol is consumed exclusively by suicide.
How long antibiotics can last after the course is over
Scientists have determined how much certain antibiotic metabolites save activity in the body. If we talk about a simple remedy, then the duration is 3 days. In prolonged cases - from 2 or more weeks.
Several other factors also affect the duration of alcohol abstinence:
- course duration;
- drug compatibility with ethanol;
- the presence of direct contraindications.
It is impossible to determine independently how long to wait before drinking alcohol. For this reason, it is better to get a comprehensive consultation with a doctor.
What happens if you take antibiotics 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, leading to the development of resistance in pathogenic strains.
It is impossible not to mention the possibility of the transition of the disease into a chronic form. Despite the small amount of alcohol, antibiotics are absorbed more quickly and do not reach the infected area.
Alcohol with the drug in question often causes blood clots, and this, in turn, is fraught with heart attack or stroke. At best, diseases of the existing cardiovascular system will worsen.
When alcohol is consumed, the concentration of antibiotics decreases. Doctors need to increase the latter dose, which increases the burden on the kidneys and liver. We must also not forget about the negative effects of ethanol itself on these organs.
There is also an additional risk of allergies. In simple cases, patients will experience a rash and itching, and in complex cases, Quincke’s edema or anaphylactic shock may occur.
When can you drink alcohol immediately after antibiotics
There are several drugs that are allowed to use ethanol. The above should not be considered as permission to drink tablets directly with alcohol. It is necessary to wait at least 3-6 hours, but it is more appropriate to abandon the idea of breastfeeding until the treatment is complete.
These relatively safe medications include:
- penicillin and its derivatives;
- a number of glycopeptides;
- ansamycin and others.
Keep in mind, if you need to take any of the antibiotics mentioned above, do not forget about the possibility of individual reactions to its combination with alcohol.
Admission rules
Antibiotics must be taken correctly - only in this case it will have the right effect. So, in particular:
- the drug is prescribed exclusively by a physician;
- he also determines how much it should be consumed and in what doses;
- the medicine is washed down with a cold drink and without sugar (preferably water);
- during treatment, you should follow a diet (forbidden fats, emphasis on protein foods and long carbohydrates);
- while taking antibiotics, drink plenty of water;
- even if the symptoms disappear, continue treatment for a period determined by the doctor.
Can I drink alcohol while taking antibiotics?
As practice has shown, many people do not know whether it is permissible to combine alcohol and antibiotics. Some are convinced that drinking alcohol is harmless if you do it a few hours after taking the drug. Others are convinced that they should not be mixed under any circumstances. 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 if you drink it along with antibiotics? We will talk about this in more detail.
How strongly alcohol interacts with antibiotics
Only a naive person will ask a doctor what antibiotics can be combined with alcohol. They would definitely say that taking them in parallel is definitely a big mistake. In fact, they are right, because for them the main task is to put someone on his feet as quickly as possible.
Why can’t you take antibiotics and drink alcohol at the same time? Doctors note that after taking (oral only) antibacterial drugs, their breakdown products are used up by the liver. This organ is generally the main filter that removes toxins, i. e. it also cleanses the blood of substances that have gotten there as a result of drinking alcohol. If you mix alcohol and drugs, then the load increases by about half - this leads to accelerated liver thirst.
In addition, when taking antibiotics, make sure you drink plenty of water, this allows you to speed up their production process. The same is true in the treatment of alcohol intoxication. Excessive moisture increases the load on the kidneys, which is also not good.
At the same time, alcohol in a certain way changes the intensity and quality of metabolism. Here it is impossible to predict its influence. If a person mixes drugs and ethanol, then as a result, the drug can act either too weakly or too strongly.
At the same time, there are antibiotics that, once in the human body, bind alcohol, leading to greater negative effects on the central nervous system and gastrointestinal tract.
Therefore, if you are taking the medication in question, then it is worth knowing how it interacts with strong alcohol and whether it is basically permissible to combine it.
Why You Should Not Drink Alcohol
If everything is more or less clear with strong alcohol, then certain difficulties arise with weak alcohol. Many patients are convinced that you can drink the latter even while taking antibiotics, believing that the strength of the negative effects depends solely on the strength of alcohol.
Actually, this is an illusion. Both vodka and wine contain ethyl alcohol, which acts in both cases in a similar way. Moreover, the amount of light alcohol consumed is usually greater than in the case of strong alcohol, that is, as a result, we all get an increase in the load on the liver and kidneys.
The combination of weak alcohol with antibiotics is also dangerous for others, as the alcohol contains many additives:
- leftover yeast;
- dyes;
- sweetener;
- aromatic compounds;
- preservative;
- carbon dioxide, etc.
All of these ingredients increase the risk of unwanted side effects.
Taking antibiotics with alcohol - possible consequences
The main consequence that threatens people who drink both antibiotics and alcohol is intoxication. The severity of the latter may vary. In general, healthy people often have mild symptoms, while people who are chronically ill often experience the opposite. In all cases, poisoning is accompanied by:
- nausea;
- dizziness;
- loss of coordination;
- vomiting;
- diarrhea
- migraine;
- hyperthermia;
- seizures;
- fainted.
In severe cases, a person is hospitalized immediately.
Of course it is impossible to avoid unpleasant consequences if combined with alcohol:
- Tetracycline and almost all drugs of this series;
- Cephalosporins;
- Nitroimidazoles.
This antibiotic interacts quite actively with ethanol, although it is not disturbed, but is taken with an interval of 6 or 8 hours. As a result, a so -called disulfiram -like reaction begins in the body. In short, there are signs of severe intoxication.
In normal cases, this effect helps to encode people who stop drinking, but here the process is controlled by a narcologist, and if the health condition worsens, then the patient is immediately stabilized with medication. At home, it is impossible to provide adequate assistance - which is why alcohol should not be mixed with the mentioned drugs.
These drugs should not be combined with any other chemicals at all. It is not recommended to mix ethanol with antibacterial drugs that help fight tuberculosis and leprosy.
Never drink alcohol if your doctor has prescribed sulfonamides.
Antibiotics are conditionally compatible with alcohol
What medications can be combined with alcoholic beverages? It all depends on the pharmacodynamics that exist.
Here factors such as the half -life of the drug and the length of stay of its metabolites in the body are important. 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 involving penicillin-related medications.
How much is allowed to drink? If we talk about vodka, then the dose is about 50 ml. Dry wine is allowed no more than 150 ml, and desserts - 100.
Types of antibiotics that do not mix with alcohol are presented in the table:
| Group | Effect |
|---|---|
| Lincomycins | CNS damage |
| Macrolide | Strong negative effects on the liver |
The effects shown in the table often occur during long-term treatment with drugs, even in people who do not drink alcohol at all. Moreover, when there are no negative manifestations (for healthy people this is usually normal), then taking any of the antibiotics mentioned is not contraindicated. At the same time, keep in mind 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 alcohol is allowed to drink without special restrictions
So, you have stopped taking antibiotics and wondered: after a period of time allowed to drink without fear? The main excretion of most drugs is completed after a day (18-24 hours). When this period is over, in principle, it is not dangerous to take a little in the chest. Antibiotics are completely eliminated from the body after 14 days. That is, if there are no other contraindications, after 2 weeks it is possible to try to catch up.
Another question is also important: how long should you abstain before taking antibacterial medication? When the intended non -acute illness, it is better to wait 4 days, in case of emergency a day is enough.
If we talk about antibiotics belonging to the tetracycline group, then the patient must wait at least 72 hours.