Scientists say that the active ingredients of antibiotics stay in the body for at least 3 days. There are drugs with prolonged (long) action, they are removed only after 2-3 weeks. Consultation with a doctor can help prevent side effects. It is important to pay attention to the following parameters before you start drinking alcohol after antibiotics:
- duration of drug treatment;
- its compatibility with ethyl alcohol;
- the time after which alcohol is allowed after the last dose.
Combination of drugs with alcohol
From the point of view of some doctors, taking antibiotics at the same time as alcohol can lead to liver dysfunction, but also reduce the effectiveness of the drugs to almost nothing.
Other experts speak only of four-hour abstinence, assuring that at the end of that period the drugs have already completed their active phase and that drinking alcohol will not affect the health condition in any way.
What happens if you mix it with alcohol
Antibiotics are prescribed to treat many diseases. During the treatment, numerous events are held: birthdays, corporate parties, weddings and other events. Therefore, the question of how much alcohol should not be drunk after antibiotics worries many. Let's consider this problem in more detail.
Interaction
To understand whether it is possible to drink alcohol after antibiotics, you need to have information about the interaction of drugs and drinks containing alcohol.
Any substance that enters the body begins to be digested. First, there is splitting into its component parts, and then the complete disintegration of the substance. Only the original elements remain. These are carbohydrates, proteins, fats.
If you drink alcohol after antibiotics, then the breakdown products of the alcohol product are also shared. If at this time the drug is not completely removed from the blood, then its remains can combine with the products of alcohol decomposition. A mixture is formed that causes malfunctions in internal organs.
Drinking alcohol after taking antibiotics can cause the following problems:
- the load on the liver will increase several times, due to which the natural filter will not cope with the overload;
- allergic reactions of different nature;
- mental health problems will begin;
- dizziness and vomiting.
How the reaction will manifest itself if you drink alcohol after taking antibiotics depends on the type of certain drug, the amount of alcohol you drink, the age and sex of the person, as well as the individual characteristics of the organism.
It is safe to say that you cannot drink alcohol after antibiotics. The rule also applies to those medicines in the note for which there is no direct indication of incompatibility with products containing alcohol. The mildest side effect if you drink alcohol after a course of antibiotics will be the absence of the expected therapeutic effect.
Despite various important activities that cannot do without products containing alcohol, drinking alcohol after antibiotics is unacceptable.
Alcohol while taking antibiotics can lead to serious irreversible consequences. The main negative reactions of this combination include:
- It increases the resistance of pathogenic microflora. Antibacterial drugs are prescribed to destroy pathogenic microorganisms in the human body. At the same time, alcohol weakens the effect of these drugs, and at that time bacteria adapt and adapt to the active substance, increasing resistance to this group of antibiotics.
- The transition from an acute form of the disease to a chronic one. Alcohol can accelerate the metabolism of the active substance, while the drug breaks down faster and does not have time to act on the focus of inflammation. To do this, the doctor prescribes a double dose of antibiotics, the burden on the body increases, and the disease is treated longer and harder.
- An increase in blood viscosity with the combination of alcohol and antibiotics can lead to the development of a stroke or myocardial infarction, as well as problems in the work of the heart and blood vessels.
- Reduction of drug concentration due to the use of alcoholic beverages. At the same time, the doctor increases the dose of antibacterial drugs, and with such a load, the liver and kidneys work worn out. Perhaps the development of acute insufficiency of these organs.
- Impaired liver function. Ethyl alcohol and antibiotics are broken down by the same liver enzymes. Under such influence, the production of these substances can completely stop, which will lead to severe intoxication and organ inhibition.
- Risk of developing severe allergic reactions. The human body can react inadequately to such a complex of influences. Anaphylactic shock or fatal angioedema is an irreversible result of the interaction of alcohol and antibiotics.
- A special danger is a disulfiram-like reaction, which occurs due to the accumulation of acetaldehyde (an intermediate metabolite of ethyl alcohol) in tissues and organs, acting as a strong nootropic on the central nervous system. Its excretion is disturbed and against this background severe intoxication occurs, accompanied by: nausea, vomiting, palpitations, sweating, fever, drop in blood pressure, abdominal pain, dizziness and convulsions.
Compatible medications
Among antibacterial agents, there are special categories of drugs that allow combined use with alcoholic beverages:
- cephalosporins;
- Preparations from the penicillin series;
- macrolides.
If you are taking medicines containing penicillin, you can drink alcohol no later than 4 hours after the end of the course of antibiotics. This time is quite enough for the complete absorption of the drug into the blood and its breakdown in the liver, which signals the fulfillment of the therapeutic function and the beginning of the process of removing drug residues through the kidneys.
If you start drinking alcohol earlier than this period, or drink too much, the effect of the treatment will not follow. The fact is that ethanol in large quantities increases the production of liver enzymes, which begin to actively break down not only alcohol, but also the drugs themselves.
This, in turn, contributes to the rapid removal of drugs from the body, due to which the drug does not have time to perform its functions. In addition, alcohol has a diuretic effect, which also helps to reduce the concentration of drugs and reduce their effectiveness to zero.
But there is a group of antibacterial drugs that should never be taken with alcohol or right before you drink it. This is explained by the ability of such antibiotics to block the production of ethanol-degrading enzymes.
The effect of drugs of this group on the body is similar to the effect of the drug used to code patients suffering from alcohol addiction.
Antibacterial therapy, which is carried out using drugs with similar properties, requires a complete rejection of alcohol. Violation of this rule is fraught with serious consequences, up to the death of the patient.
There are a large number of groups of antibacterial agents that cannot be combined with any alcohol. These medications include:
- Nitroimidazoles. High risk of developing a disulfiram-like reaction (alcohol intake is possible only after 2 days).
- Fluoroquinolones in combination with alcohol depress the nervous system until the development of coma, alcohol is allowed only after 36 hours.
- In interaction with ethyl alcohol, cephalosporins give a reaction similar to disulfiram, alcohol can be taken after 24 hours (in case of kidney disease, the interval is extended).
- Tetracyclines damage liver cells for a very long time, they are excreted from the body, drinking alcohol no earlier than 3 days.
- Aminoglycosides are oto- and nephrotoxic, increase side effects of drugs, alcohol may be taken no later than 2 weeks later.
- Lincosamides affect the central nervous system and liver, cause a disulfiram reaction, alcohol is allowed only after 4 days.
- Macrolides cause liver cirrhosis. It is excreted from the body very slowly, for example, taking alcoholic beverages only after 4 days.
- Anti-tuberculosis drugs cause the development of drug-induced hepatitis with a fulminant course, any alcohol is strictly prohibited.
When you can drink alcohol after antibiotics: general rules
Compliance with the correct intake of antibiotics will help to cure the disease faster without the risk of adverse reactions. Basic rules:
- take medicines only according to the doctor's instructions (self-medication is dangerous to health);
- be sure to observe the exact dose and time of taking antibiotics;
- the duration of drug treatment will be determined by the doctor. On average, it is from 5 to 15 days, and taking long-acting drugs is from 1 to 4 days;
- you need to drink tablets with clean still water, decoctions of chamomile, and not with hot tea without sugar;
- during treatment with antibiotics, it is better to refuse eating fatty foods, which slow down the absorption of the active substance from the intestines into the blood. Be sure to consume animal proteins in the form of chicken, rabbit or turkey meat. Limit the amount of fast carbohydrates;
- absolute contraindication: alcohol after antibiotics if less than 3 days have passed.
Today, antibiotics are an integral part of the treatment of viral infections. This raises the question of when you can drink alcohol after taking antibiotics. Antibiotics are used in the fight against most viruses and bacteria known to modern medicine. What to do with alcohol consumption after antibiotics?
The duration of antibiotic treatment is usually from several days to months, depending on the complexity of the disease. Alcohol is not allowed during this period. Regulate the intake of other heavy foods. When you use alcohol after antibiotics, the doctor does not guarantee you the maximum effectiveness of the course, in addition, complications often occur.
After some time you can start drinking alcohol after antibiotics. Do not drink during treatment. The number of days you need to wait before consuming alcohol varies depending on the medication.
Why are alcohol and antibiotics incompatible? The fact is that the antibiotic taken automatically reduces the activity of your internal organs, which not only fight against infections, but also clean the body after consuming alcohol.
Drinking alcohol during antibiotic therapy means destruction of the liver, kidneys and heart. After antibiotics, there is a serious disturbance of the natural intestinal microflora. If you drink in this state, you will find yourself in a hospital bed.
If you drink alcohol immediately after the pill, without waiting, you will experience side effects such as:
- liver failure;
- nausea and vomiting;
- headache;
- dizziness;
- clouded mind.
These are the main reasons why alcohol after taking antibiotics is only allowed a few days after the end of the course.
Term of abstinence
Of course, the question of how long it takes to start drinking alcohol after taking antibiotics should be asked by your doctor. If you forgot to ask your doctor about it, and now you can't get to him, look at the note attached to the medicine. Read it carefully in search of information about the duration of administration, the compatibility of the drug with alcohol, the period after which you can drink alcohol.
Most often, when asked how many days you can return to the "alcoholic" life, the answer is a few days. The abstinence period varies from three days to a full week. Regardless of which specific drug was used and how long it takes for its complete withdrawal from the body.
Even if the instructions do not indicate whether it is possible to drink alcohol after antibiotics, it is better to postpone the festivities for a few days. The point is not only in the compatibility of drugs and alcohol, but also in the fragile body. Even the smallest dose can be a serious poison for him.
Strict prohibition
A strict ban on drinking alcohol during antibiotic therapy is not a doctor's whim. Even if you do not notice any side effects when combining these two components, this does not mean that the body is not damaged.
With the combination of ethanol and drugs, there is not necessarily a direct effect. However, the therapeutic properties of the drug will be reduced. Accordingly, the disease will not be defeated and an additional course will be required, which will seriously affect the liver and a number of other organs related to the excretory system.
There is a whole group of antibiotic drugs, the combination of which with alcohol is strictly prohibited. In the note of such drugs, the lack of compatibility with ethanol is always mentioned. In addition, the doctor will give the patient an appropriate warning.
In particular, it is strictly forbidden to consume alcohol if you have been prescribed a drug from the tetracycline group. In medicine, they are widely used to treat various infections. Preparations from the levomecitin group are not combined with ethanol, because they cause severe side effects. In combination with drinking, the toxic effect of the drug is enhanced.
Cephalosporins are also strong drugs, if taken at the same time with alcohol, you can lead your body to severe intoxication, which does not contribute to a quick cure of the disease. The group of medicines for which it is forbidden to drink alcohol includes antibiotics against tuberculosis and leprosy, as well as macrolides, which in combination with alcohol increase their toxic properties. First of all, the brain and liver suffer in such cases.
Time frame
There are antibiotics, in the instructions for which you will not find information about compatibility with ethyl alcohol. These are anti-fungal drugs, penicillin drugs.
It was already mentioned above that this gap in the instructions does not give the green light to drinking alcohol. Consider the individuality of your body. For some, the combination of alcohol and antibiotics will cause only mild intoxication, and for some even death.
In this case, the minimum period of abstinence is three days. Of course, if you have questions, it is better to contact your doctor who will explain the answers to your questions.
Admission rules
You must take antibiotics correctly to increase the effectiveness of the treatment and reduce the likelihood of side effects. Antibiotics are prescribed only by a doctor; preliminary tests are given to help the doctor determine which antibiotics are most appropriate.
Independent purchase of antibiotics can lead to side effects or simply zero effectiveness.
The use of antibiotics is subject to strict rules. For example, when using antibiotics twice a day, it is best to increase the interval between doses to 12 hours. Usually, during this time, one tablet maintains the necessary concentration of the substance in the blood.
Meat is best consumed cooked, while choosing chicken or turkey, make stewed vegetables. It is important to adhere to the drinking regime. Normally, a person needs 30 ml per kilogram of body weight.
However, during the illness, the intoxication syndrome increases, so it is advisable to increase the amount of drinking per liter.
Remember that a high temperature increases the body's need for fluids. In addition, it is actively used to expel bacterial decomposition products from the body.
In case of infectious diseases, be sure to go on sick leave. Turn off sports, in some cases bed rest is recommended. If you can't lie down all day, take a walk outside. You can combine antibiotics with other medicines only according to your doctor's instructions.
When you can drink alcohol
The time of complete elimination of antibiotics from the body is strictly individual. For example, aminoglycosides are removed from the circulatory system after 2. 5 hours.
The same substances in the ear fluid leave the body only 14-15 days after taking the last pill. Alcohol consumption before this period is fraught with serious problems, up to complete deafness.
The duration of the "abstinence" period is determined by the type of drug, the patient's age, his state of health and metabolic characteristics. In some cases, the use of alcohol is allowed already 1-1. 5 days after the end of treatment, in others it may take about 3-10 days of absolute abstinence from alcohol.
Only a doctor can determine exactly how many days after taking antibiotics you can drink alcohol. Many experts believe that you can enjoy delicious wine (or something stronger) only 10 days after the end of the therapeutic course.
For patients suffering from diseases of the liver, kidneys and other organs, these deadlines can be extended, according to the individual recommendations of the doctor.
In addition, there are a number of factors that speak in favor of the absolute refusal of alcohol during therapy, as well as immediately after its completion:
- During that period, the human body, weakened by infection, is more susceptible to the effects of antibiotics, which negatively affect the kidneys, liver and heart. In addition, drugs damage the gastrointestinal tract by suppressing its microflora. If alcohol is added to this, the body simply cannot withstand the load, which threatens the development of acute kidney and liver failure.
- The effectiveness of antibiotic therapy decreases by almost 100% if alcohol is consumed at the same time. The fact is that pathogenic microorganisms, which antibiotics aim to degrade, will lose sensitivity to the drug and remain immune to its action. Repeated violation of the regime of abstinence from drinking will lead to the ineffectiveness of the entire treatment, which may result in the death of the patient.
These are the main reasons why you should stop drinking during the therapeutic course and immediately after its completion. Indeed, part of the pathogenic bacteria remains active for some time, and the weakening of the effect of the drugs will contribute to the further development of the pathogenic microflora.
Collapse
- During that period, the human body, weakened by infection, is more susceptible to the effects of antibiotics, which negatively affect the kidneys, liver and heart. In addition, drugs damage the gastrointestinal tract by suppressing its microflora. If alcohol is added to this, the body simply cannot withstand the load, which threatens the development of acute kidney and liver failure.
- The effectiveness of antibiotic therapy decreases by almost 100% if alcohol is consumed at the same time. The fact is that pathogenic microorganisms, which antibiotics aim to degrade, will lose sensitivity to the drug and remain immune to its action. Repeated violation of the regime of abstinence from drinking will lead to the ineffectiveness of the entire treatment, which may result in the death of the patient.
- How many days after taking antibiotics you can drink alcohol, the doctor determines, taking into account the type and nature of the course of the disease, the age of the patient and the characteristics of his body.
- Light alcoholic drinks (for example, wine) can be drunk 3-5 days after the end of treatment, strong drinks - no earlier than 10 days later.
- Violation of the recommended periods of abstinence is fraught with serious consequences, up to the death of the patient.