Everyone knows that alcohol and antibiotics should not be combined under any circumstances, but now the treatment process is over and the last pill has been taken and it is not clear how long it is possible to drink strong alcohol after taking antibiotics? Should I wait a few days or can I have a few drinks the same evening? To answer this question, you need to understand in more detail how antibacterial drugs and alcoholic beverages affect the body and how much time must pass after treatment so that drinking does not harm your health.
How many days after antibiotic treatment can you drink alcohol?
Drugs from this group are prescribed for the treatment of inflammatory diseases that the body cannot cope with on its own. Antibiotics attack pathogens, destroying their cellular structure, so that the disease subsides and the patient feels better.
However, there is another side to taking antibacterials. Since their removal from the body completely falls on the liver, it must have a significant impact. Experts also proved that in people who consumed alcohol during antibiotic therapy, the effectiveness of the treatment was significantly lower than in patients who completely gave up alcohol.
It all depends on the drug used for treatment. It is best to check this issue with your doctor. It will tell you in detail after what time you can return to your normal lifestyle and take alcoholic beverages. If it is not possible to contact a doctor, then you can carefully review the instructions for the drug.
It should be marked there:
- Duration of treatment;
- This drug is compatible with ethanol;
- Period during which you should not drink alcohol even after the end of therapy.
The ban usually lasts from three to seven days. It all depends on the type of drug and the duration of its elimination from the body.
If the note does not contain information on the compatibility of the drug with alcohol at all, it does not mean that you can start drinking immediately after completing the course of treatment.
In any case, it is recommended to wait at least one day for the remaining components of the drug to leave the body.
It is important to remember that, even if the drug instructions do not mention the interaction with ethyl alcohol, you should still not drink alcohol immediately after antibiotics. This can harm the body that is still immature after the illness and cause unwanted side effects.
Which antibiotics should never be combined with alcoholic beverages?
Despite all the prohibitions of doctors, some patients who are treated with antibacterial agents still manage to drink strong drinks. At the same time, they don’t even think about the possible consequences and invoke that all doctor bans are nothing but an unnecessary precaution. In fact, if the simultaneous use of alcohol and drugs in no way affected the well-being of the patient, it does not mean that for the body everything went without a trace.
Ethyl alcohol and drug components may not have direct interactions, however ethanol can significantly reduce the therapeutic properties of the drug and the effectiveness of treatment. The disease will not go away and an additional course of therapy will be needed, which will create a great burden on the liver and other organs of the excretory system.
There is also a group of antibacterial drugs against which it is strictly forbidden to drink any beverages containing alcohol. Information on incompatibility with alcohol is indicated in the notes to these drugs, in addition, the doctor responsible for prescribing the drug must warn the patient.
Drugs that are completely incompatible with ethyl alcohol include:
- Tetracyclines.They are widely used in medical practice to treat various infectious diseases.
- Chloramphenicol.Drugs from this group can cause serious side effects by themselves, and their concomitant intake with strong drinks can worsen the toxic effect of the drug.
- Lincosamides.Drinking alcohol while taking these antibiotics negatively affects the central nervous system and liver.
- Aminoglycosides.Some of the most powerful antibacterial agents that do not work well with other drugs. It is categorically contraindicated to drink strong drinks during treatment with these drugs.
- Cephalosporins.A disulfiram-like reaction may occur due to concomitant use of these drugs with strong drinks. The person will experience symptoms of serious intoxication, which will lead to a significant deterioration of his health.
- Anti-tuberculosisantibiotics.
- Macrolides.The interaction of these substances with ethanol has a strong toxic effect on the brain and liver.
- Antibioticsused to treat leprosy.
There are some groups of antibacterial drugs, whose notes do not indicate their interaction with ethyl alcohol.
These medications include:
- Antifungals;
- Penicillin drugs and others.
The fact that the instructions for use do not contain information on the effects of combining these drugs with alcohol does not mean that their combination is allowed. It should be borne in mind that each person’s body is unique, and someone will remain safe and healthy after a combination of alcohol and antibacterial agents, and someone will be at great risk.
So how long after treatment with antibacterial drugs can you afford to drink alcohol? It all depends on the type of antibiotic and the physical condition of the patient. If the note indicates that it is forbidden to drink alcohol while taking the drug, it is better to wait until the remaining components of the drug are completely removed from the body. This usually lasts about two weeks, so it is better to wait for the end of this period with strong drinks.
If the instructions for the drug do not indicate the specifics of its interaction with ethanol, then it is still better not to drink alcoholic beverages for at least three days after the end of therapy.
If you have any further questions, you can contact your doctor. He will explain to you in detail whether it is possible to consume alcohol while taking one or another antibacterial drug and will tell you how long after the end of the therapy it is better not to drink alcoholic beverages.
Possible consequences of combining
Drinking alcohol after taking antibiotics can cause unwanted symptoms and negative side effects by the body. The fact is that there are a number of antibiotics that can block the breakdown of ethanol in the body. As a result, acetaldehyde ceases to be excreted from tissues and organs and begins to accumulate in them.
In this case, the body is poisoned and the person has painful symptoms of intoxication:
- Attacks of nausea and vomiting;
- An unbearable headache that even painkillers can't relieve;
- Dizziness;
- difficulty breathing;
- Chest pain;
- Redness of the skin;
- Sweating;
- Increase or decrease in blood pressure.
This is far from a complete list of the terrible consequences of combining alcohol and drugs.
It is important to remember that so far only a few antibiotics have been shown to be incompatible with ethanol in clinical trials. The rest is either not yet fully understood or remains in doubt.
In any case, a person should be aware that heavy drinking negatively affects the healing process. Ethanol interferes with the normal absorption of drugs and significantly reduces their effectiveness. Therefore, during therapy, you should refuse to drink any type of alcohol, even the weakest.
This will help you avoid unpleasant side effects and stay healthy. After all, no one can say for sure how the simultaneous intake of alcohol and antibacterial agents will affect the health of a certain person.