Everyone knows that under no circumstances should you combine alcoholic beverages and antibiotics, but now, the course of treatment has been completed, and the last pill has been taken, and it is not clear how much alcohol can be drunk after taking antibiotics? Should I wait a few days or can I have a few glasses that evening? To answer this question, you need to understand in more detail how antibacterial medicines and alcoholic beverages act on the body, and how long after treatment must pass so that drinking does not harm 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 recedes and the patient feels better.
However, there is another side to taking antibacterial agents. Since their elimination from the body falls entirely on the liver, it has to take a significant blow. Experts have also proved that in people who consumed alcohol during antibiotic therapy, the effectiveness of treatment was significantly lower than in patients who completely gave up alcohol.
It all depends on the drug used for the treatment. It is best to check this question with your doctor. He will tell you in detail after what amount of time you can return to your usual way of life 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:
- Treatment duration;
- This drug is compatible with ethanol;
- The 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 annotation does not contain information about the compatibility of a medicine with alcohol at all, this does not mean that you can start drinking immediately after the end of the course of treatment.
In any case, it is recommended to wait at least a day to allow the residual components of the drug to leave the body.
It is important to remember that even if there is no mention of interaction with ethyl alcohol in the instructions for the medicine, 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.
What antibiotics should never be combined with alcoholic beverages?
Despite all the prohibitions of doctors, some patients undergoing treatment with antibacterial agents still manage to drink strong drinks. At the same time, they do not even think about the possible consequences and refer to the fact that all the prohibitions of doctors are nothing more than an unnecessary precaution. In fact, if the simultaneous use of alcohol and medicine did not affect the patient's well-being in any way, this does not mean that everything has passed without a trace for the body.
The components of ethyl alcohol and the medication may not interact directly, however, ethanol can significantly reduce the therapeutic properties of the drug and the effectiveness of treatment. The disease will not recede anywhere and an additional course of therapy will be required, which will create a high load 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 alcoholic beverages. Information about incompatibility with alcohol is indicated in the annotation to these drugs, in addition, the patient must be warned about this by the attending physician responsible for prescribing the drug.
Medicines that are completely incompatible with ethyl alcohol include:
- Tetracyclines.They are widely used in medical practice for the treatment of various infectious diseases.
- Levomycetins.The drugs in this group by themselves can cause severe side effects, and their simultaneous intake with strong drinks can aggravate 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 medicines. It is categorically contraindicated to drink strong drinks during treatment with these drugs.
- Cephalosporins.Disulfiram-like reactions can occur due to the simultaneous use of these medications with strong drinks. The person will experience symptoms of severe intoxication, which will lead to a significant deterioration in his health.
- Anti-tuberculosisantibiotics.
- Macrolides.The interaction of these substances with ethanol has a strong toxic effect on the brain and liver.
- Antibioticsused in the treatment of leprosy.
There are some groups of antibacterial medicines, the annotations to which do not indicate how they interact with ethyl alcohol.
These drugs include:
- Antifungal agents;
- 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 permissible. It should be taken into account that the body of each person is unique, and someone after a combination of alcohol and antibacterial agents will remain safe and sound, 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 antibiotics and the physical condition of the patient. If the annotation indicates that it is forbidden to drink alcohol while taking the medication, therefore, it is better to wait until the residual components of the medication are completely removed from the body. This usually takes about two weeks, so it is better to wait until the end of this period with strong drinks.
If the instructions for a medicinal product 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 additional questions, you can contact your doctor. He will explain 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 therapy it is better not to drink alcoholic beverages.
Possible consequences of combining
Drinking alcohol after antibiotics can trigger unwanted symptoms and negative side reactions from the body. The fact is that there are a number of antibiotics that can block the breakdown of ethanol in the body. Because of this, 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 experiences painful symptoms of intoxication:
- Attacks of nausea and vomiting;
- An intolerable headache that even painkillers cannot relieve;
- Dizziness;
- Difficulty breathing;
- Pressing chest pains;
- Skin redness;
- Sweating;
- A rise or drop in blood pressure.
This is a far from complete list of the dire consequences of combining booze and drugs.
It is important to remember that only a small number of antibiotics have been shown to be incompatible with ethanol in clinical studies to date. The rest are either not yet fully understood, or remain in doubt.
In any case, a person should be aware that heavy drinking has a negative effect on the treatment process. Ethanol interferes with the normal absorption of drugs and significantly reduces their effectiveness. Therefore, during the course of therapy, you should refuse to take any kind of alcohol, even the weakest.
This will help you avoid unpleasant side effects and keep you healthy. After all, no one can say for sure how the simultaneous intake of alcohol and antibacterial agents will affect the health of a particular person.