We all know that drinking can be injurious to health. While drinking occasionally might not have any side effects, drinking while you are on antibiotics can lead to some adverse side effects. Mixing alcohol with antibiotics can trigger and complicate the side effects of your medication.
Here are other reasons why you must not drink alcohol while on antibiotics
There are some alcohol that can cause strong, negative side effects when mixed with antibiotics. Antibiotics that have a particularly strong reaction with alcohol include:
Metronidazole (Flagyl): It is an antibiotic used to treat parasitic and bacterial infection in the stomach, liver, brain and vagina.
Tinidazole (Tindamax): An antibiotic used to treat infections in the intestines and vagina.
When taking these antibiotics, one should stay away from liquor, wine and beer and avoid anything that contains alcohol like mouthwash or cough syrup.
Consuming alcohol while taking these antibiotics can cause abdominal cramping, nausea, headaches, vomiting and rapid heart rate.
If you accidentally drink while taking antibiotics, the side effects will disappear within a few hours. But if you experience severe side effects after taking antibiotics, you must seek medical attention immediately.
Other common antibiotics that should not be mixed with alcohol include:
Sulfamethoxazole-trimethoprim: The antibiotic is commonly used to treat UTIs or skin infections.
Cefotetan: It is used to treat bacterial infections in the lungs, skin and bones.
Linezolid: The medicine is used to treat skin infections and pneumonia and strong interactions with beer and even non-alcoholic drinks like red wine. Drinking while taking linezolid can lead to blood pressure spiking.
When can you drink after antibiotics?
One can drink after the antibiotic has cleared from your system, which is usually three days after the last dose.
Why you should not drink alcohol on antibiotics
Drinking alcohol lowers your body’s immune system. Alcohol when mixed with antibiotics comes with a risk of vomiting, diarrhoea and nausea.
Can alcohol make antibiotics less effective?
Though alcohol consumption won’t directly impact the effectiveness of your antibiotics. Drinking alcohol can take your body longer to recover from the infection or illness you are suffering.
When you are sick, you need to be properly hydrated. And one side effect of drinking alcohol can be dehydration, which can make it harder for you to get well.
Just like antibiotics, alcohol is broken down by the liver before it can exit your body. When your liver is already working to fight the infection, adding alcohol can increase the work. It can also cause drug-induced liver toxicity (swelling of the liver).