Antibiotics in themselves increase the burden on organs, primarily on the liver, and can provoke side effects. Alcohol is also unsafe for the body and often causes severe intoxication. How will antibacterial drugs behave under the influence of ethyl alcohol, how dangerous is this?
Consequences of drinking alcohol with antibiotics
There is a huge number of types of antibiotics, and the exchange of each of them in the human body occurs in different ways. Some drugs - and, most of them - do not enter into any reaction with alcohol, so their joint reception does not lead to unexpected consequences.
Other drugs, especially tetracyclines, interact with alcohol significantly alter pharmacokinetic properties, which can be very dangerous. In this case, it is possible not only to reduce the effectiveness of the drug, but also allergic reactions, damage to internal organs, severe poisoning and even death.
Even if you drink alcohol when treating certain drugs is allowed, it is important to remember that the negative impact of ethanol on the body can not be neutralized.
Side effects of
The intake of antibiotics is always accompanied by certain health risks. For each drug, they are different and are indicated in the instructions. However, often the side effect is expressed in allergic and toxic reactions, as a result of which the central nervous system is depressed and the liver suffers. To the similar consequences leads and the use of alcohol.
Scientifically proven that the effectiveness of most antibiotics does not affect the reception of alcoholic beverages. However, this rule is valid only with a slight use of alcoholic beverages, otherwise their destructive influence on the organism is activated.
Although the effectiveness of drugs is reduced only in 1 case out of 10 000, with alcohol abuse during treatment, side effects are superimposed on each other.
As a result, the following body reactions are possible:
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- increased intoxication and hangover syndrome;
- increased the load on the liver and kidneys;
- dizziness;
- impaired consciousness;
- syncope;
- heart pain;
- mental disorders.
In addition, some antibiotics in the interaction with ethanol provoke the effect of esperal( the substance is also called disulfiram).In the body, resistance to alcohol is sharply reduced, and as a result, a strong intoxication develops with the risk of coma and death.
Harm to the body
Simultaneous reception of antibacterial drugs and alcohol does not always lead to serious consequences for the body. However, antibiotics and alcohol alone are not absolutely safe. In addition, some drugs, when reacted with ethanol, give an undesirable reaction.
Gastrointestinal tract
Scientists have established in studies on animals and humans that if drinking alcohol with antibiotics at the same time, then severe consequences for the gastrointestinal tract are just a myth.
This harm to the body causes doxycycline. It causes irritation of the tender mucous membranes of the stomach and intestines, resulting in intestinal pain, nausea with vomiting, diarrhea.
There may be serious side effects:
- Erosive esophagitis.
- Gastritis.
- Ulcers of the stomach and duodenum.
- Ulcerative enterocolitis.
Liver
The effect of hepatotoxicity due to alcohol mixing in antibiotic therapy is another common misconception, but this rule also contains exceptions. Thus, drugs from the tetracycline group at small doses practically do not cause negative consequences for the liver. However, with increased dosage or when combined with alcohol, the hepatotoxic effect is repeatedly amplified.
An important role in this process is played by individual characteristics of the organism and hereditary factor. For people with good genetics, taking tetracyclines even when combined with alcohol will result in only minor consequences for the liver. Others may have a high risk of developing toxic hepatitis, so alcohol is not recommended for tetracycline therapy.
Absence of curative effect
The effect of ethanol on the effectiveness of antibacterial drugs depends on the exchange of a particular drug, but in most cases it does not change at all. An exception may be nitroimidazoles and some cephalosporins.
In addition, when drinking large doses of alcohol can be a strong dehydration of the body. As a consequence, the active substances of the preparations are washed out with urine, the volume of which increases. With normal consumption of alcohol this effect does not occur.
Disulfiram-like reaction
Disulfiram, or esperal, is a substance that does not in itself cause adverse effects on the body. However, with simultaneous intake with alcohol, it reacts with ethanol.
These substances are incompatible with each other, so there are symptoms of severe intoxication:
- Nausea with vomiting.
- Redness of the skin.
- Cough.
- Difficulty in breathing.
- Heart rhythm disturbances.
- Low pressure.
- Anxiety.
- Fear of death.
Due to this action, disulfiram is often used when encoding from alcoholism. As a result, people are formed reflex rejection of alcohol. Patients are warned that if you accidentally consume alcohol, you must urgently remove the encoding, as severe complications may occur, even to death.
Other antibiotics are also involved in disulfiram-like reactions. For example, cephalosporins, which contain molecules that alter the metabolism of ethanol.
Allergic reactions
After penetrating the body, allergic reactions can cause any substances. And in the case of antibiotics and alcohol, the risk of their occurrence is particularly high.
Predicting an allergy to any kind of antibiotics is impossible. Everything depends on heredity, dosage and duration of treatment.
If an allergic reaction occurs, a person has the following symptoms:
- Quincke edema;
- asphyxiation;
- vomiting;
- diarrhea;
- fever;
- anaphylactic shock.
Similar signs appear and when allergic to components of alcoholic beverages - artificial colors, flavors, polyphenolic compounds. Their safety can only be guessed, given the scale of falsification of alcoholic products.
As a rule, alcohol does not aggravate the course of an allergy to an antibiotic. However, when you have symptoms of alcohol, you should not drink alcohol. Otherwise, allergies to the drug may be accompanied by a similar reaction to the alcohol-containing beverage, and this will increase the risks to health and even life.