Everyone knows that under no circumstances can you mix alcohol and antibiotics, but now, the treatment process has been completed, and the last time you took the medicine, is it unclear how long you can drink strong alcohol after taking antibiotics? How many days should I wait, or how many drinks can I drink that night? To answer this question, you need to understand in more detail how antibacterial drugs and alcoholic beverages act on the body, and how long it takes for treatment to prevent drinking alcohol from harming your health.
How many days can I drink alcohol after antibiotic treatment?
These drugs are prescribed to treat inflammation that the body cannot cope with on its own. Antibiotics attack pathogens and destroy their cell structure, thereby making the disease subside and making the patient feel better.
However, taking antibacterial agents has another side. Since they are completely excreted from the body and fall on the liver, they have to withstand a big blow. Experts also show that people who drink alcohol during antibiotic treatment have a significantly lower therapeutic effect than patients who refuse alcohol completely.
It all depends on the medication used for treatment. It is best to confirm this issue with your doctor. How long will he return to his normal life and take alcoholic beverages will tell you in detail. If you cannot contact your doctor, you can read the instructions for use of the medicine carefully.
should be marked here:
- Treatment time;
- The drug is compatible with ethanol;
- The period when alcohol should not be consumed after treatment.
The ban usually lasts three to seven days. It all depends on the type of drug and the duration of its clearance from the body.
If the comment does not contain information on the compatibility of the drug and alcohol at all, it does not mean that you can start drinking immediately after the treatment process is over.
In any case, it is recommended to wait at least one day for the residual components of the drug to leave the body.
It is important to remember that even if the interaction with ethanol is not mentioned in the drug instructions, you should not drink alcohol immediately after taking antibiotics. This can harm the body that is still immature after the disease and cause undesirable side effects.
Which antibiotics should not be used in combination with alcoholic beverages?
Although doctors forbid everything, some patients treated with antibacterial agents still try to drink strong alcohol. At the same time, they did not even consider the possible consequences, but mentioned that all doctors bans are just unnecessary preventive measures. In fact, if the simultaneous use of alcohol and drugs will not affect the health of the patient in any way, it does not mean that everything has no effect on the body.
Ethanol and the components of the drug may not directly interact, but ethanol will greatly reduce the therapeutic performance and therapeutic effect of the drug. The disease will not subside anywhere and will require additional treatment procedures, which will cause a high load on the liver and other organs of the excretory system.There is also a group of antibacterial drugs. In this context, it is strictly forbidden to drink any alcoholic beverages. The notes on these medications point out information about incompatibility with alcohol. In addition, the attending physician in charge of prescribing the medication must warn the patient about this.
Drugs that are completely incompatible with ethanol include:
- Tetracycline.They are widely used in medical practice to treat various infectious diseases.
- fibroin.This group of drugs itself can cause serious side effects, and the simultaneous intake of strong drinks will aggravate the toxic effects of the drug.
- Lincoamide.Drinking alcohol while taking these antibiotics can negatively affect the central nervous system and liver.
- Amino glycosides.Some of the most powerful antibacterial agents cannot be used with other drugs. During treatment with these drugs, it is absolutely forbidden to drink strong beverages.
- Cephalosporins.Due to the simultaneous use of these drugs and strong drinks, disulfiram-like reactions may occur. The person will show symptoms of severe poisoning, which will cause a serious deterioration of his health.
- anti-tuberculosisantibiotics.
- Macrolides.The interaction of these substances with ethanol has a strong toxic effect on the brain and liver.
- Antibioticsare used to treat leprosy.
There are groups of antibacterial drugs whose comments do not indicate how they interact with ethanol.
These medications include:
- antifungal drugs;
- Penicillin drugs and other drugs.
The instructions for use do not contain information about the effects of mixing these drugs with alcohol, which does not mean that they can be combined. It should be considered that everyone’s body is unique. After alcohol and antibacterial agents are used in combination, someone will remain safe and healthy, and someone will face great danger.
So, how long can you drink alcohol after treatment with antibacterial drugs? It all depends on the type of antibiotic and the patient's physical condition. Therefore, if the note indicates that alcohol is prohibited while taking the drug, it is best to wait until the residual components in the drug are completely removed from the body. This usually takes about two weeks, so it is best to wait until the end of this period before drinking strong alcohol.
If the drug description does not specify the details of its interaction with ethanol, it is best not to drink alcoholic beverages for at least three days after the end of treatment.
If you have other questions, you can contact your doctor. He will explain in detail whether it is possible to drink alcohol while taking one or the other antibacterial drugs, and tell you how long you will not drink alcoholic beverages after treatment.
Possible consequences of the merger
Drinking alcohol after taking antibiotics can cause adverse symptoms and adverse physical side effects. The fact is that there are many kinds of antibiotics that can prevent the decomposition of ethanol in the body. As a result, acetaldehyde is no longer 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 poisoning:
- Nausea and vomiting episodes;
- Unbearable headaches that even painkillers cannot relieve;
- dizziness;
- Difficulty breathing;
- Redness of the skin;
- sweating;
- Blood pressure rises or falls.
This is far from a complete list of the terrible consequences of combining alcohol and drugs.
It is important to remember that to date, only a small number of antibiotics have been shown to be incompatible with ethanol in clinical studies. The rest are either not fully understood or still in doubt.
In any case, one should be aware that heavy drinking can have a negative impact on the treatment process. Ethanol interferes with the normal absorption of the drug and greatly reduces its effectiveness. Therefore, during treatment, you should refuse to take any alcohol, even the weakest.
This will help you avoid unpleasant side effects and stay healthy. After all, no one can be sure how the simultaneous consumption of alcohol and antibacterial agents will affect the health of a particular person.