Many people hesitate or do not want to consult a doctor for some reason, including issues that affect the compatibility of alcohol with vaccines for diphtheria, tetanus, rabies, or other potentially life-threatening infections. Normally, the vaccination date coincides with the date reserved for the party or event. Then the vaccinated patients are faced with a difficult choice-to drink or not to drink?
The most developed countries, where medicine is becoming widely available and modernized, long ago got rid of terrible epidemics and pandemics that easily claimed the lives of tens of thousands of people. Feeling a certain sense of security and a society where the pace of life is tense, one begins to take the vaccination program more easily. However, there are enough myths about the dangerous effects of alcohol on humans.
At the same time, alcohol has an adverse effect on the entire human body. It cannot cure various diseases of people (some people are sure), especially those that are infectious.
Types of vaccines
There is a whole set of vaccines that need to be vaccinated for adults. In addition, those vaccinations vaccinated in childhood are no longer effective over time, which will require re-vaccinations.
- Human papillomavirus. Girls between the ages of 11 and 26 need to receive this vaccine 3 times. Papillomavirus can cause cancerous tumors of the cervix.
- Hepatitis A or B. Different vaccines are used for injection. Hepatitis A is suitable for healthcare professionals and people who have problems with liver function, alcohol, and drugs. For those who are not particularly picky about sex and change partners frequently, it is important to get the hepatitis B vaccine.
- influenza. This vaccine should be given to young people and adults. Especially citizens (waiters, doctors, social fund staff, sales staff) who work in public places with a lot of people need to be vaccinated.
- encephalitis. This is a pathology that threatens people with fatal danger or disabilities. The most effective protection is vaccination. It must be vaccinated before a person plans to travel to an area where the risk of infection is very high. In most cases, vaccination requires two stages.
- Rabies. This injection must be given to people at risk of infection. The patient received six injections in three months.
- An injection against the pathogens of tetanus, whooping cough or diphtheria. This vaccine is given every ten years. If a woman is pregnant with a child and it has been more than ten years since the last vaccination, it is necessary to get the vaccination before the start of delivery (in the second or third trimester of pregnancy).
- Mumps, rubella, or measles. In fact, this kind of vaccination is carried out in childhood, but if a stage of vaccination is missed and the adult does not suffer from any of these diseases, then it must be immunized urgently.
- chicken pox. If an adult has this disease, the course of the disease is more difficult than at a younger age. In addition, adult chickenpox can cause serious complications. Therefore, those who have not had chickenpox in childhood must be vaccinated. This disease can cause shingles, so people over 60 need to be vaccinated.
Why you need to vaccinate adults
Children’s hospitals and educational institutions strictly control to ensure strict compliance with the mandatory vaccination schedule. Many people mistakenly believe that only children should be vaccinated. Thanks to the correct method of this process and government assistance, in countries where everyone has access to medicines and is at a high level of development, it is possible to reduce the possibility of epidemics to almost zero.
In most cases, the effect of the vaccine will end after a period of time. Therefore, it is necessary to re-vaccinate so that the person can still be protected from various infections. Considering that a large number of adults have the habit of using alcohol to relieve stress or fatigue, vaccination can change the established lifestyle within a period of time.
The importance of vaccination and the doctor's advice should not be taken lightly!
Self-medication and neglect of medical requirements often lead to serious deterioration of well-being and health problems.
Why is drinking alcohol prohibited after vaccination
The vaccination process has a great impact on the human body and puts a lot of pressure on it. The immune system reacts strongly to dangerous substances entering the body and rapidly produces a large number of antibodies. Therefore, a strong and stable immune system is formed.
In order to make the stage of immune formation and its protective function as calm, painless and correct as possible, it is important that the overall condition of human health is good. The prevention program is designed to prevent chronic diseases, and a strong immune system helps the body to safely pass the first stage after vaccination.
fact!Even a small amount of alcohol can inhibit the immune system and the functions of the body's internal systems and organs.
Although ethanol does not directly interact with the drugs contained in the vaccine, alcohol reduces the ability of the immune system to perform protective functions and reduces the efficiency of antibody production. Therefore, drinking alcohol will reduce the effectiveness of the vaccine provided. In this case, the immunity is weakened and the required amount of antibodies cannot be produced, which may cause side effects and even complete infection with the agent after vaccination.
What are the dangers of drinking after vaccination
Now medicine is gradually moving away from the use of "live" viruses in the vaccination process. Either way, even those vaccines that are considered "inanimate" can cause some unpleasant complications or side effects. According to the statistics provided by the World Health Organization, in all cases, the proportion of healthy people's bodies having a negative reaction to the vaccine is only 1%.
This means that out of a hundred people vaccinated, only one person will experience the undesirable side effects of the vaccine. During the vaccine period, drinking alcohol can significantly increase the likelihood of diseases related to a weakened immune system.
Among people who drink alcohol regularly, more than 30% may develop accompanying diseases after vaccination.
If you have been vaccinated against the following diseases, you may experience excessive negative reactions after drinking:
- measles;
- Tick encephalitis;
- tetanus;
- Hepatitis A;
- Rabies
- diphtheria.
In most cases, the vaccine will have the following accompanying negative manifestations:
- Diarrhea, gastrointestinal diseases, vomiting;
- Increased body temperature;
- Sore throat, pain syndrome and cough;
- Swelling at the injection site;
- Increased or decreased blood pressure, arrhythmia manifestations;
- Flu-like conditions;
- Loss of consciousness and dizziness;
- Difficulty breathing;
- Pain in the musculoskeletal system.
At the same time, the process of the immune system adapting to foreign pathogens lasts from a few days to two weeks. During this period, patients may experience excessive sleepiness, loss of appetite, hyperhidrosis, and weakness. At this stage, the "unfamiliar" infection is recognized by the body. If ethanol enters the blood at the specified time, this will reduce the production of antibodies, which means that the blocking efficiency of the virus strain will be lower than required. In addition, drinking alcohol after vaccination can become completely unpredictable, which will not only lead to complications, but also a real infection.
Drinking alcohol after vaccination against hepatitis, rabies, measles and tetanus is the most dangerous. Some diseases require vaccination. This is done in several steps. The most important thing is to pay attention to how you feel on the first day of vaccination and the next 2-3 days.
The rabies virus vaccination period is three months, and drinking alcohol is absolutely prohibited within the specified time, even if it is a small amount of alcohol.
Usually, vaccination against hepatitis is combined with vaccination against the pathogen of diphtheria. In this case, immunity maintains its protective function for up to 10 years. The vaccination is carried out in several stages and takes about six months.
How long can I drink after vaccination?
In addition to alcohol interferes with the normal function of the immune system, it is also an excellent breeding ground for pathogens. Doctors who are loyal to the patient sometimes allow him to drink a token drink a few days after vaccination.
But it should be remembered that if vaccinated against the above-mentioned infections, even a small dose of alcohol will cause the patient to be hospitalized urgently and prolong the treatment time. Everyone is responsible for his own health. Alcoholic beverages are not food necessary to maintain important functions, so abstinence for a period of time will only be beneficial to people, and the immune system will work more effectively.
By following the doctor’s advice, patients will be able to prevent serious complications from occurring, and the vaccine will be as effective as possible.