Sheare currently taking antibioticsone, but are invited to a party? Or have you just taken an ibuprofen but would like to end the evening with a glass of wine? Does taking antidepressants regularly mean you can no longer drink alcohol? These are all questions that everyone has probably asked themselves at one time or another. Because it's nothing new that alcohol and medication don't mix very well.
But does this apply to all types of medicines or just prescription ones? What happens if you mix medication with alcohol, what effects and consequences can be expected and in general - what should you pay attention to if you take medicine and want to drink? We have summarized the most important information for you, as well as some lists of medications that are particularly dangerous in combination with alcohol.
Many medicines should not be combined with alcoholic beverages and for good reasons. On the one hand, they can disrupt the effect of the medicine. But that's not all. While some medicines are more unpleasant than dangerous when combined with alcohol and directly, others can seriously endanger your health and even your life. Possible side effects include:
- Headache, nausea, drowsiness, dizziness and disorientation
- internal bleeding, difficulty breathing and heart problems
- Medications that, according to the package leaflet, make you sleepy (including sleeping pills) have an even stronger effect when taken with alcoholic beverages, as alcohol also makes you sleepy
- many medicines contain and combined with alcoholalcoholic drinksYou can expect them to get you faster and drunker than you might have intended
Important to knowis that it's not just prescription drugs and alcohol that are a dangerous combination. Even over-the-counter products and even those based on plants and natural herbs can be dangerous with alcohol.
women and older people
Particular caution is required for women and older people. The reason for this is that women's bodies contain less water. Accordingly, the concentration of alcohol in the blood increases faster than in men, as does the effect on the medicines taken or the damage that could possibly occur.
In older people, the risk increases primarily because they usually take more than just one medication. If the body reacts negatively to the combination with alcohol, there is also a greater risk of accidents due to falls (as a result of dizziness, for example), heart problems and other problems. Also, don't forget that the older your body gets, the harder it is to break down alcohol.
Mixing alcohol and medication – list of dangerous combinations
Below we have put together some lists of the most common types of medication and active ingredients depending on the complaint or illness. In addition, we will explain the possible side effects if you mix the respective medications with alcohol.
Danger:The drugs listed are only a small part of all drugs that pose a risk when combined with alcoholic beverages. This means that those not listed cannot necessarily be classified as harmless.
Alcohol and medication for colds, flu and allergies
“It's just a cold, so the medicines prescribed won't be that strong. A wine or whiskey shouldn’t be a problem.” Anyone who believes this is wrong, because as already mentioned, even the lightest medicine made from simple herbs should not be underestimated.Medicine for colds and fluare usually used to treat several symptoms at once, make you sleepy and can also cause dizziness. You should even avoid paracetamol and alcohol if possible, or at least drink alcohol in moderation afterwards (no more than one beer).
Although this is not dangerous in itself, it can affect your everyday life and increase the risk of accidents, especially if you combine alcohol and medications of this type. It affects your ability to drive and operate large and dangerous machinery. In addition, the combination impairs your judgment, which in turn promotes an overdose. High-risk medicines are:
- Allegra
- Claritin
- Desloratadine
- Dimetapp Cold
- Diphenhydramin (Benadryl)
- Paracetamol
- Pseudoephedrine
- Triaminic
- Zyrtec
Alcohol and cough medicine
As with the medications againstColds and fluCough syrups and other cough medicines can cause drowsiness, dizziness and impair motor skills, which can be made worse by alcohol. In particular, you should not combine the following products with cough syrup and cough solvent:
- Codeine
- Wick MediNait (contains paracetamol and alcohol)
Antibiotics and alcohol
What happens if you take antibiotics and drink alcohol? Most people know that, on the one hand, this disrupts the effectiveness of the antibiotic. This is also the case with penicillin and alcohol. But that is by no means the only possible consequence. The combination can also have a negative impact on blood pressure. There are also palpitations, stomach pain and vomiting, headaches, bleeding and even liver damage.
However, this only applies to some antibiotics. There are also those who tolerate small amounts of alcohol, so that, for example, antibiotics and beer or a glass of sparkling wine are permitted in some cases. But which antibiotics are banned? Those that contain, among others, the following active ingredients:
- some antibiotics contain cephalosporins
- Metronidazole
- Penicillin
- Sulfonamides (listed as “cotrimoxazole” on the package)
Sedatives (antidepressants) or sleeping pills and alcohol
The fact that sleep-inducing tablets and alcohol can have side effects is actually nothing new. However, many people are not aware of the seriousness of the situation, as in some cases combining the two can even lead to death. What happens if you drink alcohol and take pills that are supposed to promote sleep?
Barbiturates, for example, which are no longer used as sleeping pills today but are prescribed for epilepsy, stop breathing after falling asleep when combined with alcohol, which results in death. Some antidepressants and alcohol are also a bad combination. Other substances whose effects alcohol increases are:
- Barbiturate (z.B. Nitrazepam, Temazepam, Triazolam, Flurazepam)
- Sedative with the substance clomethiazole
- Chloralhydrat
- Eszopiclon
- Hypnotics
- various neuroleptics
- Zolpidem
High blood pressure tablets and alcohol – consequences
If you take tablets and alcohol to combat high blood pressure, this can not only lead to cardiac arrhythmias (Arrhythmias) lead. Tiredness/sleepiness, dizziness and fainting can also be consequences, as alcohol increases the effect and the pressure drops more than desired. Therefore, do not drink alcoholic beverages if you are taking ACE inhibitors and beta-blockers such as the following blood pressure lowering drugs:
- Accupril
- Benazepril
- Capozide
- Cardura
- Catapres
- Cozaar
- Metoprolol plus HCT
- Terazosin
Chest tightness – alcohol and medication effects
For chest tightness (Angina pectoris) is a circulatory disorder in the heart that is treated with medications that contain nitroglycerin. Such so-called nitro preparations relax the heart muscles so that the heart can be better supplied with blood. Combining alcohol and medications containing nitroglycerin can cause heart palpitations, sudden changes in blood pressure, drowsiness, and fainting.
Painkillers and alcohol effect
Nowadays, people take painkillers almost like candy. AtHeadaches and migraines, back pain, muscle pain and similar complaints, you have them right at hand. But what happens when you take painkillers with alcohol? Of course, this depends above all on the exact medication, because they all contain different and more or less strong active ingredients, some of which require a prescription and carry a risk of addiction.
Aspirin, for example, attacks the stomach lining, which is increased when combined with wine, which is acidic. Beer would then be the better choice. Like aspirin, ibuprofen is acidic but should not be combined with alcohol at all.
In severe cases, it may even cause drowsiness, dizziness, memory loss, and abnormal behavior. This is particularly true for opioids, which act directly in the brain. Breathing and motor skills can also be affected by combining alcohol and painkillers of this type. The risk of an unwanted overdose as a result of these side effects should not be underestimated if you consume painkillers and alcohol together. Avoid alcohol and medications that are opioids, such as:
- Co-Dafalgan
- Codeine
- Fentanyl
- Methadone
- Morphin
- Oxycodone
- Pethidine (from the group of opioids)
- Percocet (in the USA)
- Tramadol
- Vicodin (in the US)
Diabetes and cholesterol-lowering drugs
Some cholesterol-lowering medicines contain statins, which do not cause a dangerous interaction with alcohol if consumed only occasionally. However, you should definitely avoid regular consumption, as this damages the liver and drastically increases the risk of liver damage. This can also cause stomach bleeding and itching.
Some diabetes medications cause blood sugar to drop dangerously low when combined with alcoholic beverages, followed by nausea and hot flashes. The active ingredient metformin, together with alcohol, even dangerously disrupts the acid-base balance, which can lead to shock.
- Atorvastatin Basics (avoid excessive alcohol consumption)
- Biguanid-Derivate
- Crestor (regular alcohol consumption not recommended)
- Glucophage
- Insulin
- Vytorin
- Zocor
- Medications containing the active ingredient metformin
Blood thinners and alcohol
Blood thinners are designed to prevent blood clots from forming. Even occasionally drinking alcohol while taking a blood thinner could cause internal bleeding. Frequent drinking can either have the same effect or even have the opposite effect or what the blood thinner is actually intended to prevent - the formation of blood clots is increased, which in turn drastically increases the risk of heart attacks and strokes.
Furthermore, it should not be forgotten that when drunk you can easily fall and hit yourself. The anticoagulant you take makes it more difficult to stop any bleeding injuries. This is particularly dangerous if there is an internal injury with bleeding that is not immediately recognized. The following medications, among others, thin the blood:
- Aspirin (also Plus C and Protect
- ASS
- Coffetylin
- Colfars
- Fibrex
- Heparin
- Hermes ASS
- Marcumar
- Melabon
- Ortoton Plus
- Precineura
- Santasal N
- silent
- Gap plus caffeine
- Split painkillers
- Thomapyrin
- Togal (and Togal Headache Effervescent + Vit)
Muscle relaxants (muscle relaxants)
If you pull a muscle while exercising or have sore muscles after excessive training: you quickly resort to a muscle relaxant. For many, this is nothing unusual or even almost everyday life. And their effect is usually greatly underestimated, especially in combination with alcohol. But then they can cause not only drowsiness, dizziness, abnormal behavior, memory loss and even seizures, but also slow or otherwise impair breathing and become life-threatening. Therefore, generally avoid combining alcoholic drinks with muscle relaxants and be particularly careful with the following:
- Benzodiazepines
- Methocarbamol
Over-the-counter medications
What happens when you take tablets and drink alcohol depends primarily on the type of tablet or the active ingredients they contain. Thus, in some cases, alcoholic drinks interfere with the effect of the tablets, while in other cases they intensify them or even cause side effects. This applies not only to prescription medicines, but also to over-the-counter medicines that can easily be obtained from the pharmacy.
Therefore, questions such as how ibuprofen and alcohol or aspirin and alcohol are compatible are often asked. We have already mentioned some non-prescription remedies, but we would like to list them again below along with a few others:
- Antihistamines in some cases
- Aspirin
- ASS
- Ibuprofen (and all products containing ibuprofen)
- Paracetamol (especially for people with liver problems)
Alcohol and medication – Don’t forget:
The extent to which alcohol and medication have a negative effect depends not only on the type of medication or their active ingredients and the amount of alcohol, but also on factors such as gender, age and other medications that you take every day. Therefore, the side effects mentioned are only a guide and warning and should in no way replace medical advice.
For the same reasons, you should not only read the package leaflet carefully, but also assume that even if alcohol is not mentioned in it, this is by no means a guarantee that no negative side effects are to be expected. If you're not sure, you shouldBe sure to seek advice from your doctor or pharmacist!
