Combining Antibiotics and Alcohol: Is It Safe?
Historically, ethionamide was believed to cause hepatotoxicity with alcohol consumption. Though the literature is limited, mild liver disease and alcohol use are not an absolute contraindication, with appropriate monitoring. Isoniazid is used for the treatment of tuberculosis and nontuberculosis mycobacterial infections (98). Concurrent use of alcohol precipitated disulfiram reactions in two patients treated with ketoconazole. Concurrent ketoconazole and alcohol consumption warrants caution. Two young healthy hospital workers receiving 3 how long does molly stay in your hair days of prophylactic TMP-SMX appeared to have a disulfiram-like reaction following alcohol consumption (75).
General Health
For example, many antibiotics have potential side effects like stomach irritation or nausea. Obviously, these effects might be heightened if you have too much to drink. Other potential side effects, like headache or dizziness, might also be worse if you drink alcohol. In this day and age, with antibiotics being widely prescribed and alcohol use as prevalent as ever, it is unsurprising that mixing antibiotics and alcohol is not a rare occurrence.
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A 2020 review shows a lack of solid evidence behind how common this is, but caution is still warranted. A person may be able to drink alcohol in moderation and with caution while they are taking some types of antibiotics. However, a person should always consult a doctor before doing this. A person should speak with a healthcare professional if they have concerns about alcohol can i drink coffee while taking adderall consumption and antibiotics.
Since drinking heavily can also damage your liver, it makes sense not to combine the two. If you’ve been prescribed an antibiotic alcohol intolerance covid for an infection, you may wonder if it’s safe to have a drink or two. In vitro testing found that tedizolid reversibly inhibited MAO enzymes similarly to linezolid (80).
Mixing alcohol with fluoroquinolone antibiotics such as ciprofloxacin may increase these mental health side effects. This section considers the recommendations and possible side effects of consuming alcohol with different antibiotics. Disulfiram-like reaction which may include abdominal cramps, nausea, vomiting, headaches, flushing, or rarely more serious reactions.
Erythromycin ethylsuccinate (E.E.S.)
- One study found that minocycline led to a modest reduction of alcohol intake in mice (37).
- Mixing alcohol with fluoroquinolone antibiotics such as ciprofloxacin may increase these mental health side effects.
- Drinking these with this medicine can cause a harmful rise in blood pressure.
Among several of the top brand name antibiotic brands, like Augmentin, Amoxil, Cipro, Keflex, and Zithromax, no specific interaction with alcohol exists. But if you are taking one of these medications, you probably should avoid drinking anyway as you recover from your infection. However, drinking alcohol while taking certain other prescription drugs, such as CNS depressants, can be more dangerous.
Linezolid (Zyvox)
One subject had recurrent symptoms with alcohol consumption on the following day, and the other had had multiple alcoholic beverages the previous day without incident. Alcohol did not impact the PK of ceftriaxone in a rat pneumonia model (13). Acute alcohol exposure increased the biliary excretion of cefadroxil and decreased the urinary excretion and absorption of cephalexin. Chronic alcohol exposure had no significant effect on absorption kinetics or biliary or urinary excretion for either of these antibiotics (14).
Given the biologic plausibility, it would be prudent to avoid alcohol with pyrazinamide. Alcohol influences the rate but not the extent of amoxicillin absorption. Cephalosporins with an MTT side chain or an MTDT ring have an increased risk of a disulfiram-like reaction with alcohol. Cephalosporins lacking these side chains appear safe to consume with alcohol. Commonly used cephalosporins, including cefdinir and cefpodoxime, do not possess the aforementioned side chains and are considered safe to use with alcohol. Concomitant use of alcohol with antimicrobials is believed to either decrease efficacy or lead to toxicity/ADR (6, 7).
