Antibiotics and Alcohol: The Effects of Mixing Them

Alcohol can also affect how some antibiotics are metabolized (broken down) in the body for elimination. This could lower the effectiveness of the antibiotic or increase its toxicity. It is common to see “Avoid Alcohol” stickers on prescription bottles. Cefotetan and alcohol may lead to a disulfiram-like reaction which may include stomach cramps, nausea, vomiting, headaches, and flushing. Avoid cefotetan combination with alcohol during treatment and for 72 hours after you stop treatment with cefotetan.

Alcohol, Antibiotics, and Recovery Time

Although it is commonly believed that metronidazole mediates disulfiram reactions, data are contradictory. In 1964, a study stated that metronidazole may be effective for alcoholism based on 53 patients who had reduced desires to drink and lower tolerances and reported disulfiram-like reactions (47). Several early studies seemed to show benefit; however, these were uncontrolled, with limited patient numbers and follow-up (47,–51). The majority of controlled studies failed to find benefit of alcohol intolerance covid metronidazole in the treatment of alcoholism (52,–64).

Table 1: Common Antibiotic and Alcohol Interactions

1. For example, if you already have ongoing liver problems, it may be more important to avoid alcohol while taking certain antibiotics.
2. A more recent rat study found that metronidazole and alcohol increased intracolonic acetaldehyde levels, without altering blood levels (70).
3. Not only can they interfere with the way the antibiotics work, but they can also cause a number of harmful side effects.
4. To our knowledge, there are no data available on the toxicity/ADR of doxycycline.

Risks are greater for people with underlying blood pressure problems who consume a lot of alcohol. Probably this effect—if it exists—is minimal for people who only have one or two servings of alcohol a day. However, the question is a little different for people who drink a lot of alcohol regularly.

Drinking alcohol during your amoxicillin treatment may also make it more challenging to recover from your infection. Amoxicillin is prescribed to treat certain bacterial infections, including strep throat and skin infections. Mixing amoxicillin and certain other prescription medications may worsen or increase your risk of experiencing these symptoms. You might want to know what risks are involved with drinking alcohol while taking prescription drugs.

Multiple authors reported no disulfiram-like reactions (48, 52,–54, 56, 57, 59, 61). Two authors observed weed and ecstasy higher rates of side effects in patients treated with metronidazole than with placebo (64, 65). Other authors described different degrees of reactions attributed to a disulfiram-like effect within the study populations (50, 58, 60, 62, 66).

Why can’t you drink alcohol while taking antibiotics?

This can increase your risk of infection or make it more difficult for your body to fight infections. If you have any of these side effects, avoiding or limiting alcohol during your amoxicillin treatment may help relieve them. Alcohol and amoxicillin can cause similar side effects, and combining the two can worsen or increase your risk of having these side effects. Amoxicillin and certain other prescription medications can also cause these side effects. It’s also used along with other medications to treat stomach ulcers caused by the bacterium called Helicobacter pylori (H. pylori).

Penicillins

In rare cases, people may experience seizures with fluoroquinolone treatment. In 2018, the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) published updated safety warnings on all fluoroquinolone antibiotics. Trimethoprim-sulfamethoxazole can affect the how long does molly stay in your hair metabolism of folic acid in bacteria. In rare cases, it can also affect the metabolism of folic acid in human cells.

Although data are not optimal, it is reasonable to advise avoidance of alcohol consumption in patients taking isoniazid. A disulfiram-like reaction and a possible increased risk of hepatitis are potential concerns. In a randomized crossover trial, the effects of whiskey and red wine on the PK of doxycycline for six students was studied (35). Whiskey did not significantly modify the absorption of 200 mg of oral doxycycline. Acute intake of alcoholic beverages does not interfere with the PK of doxycycline to an extent that would affect its therapeutic levels. Although the risks of consuming alcohol may be lower with some types of antibiotics than others, it is still advisable to avoid alcohol intake while taking any antibiotics.