by Jenny on March 4, 2011
When it comes to the problem of simultaneous consumption of antibiotics and alcohol, we must not forget the fact that the scope of this issue also covers thousands of other prescription drugs which do not fall in the category of antibiotics. Statistics suggest that no less than 70 percent of the adult population in the United States is consuming alcohol from time to while, while about 10 percent of adults regularly drink everyday. If those 10 percent people do not interrupt the habit of daily consumption, then surely they will end up with an instance of simultaneous consumption of antibiotics and alcohol, apart from other prescription drugs.
However, among all the demographic groups, the population segment under the greatest threat of the ill effects of the simultaneous use of antibiotics and alcohol is concerned, are the elderly, especially those above the age 65, who consume just about a third of all the prescription drugs. Since the greatest risk of the consumption of antibiotics and alcohol together is the prolonging or aggravation of the side effects of the drug being used, the older people are more likely to get affected from it than any other people.
Physicians do keep in mind such risks and strictly instruct the patients to avoid the use of alcohol. Consuming antibiotics and alcohol does not really prove lethal, but of course that depends on the kind of interaction of both the drugs that takes place in a particular case, the risk and intensity increase with the age group. Therefore, seniors should especially take care that they avoid the consumption of antibiotics and alcohol, since it could become life threatening in some cases. Better safe than sorry.
by Jenny on February 22, 2011
If you love to drink but have been prescribed antibiotics for a particular medical condition recently, then surely you would be encountering the dilemma of whether you should use antibiotics and alcohol together or not. There certainly are some potentially dangerous and even life-threatening effects of the consumption of antibiotics and alcohol simultaneously. But there are some drugs that you should strictly take care of not to take while you consume alcohol. There are just a few groups to keep in mind in this regard, during the use of which the use of alcohol should be strictly avoided.
Among the antibiotics during which the intake of alcohol should be completely avoided are Atabrine or Antimalarial Quinacrine, Furazolidone or Furoxone, Griseofulvin or Grisactin, Tinidazole and Metronidazole. The use of alcohol with these drugs could possibly cause various side effects, such as headache, nausea and vomiting, racy heartbeat, shortness of breath, palpitations and low blood pressure.
Of course, the adverse effects of the simultaneous use of drugs with alcohol are not only confined to antibiotics, but to several other drugs as well. You should avoid using alcohol while taking anesthetics, antidepressants, anticoagulants, antihistamines and drugs taken by people suffering from cardiovascular diseases. There are a number of chemicals which could react with the body in such a way that it could give rise to complications due to the simultaneous consumption of alcohol with these drugs.
It is always the best idea to consult your physician and get a clear advice over the use and risks of antibiotics and alcohol together and you should avoid experimenting with these drugs yourself at all costs.
by Jenny on February 15, 2011
So have you ever considered the fact that there could be any connection in development of complications if you consume alcohol while you are on antibiotics? The answer to that is yes, but not in a simple way. There can simply be no way that anyone could make a sweeping statement about this issue. The reason for that is the fact that there are a lot of antibiotics, actually various groups of antibiotics, and each and every one of them has a different mechanism of action in the human body. But there is a popular notion that the use of alcohol could affect the effectiveness of the antibiotics.
The reason why some people are concerned about using alcohol and some of the antibiotics at the same time, is because there could possibly be a clash in the way both these chemicals work in the body. Medical experts suggest that with the simultaneous presence of antibiotics and alcohol in the body, both the chemicals compete in how they are neutralized by particular metabolic enzymes in the host body, which could affect the way they work. The consequence of this depends on the medical condition of the person, the requirement and urgency of the antibiotics, the possible side-effects of the antibiotics and the susceptibility of the person to get affected by them.
The truth is that the risks are just not confined to antibiotics and alcohol, but to a number of other drugs as well.