When you are on antibiotics or other medications, you may be advised against drinking alcohol, but you may not understand why. Some forms of medication may pose no risk to your health when used with alcohol, but others do run the risk of harming your health if you drink alcohol while taking the medication.

A good rule of thumb is to always consult your doctor whenever you have questions or uncertainties, because your doctor will be able to answer your questions and offer professional guidance about using your medications safely.

That said, it can still be helpful to build a better understanding of the reasons why you may want to avoid alcohol while taking certain medications, like antibiotics, and what could happen if you choose to mix alcohol with your medication.

Antibiotics and Alcohol: What You Need To Know

Antibiotics are powerful medications that can be used to fight off bacterial infections, but antibiotics can cause some side effects, and this is one main reason why you might want to stay away from alcohol while taking antibiotics.

Common side effects associated with antibiotics include:

• Dizziness
• Nausea
• Diarrhea
• Yeast infections
• Rashes

That said, alcohol, too, can cause some negative effects such as drowsiness, nausea, vomiting, diarrhea, dizziness, distorted vision, and decreased coordination.

If you are taking antibiotics and are experiencing some side effects as a result, drinking alcohol may amplify the intensity of your side effects, and may introduce new symptoms into the mix.

What Happens in Your Body When You Mix Antibiotics And Alcohol?

The fact of the matter is that different medications affect your body in different ways, and thus have different kinds of interactions with alcohol, too.

Here are some of the most commonly prescribed antibiotics, whether or not you need to avoid alcohol while taking them, and what the impact might be if you do mix them with alcohol:

• Nitroimidazoles: You should avoid alcohol when taking nitroimidazole antibiotics. The most common of these antibiotics is metronidazole, and choosing not to do so can cause significant side effects such as abdominal cramping, nausea, vomiting, headaches, and facial flushing. You should avoid alcohol for at least 24 hours after your last dose of these antibiotics to avoid what is commonly referred to as a disulfiram reaction.
• Tetracycline antibiotics: When taking an antibiotic that belongs to the tetracycline class, you should avoid alcohol. Doxycycline and minocycline are two antibiotics that fall into this class, and using them alongside alcohol could result in reduced efficacy of the drug, nausea, vomiting, and even liver problems.
• Oxazolidinones: Linezolid is one example of an antibiotic belonging to this class, and again, it is important to avoid alcohol when on this type of antibiotic. Adverse effects from mixing this medication with alcohol include agitation, unusual sweating, fever, vomiting, muscle spasms, altered mental status, and elevated blood pressure.
• Sulfonamides: It is important to avoid alcohol while taking sulfonamide antibiotics, and failure to do so could lead to fatigue, nausea, and even folic acid deficiency.
• Fluoroquinolones: With this type of antibiotic, it may not be necessary to avoid alcohol altogether, but you should still aim to keep your alcohol consumption very much limited. Side effects of mixing alcohol with fluoroquinolones can include difficulty concentrating, disorientation, memory loss, and confusion.

You should keep in mind that your kidneys’ main function in your body is to remove toxins from your body and blood by flushing them out through your urine, and medications are included as an example of a toxin. Thus, when you are taking medications, your kidneys are working hard to keep your body working properly by flushing out your medication once it has done its job.

Drinking alcohol puts further stress on your kidneys because it, too, needs to be flushed out of your system, so combining alcohol with antibiotics or other medications can overwhelm your kidneys and disrupt their ability to carry out their role.

What Other Medications Should Not Be Mixed With Alcohol?

When it comes to other medications aside from antibiotics, it still might not be a good idea to mix them with alcohol. Mixing alcohol with antidepressants, anticonvulsants, blood pressure medications, diabetes medications, nervous system depressants, or nervous system stimulants can have a variety of adverse effects, and in many cases drinking alcohol can greatly impact your medication’s ability to work in your body in order to relieve your symptoms.

Alcohol can also result in some serious side effects other than reduced drug efficacy, and in some cases these side effects can be dangerous.

These risks are not only relevant to prescription drugs, however. Even some over the counter drugs are not safe for use alongside alcohol, with antihistamines being a very commonly used example. There are plenty of over the counter antihistamine medications geared towards relief for symptoms of seasonal allergies, and it is advised that alcohol be avoided when you are using any kind of antihistamine.

Whenever you are taking any form of medication, it is important to carefully read the Drug Facts Label, which provides you with information about active and inactive ingredients, proper usage, and any warnings that are relevant to the product. For example, the warnings section may include potential drug interactions as well as information about whether or not people with certain health conditions can use the medication safely.

The Drug Facts Label will provide some guidance about whether or not you can safely drink alcohol while taking the medication, but if anything is still unclear after reading this label, you should call your doctor and get a professional opinion before you have a drink after taking your medication. Your doctor will be able to give you the best advice pertaining to safe usage of your medication, and if you should plan to avoid alcohol while you are being treated, your doctor will inform you of this.

Alternatively, if it is not necessary to completely avoid alcohol, your doctor will also be able to advise you on how much alcohol may be safe for you to drink while taking antibiotics or other medications, and how frequently you can safely drink.

Something that is important to keep in mind whenever you are taking medication to treat an illness or infection is that alcohol can compromise your immune system and overall health, which means it may take longer for your body to heal if you are choosing to drink while on your medication.

Alcohol consumption does not have to be chronic in order for it to have negative impacts on your health, and even acute binge drinking can take a toll. This means that even if you are not drinking very heavily on a regular basis, your patterns of consuming alcohol may be interfering with your body’s ability to get better. Plus, when you factor in any potential adverse effects of mixing alcohol with medications, the risks may certainly outweigh the benefits.

The Bottom Line

When it comes down to it, it may be best to avoid alcohol altogether when you are taking most medicines, but it is especially important to avoid alcohol when taking antibiotics. Most types of antibiotics that are commonly prescribed can cause highly unpleasant, sometimes dangerous adverse effects when they are mixed with alcohol, and alcohol can also cause certain antibiotics to become less effective in your body.

Aside from antibiotics, alcohol can also cause adverse effects when mixed with many other commonly prescribed medications, such as antidepressants and anticonvulsants. The label on your specific medication will offer some guidance regarding proper usage and safety, but if anything is unclear it is important to consult your doctor before trying out an alcoholic drink while on certain medications.

Nonprescription medications, too, come with certain risks if you mix them with alcohol, and this is especially the case with antihistamines. Thus, you should proceed with caution even if you purchased your medication over the counter.

At the end of the day, your doctor will be able to tell you anything you need to know about using your medications safely, and they will advise you regarding whether or not to avoid alcohol, or how much alcohol you may be able to consume safely while you are taking your medication.