What medicines should not be taken after drinking alcohol?

Author: Du Qingfeng, Chief Physician, Nanhai Hospital, Southern Medical University

Reviewer: Guo Shubin, Chief Physician, Beijing Chaoyang Hospital, Capital Medical University

"Don't take medicine after drinking, and don't drink while taking medicine." This is advice that almost everyone has heard, but in fact, the medicines that cannot be taken after drinking are far more than just cephalosporin antibiotics.

1. Why can’t you take cephalosporin antibiotics after drinking alcohol?

Taking alcohol and antibiotics together may produce the so-called "disulfiram-like reaction", which often occurs 15 to 30 minutes after drinking. This toxic reaction is mainly due to the fact that the drug inhibits acetaldehyde dehydrogenase in the liver, making it impossible for acetaldehyde, the intermediate product of ethanol's metabolism, to be smoothly converted into acetic acid, and then decomposed into carbon dioxide and water and excreted from the body, causing accumulation, stimulating the sympathetic nerves and causing a series of symptoms such as headache, facial flushing, abdominal pain, nausea, vomiting, chest tightness, sweating, palpitations, difficulty breathing, liver damage, etc. Severe cases may be fatal, so you need to go to the hospital for treatment in time.

2. Drugs that cannot be taken after drinking

1. Antimicrobial drugs: Most cephalosporins and nitroimidazoles, such as metronidazole, furazolidone, erythromycin, norfloxacin, etc., may cause "disulfiram-like reaction" or "disulfiram-like reaction" when drinking alcohol while taking the drugs. To avoid this, patients are strictly prohibited from drinking alcohol, taking drugs or beverages containing ethanol during medication and within 1 to 2 weeks after stopping the medication, and avoid using ethanol for skin disinfection or cooling.

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2. Antipyretic and analgesic drugs: Commonly used antipyretic and analgesic drugs, such as aspirin, ibuprofen, acetaminophen, diclofenac, indomethacin, aminopyrine and its compound preparations, cold medicine, Baijiahei, aminophenazone, etc. If you drink a lot of alcohol after taking the drugs, the gastrointestinal mucosa may be stimulated by the drugs and ethanol, and even cause peptic ulcers or bleeding.

Hypoglycemic drugs: If diabetic patients drink alcohol on an empty stomach while injecting insulin or taking oral hypoglycemic drugs, they are prone to hypoglycemia. If not treated in time, it may cause irreversible damage to brain tissue and even cause death.

4. Antihypertensive drugs: If you drink alcohol while taking antihypertensive drugs such as reserpine, captopril, and nifedipine, it may cause vasodilation, leading to hypotensive shock, which can be life-threatening in severe cases.

5. Antidepressants: Antidepressants and alcohol consumption can slow down the reaction speed of the central nervous system, affect brain function and thinking ability, and weaken alertness. The combination of the two can make people feel sleepy, reduce judgment and physical coordination, and prolong reaction time; it can also worsen depression symptoms.

Therefore, during festivals, the elderly must drink within their means, especially if they have been feeling unwell recently or happen to be taking the above-mentioned medications, they should not drink too much. After all, good health is the most important thing.

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