The fatal danger of drinking after taking medicine is not just cephalosporin, you should also be careful with these drugs

A friend asked Huazi if the saying "take cefuroxime with alcohol, and go anywhere" was false? He had a sore throat a while ago and took cefuroxime, but when he went out for a social event, he forgot to take the cefuroxime and drank a lot of alcohol. He only remembered it when he got home. As a result, he was worried all night, but nothing happened.

Huazi told him that drinking alcohol after taking cephalosporin is life-threatening, which is not a lie . However, not all cephalosporins will be dangerous when taken with alcohol. It is difficult for people who have not received professional training to distinguish which cephalosporins will cause reactions, so it is better to set all cephalosporins as "cannot be taken with alcohol". Anyway, alcohol is not good for the human body at all.

It should be noted that in addition to cephalosporin, there are other drugs that can be fatal when taken with alcohol.

1. Cephalexin and “Disulfiram-like reaction”

The reason why it is dangerous to take cephalosporins with alcohol is that most cephalosporins can cause a "disulfiram-like reaction".

Disulfiram is an alcohol abstinence drug that inhibits acetaldehyde dehydrogenase after taking it, causing rapid accumulation of acetaldehyde produced by the metabolism of alcohol (ethanol), thereby causing nausea, chest tightness, vomiting and other uncomfortable symptoms, forcing alcoholics to give up drinking.

However, the discomfort symptoms caused by disulfiram after drinking are actually artificially caused alcohol poisoning, which is somewhat dangerous. If you drink too much, it may cause breathing difficulties or even death.

Most cephalosporin antibiotics contain "methylthiotetrazolyl group" in their structure or in their hydrolysis products, which can produce effects similar to disulfiram , inhibiting the activity of acetaldehyde dehydrogenase and causing symptoms of alcohol poisoning after alcohol intake, which is called "disulfiram-like reaction."

Disulfiram-like reaction can cause the human body to be abnormally sensitive to alcohol , such as eating chocolate with alcohol filling, drinking Huoxiang Zhengqi water, and even sensitive people will have a reaction when using alcohol to disinfect their skin.

Commonly used cephalosporin drugs with methylthiotetrazolium groups include cefoperazone, cefotiam, cefmandole, cefmenoxime, ceftriaxone, cefazolin, cefmetazole, and cefuroxime.

However, cephalosporin drugs that do not contain methylthiotetrazolium groups, such as cefixime, ceftizoxime, cefotaxime, cefradine, and cefaclor, will not cause disulfiram-like reactions.

2. Disulfiram-like reactions to other drugs

Among the drugs, not only cephalosporins, but also other drugs can cause disulfiram-like reactions when taken with alcohol, which may be fatal. There are nitroimidazole antibiotics (metronidazole, tinidazole, ornidazole, etc.); nitrofuran antibiotics (nitrofurantoin, furazolidone, etc.); "glibenclamide" type hypoglycemic drugs (such as glibenclamide, glimepiride, glipizide, gliclazide, gliclazide, etc.).

In addition, the antibacterial drug chloramphenicol , the anticoagulant drug warfarin , the antifungal drug ketoconazole , and the anti-tuberculosis drug isoniazid may all cause disulfiram-like reactions.

3. Other drugs that can also be fatal when paired with alcohol

1. Sedatives and hypnotics : Sedatives and hypnotics used to relieve anxiety and treat insomnia (such as diazepam, alprazolam, clonazepam, phenobarbital, zolpidem, zopiclone and other drugs) work by inhibiting the brain. Alcohol also has an inhibitory effect on the brain. Taking them together will aggravate brain inhibition and may cause coma, shock, respiratory depression, etc. In severe cases, it can be life-threatening.

2. Antidepressants : Antidepressants such as sertraline, citalopram, fusitine, paroxetine, etc. cannot be taken with alcohol, as alcohol will aggravate the central nervous system inhibitory effect of antidepressants and increase adverse drug reactions. Although there is a saying that "drinking alcohol can help you forget your sorrows", it often makes you more worried, which can lead to worsening of depression symptoms.

3. Hypoglycemic drugs : Drugs used to control blood sugar, especially insulin injections and insulin secretagogues (“glinides” and “meglitinides”), will directly lower blood sugar. Alcohol also has the effect of lowering blood sugar. When taken together, severe hypoglycemia may occur , causing brain damage, and in severe cases, death.

4. Antihypertensive drugs : The long-term effect of alcohol will increase blood pressure, offsetting the effect of antihypertensive drugs . The short-term effect of alcohol will dilate blood vessels and lower blood pressure. If taken together with antihypertensive drugs, severe hypotension or even shock may occur , which is life-threatening.

5. Lipid-lowering drugs : Statins may affect liver function during use, while alcohol can damage the liver. The combined use of the two may aggravate liver damage and increase transaminase levels.

6. Antipyretic and analgesic drugs : Acetaminophen, ibuprofen, aspirin, diclofenac and other drugs are commonly used antipyretic and analgesic drugs, which can easily damage the gastric mucosa. Alcohol can also damage the gastric mucosa. When the two are used together, it may cause adverse reactions such as gastric ulcers and gastric bleeding .

To sum up, some friends will definitely say that there are too many medicines that cannot be taken with alcohol, and they can't remember them at all. Huazi teaches everyone a simple way to remember, that is **"Don't drink alcohol when taking medicine"**. The world's top medical journal "The Lancet" has confirmed that every drop of alcohol is harmful to the human body, and there is no saying that drinking a small amount of alcohol is good for health. So there is no need to worry, it is safest to not drink a drop of alcohol when taking medicine . I am pharmacist Huazi, welcome to follow me and share more health knowledge.