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Can you drink alcohol with amoxicillin?

by Alivia Nyhan
Published: Last Updated on

Although the consumption of alcoholic beverages is legal from the age of majority, alcohol is a drug like any other, therefore, when we consume it, it comes into contact with our blood and our body until after a few hours the liver metabolizes it and passes its effect. In other words, alcoholic beverages carry out the same path within our body as any substance or food that we consume, including medications.

For its part, amoxicillin is a commonly used antibiotic considered one of the drugs similar to penicillin that is prescribed to treat some bacterial infections such as pneumonia and bronchitis and other infectious conditions such as otitis, tonsillitis, disease of the throat and urinary tract. But what happens when we mix amoxicillin and alcohol? Find out in this FastlyHealarticle: Can I drink alcohol with amoxicillin?

Can I drink alcohol if I am taking amoxicillin?

Alcohol, medicines and food carry out the same transit in the body when consumed: they pass from the mouth to the digestive tract, from there they are processed by digestive enzymes and go to the blood, then they travel to the place where they should make their In effect, they are then metabolized in the liver or kidneys, or both, and are ultimately disposed of from the body.

The problem of consuming alcohol with any type of medication occurs mainly when both substances are consumed simultaneously, since this suggests that they will be metabolized at the same time and by the same digestive enzymes. Where is the problem? Because these enzymes have to process two different substances at the same time, they end up metabolizing them much less, which increases the effect of both alcohol and medicine in the body. For this reason, doctors insist so much that the consumption of alcoholic beverages combined with the intake of anxiolytics, antidepressants or pills to fall asleep should be avoided as much as possible.

Now if we mention that amoxicillin is just an antibiotic that kills bacteria – can I drink alcohol with amoxicillin? Do not!There are many sites on the Internet that claim that there is no greater risk to health, and that is true. Mixing amoxicillin with a couple of drinks will not be life-threatening, however, it will be fatal for the improvement of the infection we are treating. Contrary to what happens with other medications such as anxiolytics, consuming alcohol together with antibiotics does not enhance the effect of the medication, quite the opposite. It turns out that when most antibiotics such as amoxcicillin are mixed with alcohol, the absorption of the compound in the body is delayed, because it becomes less soluble in the presence of ethanol, causing treatment to be interrupted and giving way to infection. so that it proliferates again and the symptoms worsen.

In addition, medical specialists assure that each organism reacts differently to different processes and that one of these cases is the mixture of alcohol with medications, since it has been observed that there are those who react allergic to certain combinations that others did not affect at all . In addition to amoxicillin, studies have shown that erythromycin, another medicine for treating ear, nose, and throat infections, greatly diminishes its effect when mixed with alcohol.

Another risk of combining drugs with alcohol is specifically related to liver function. As we well know, the liver is responsible for metabolizing remedies and alcohol in most cases, therefore, combining these two substances within the organ can cause problems to eliminate both compounds at the same time, causing one of them it lasts in the body for much longer, which can cause severe damage to the liver and health. Therefore, it is best to avoid alcohol consumption with amoxicillin and any other medication.

Other interaction risks

Certain alcoholic beverages, such as beer, are rich in their tyramine content, a component that, when mixed with certain active ingredients in medications, can cause a significant allergic reaction , triggering a discomfort that mainly includes: vomiting, nausea, dizziness and redness. facial. It is also known that when paracetamol is taken and alcohol is ingested, its toxic effects on the liver are altered, damaging it in the long term.

Medications to treat anxiety and depression generally work by relaxing the nervous system to decrease symptoms of these illnesses. When these drugs are combined with alcoholic beverages, the effect is enhanced, putting the person in danger at the wheel by falling asleep or losing the ability to respond. Also, the more alcoholic degrees a drink has, the more it interacts with the drug.

Are antibiotics the least reactive drugs to alcohol?

In a way, yes. Amoxicillin is probably the least reactive antibiotic when combined with alcohol. However, in this case, what is really important is to highlight that the alcoholic beverage will compromise the effect of the medicine and allow the infection to advance, and it can even cause a significant relapse even if the person has already been on the verge of recovering.

When talking about this, it is important to mention that infections can spread within the body and if not treated properly, they can be fatal to the health and lives of people. To this we must add that alcohol is a drug and, like all drugs, it depresses the immune system, therefore, it lowers the defenses and facilitates the proliferation of diseases and bacteria within the body.

What to do if I have a party and I am taking amoxicillin

The most advisable thing in these cases is to visit your doctor for a medical check-up and tell you whether or not you can frankly suspend your treatment for a few hours to consume a couple of drinks and resume it the next day or at bedtime.

In the same way, your symptoms are also an indication of whether it is correct to interrupt your medication to consume alcohol, because if you have not fully recovered, it is best to go to the party for a while, have a soda and return home to rest. Whatever your decision, the important thing is that you do not simultaneously consume alcohol with any type of medication.

This article is merely informative, at FastlyHeal .com we do not have the power to prescribe medical treatments or make any type of diagnosis. We invite you to see a doctor in the case of presenting any type of condition or discomfort.

If you want to read more articles similar to Can I drink alcohol if I’m taking amoxicillin? , we recommend that you enter our category of Medication and medical tests .

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