Alcohol can interact with many common medications, leading to adverse side effects and health consequences. Even in small amounts, alcohol can intensify medication side effects such as sleepiness, drowsiness, dizziness, and light-headedness. This can impair one’s concentration, judgment, and ability to operate machinery or drive a vehicle, increasing the risk of accidents.
Alcohol And Medication: A Dangerous Mix
According to the CDC, about two-thirds of American adults over age 18 at least occasionally use alcohol. Of these, about 51% are current regular drinkers (defined as at least 12 drinks in the past year), and about 13% are infrequent drinkers (defined as up to 11 drinks in the past year). John C. Umhau, MD, MPH, CPE is board-certified in addiction medicine and preventative medicine. For over 20 years Dr. Umhau was a senior clinical investigator at the National Institute on Alcohol Abuse and Alcoholism of the National Institutes of Health (NIH). Drinking while you’re taking a prescription or OTC medication may not seem like a big deal. Your brain’s chemical composition keeps an exact balance between inhibition and stimulation.
Seizure medications
It’s important to note that this list is not exhaustive and may not include every medication you are taking. If you are not sure if you can safely drink alcohol while taking a certain medication, read the label carefully and consult with a pharmacist or doctor. In general, alcohol use has the potential to make symptoms of a mental health condition worse.
Alcohol Interactions with Common Prescription Drugs
The effects of the mix can be especially serious—if not deadly—when the cough medicine also contains alcohol. If you have a medical condition (such as atrial fibrillation) that puts you at risk for developing a blood clot, your doctor might prescribe anticoagulant medications to “thin” your blood. While these drugs make it less likely your body will form blood clots, they also make you bleed more easily. Certain types of anti-nausea medication can be used to help someone who is trying to stop drinking alcohol. When used is it safe to drink alcohol while taking medication under medical supervision, the combination can be an effective way to treat alcohol withdrawal.
Common Challenges & Myths Around Drinking Alcohol with Medications
Mild liver inflammation can occur in about 2% of people who take statins for a long time. While it typically gets better after stopping taking the medications, there has been concern that alcohol (which is metabolized by the liver) could potentially make liver inflammation worse. People who drink occasionally may have internal bleeding while taking this medication. Even when two people consume the same amount of alcohol, a woman’s blood alcohol content usually rises more than a man’s. This is because women’s bodies typically contain less water than men’s.
- But the NIAAA also cautions that combining these prescription-strength sleep aids with alcohol could also lead to impaired motor control, unusual behavior, memory problems, and slowed or difficult breathing.
- Beyond the examples noted above, alcohol has the potential to interact negatively with many other commonly prescribed medications.
- It is generally safe to consume moderate amounts of alcohol at the same time as taking moderate amounts of acetaminophen.
- Older adults don’t metabolize alcohol as quickly as younger adults do, so alcohol stays in their systems longer and has a greater potential to interact with medications.
Muscle spasm medications
She combines a strong scientific background with compassion and is passionate about empowering people to manage their mental health. Prednisone is a corticosteroid commonly prescribed for a range of conditions, including allergies, autoimmune diseases, and inflammation. Always read the labels of any medications you are taking, paying close attention to the instructions for use, contraindications, and interactions.
- Muscle relaxants and alcohol both suppress your central nervous system, which controls the functions of your heart, lungs, and brain.
- “Mixing alcohol with common over the counter anti-inflammatory pain medications like ibuprofen and Naprosyn can cause GI upset, ulcers, and even stomach bleeding,” says Dr. Arthur.
- Drinking alcohol while taking gabapentin can also increase notable side effects, like sleepiness or dizziness.18 Talk to your doctor before drinking alcohol while taking gabapentin.
- Alcohol can interact with certain drugs, leading to dangerous side effects and an increased risk of accidents and injuries.
Alcohol consumption while on medication is a potentially dangerous combination that can lead to serious health issues, including overdose and even death. Alcohol can interact with many commonly used medications, intensifying side effects such as sleepiness, dizziness, impaired motor control, and abnormal behaviour. It can also increase the risk of adverse events, including falls, driving accidents, and fatal overdoses. Older adults are at a particularly high risk of harm due to age-related changes in their bodies’ response to alcohol and medication, as well as their increased use of medications that could interact with alcohol. It is always best to consult a doctor or pharmacist before consuming alcohol while on medication.
For instance, alcohol can increase the plasma levels of propranolol, enhancing its side effects, including dizziness, lightheadedness, and changes in heart rate. Alcohol may also reduce the effectiveness of certain antibiotics and increase the risk of liver toxicity when taken with specific drugs. Some medications pose more serious risks than others, with symptoms ranging from drowsiness and dizziness to liver damage, slowed breathing, and possibly death. Older adults are at a heightened risk of harm from alcohol consumption due to age-related changes in their bodies’ response to alcohol and medication. As people age, their bodies may experience a decline in their ability to metabolise alcohol, leading to increased sensitivity and intoxication. This is caused by a higher fat-to-muscle ratio, reduced liver function, and lower body water content, resulting in a higher blood alcohol concentration.
It can also alter the metabolism and pharmacological effects of medications and increase the risk of falls, driving accidents, and fatal overdoses. In closing, combining alcohol with certain medications, particularly those with sedative effects, can increase the risk of adverse events, including falls, driving accidents, and fatal overdoses. The more alcohol a patient consumes, the greater the risk for alcohol and medication interactions. Universal screening, careful prescribing choices, and patient education can help minimize the risks of combining alcohol with certain medications.
Whether you can drink moderately while taking medications will depend on which medications you have been given. You may be able to have some alcohol with certain medications, but drinking alcohol in conjunction with others can be dangerous. Sertraline does not usually interact chemically with alcohol.15 In fact, the oral solution version of sertraline contains alcohol. Despite this, as is the case with other antidepressants, drinking alcohol is not recommended while taking sertraline due to the effect it can have on mood and suicidal thoughts. This can cause new or increased side effects, which can potentially be lethal. Even though most people over 65 drink less than the maximum recommended amount, this drinking is still considered harmful for many of them, due to their general condition, medical problems, and medications.
If you’re drinking excessively or regularly, you are increasing the risk of adverse medication reactions. The combination of medication and alcohol can lead to serious health consequences, including overdose and even death. “It’s generally advisable to avoid drinking alcohol when taking medications,” says psychiatric clinical pharmacist Mei T. Liu, PharmD, BCPP. It is generally advised to avoid drinking alcohol while taking antidepressants. Alcohol can worsen the side effects of antidepressants and may also intensify symptoms of depression and other mental health conditions. Additionally, alcohol can alter the metabolism and pharmacological effects of medications, and certain medications can alter the absorption and metabolism of alcohol.
We invite healthcare professionals to complete a post-test to earn FREE continuing education credit (CME/CE or ABIM MOC). This continuing education opportunity is jointly provided by the Postgraduate Institute for Medicine and NIAAA. More resources for a variety of healthcare professionals can be found in the Additional Links for Patient Care. Take our Drinking Check to discover if your drinking is impacting your health, wellbeing and relationships.
Guidelines for Preventing Alcohol Interactions
Medications used to treat insomnia or help you fall and stay asleep should never be mixed with alcohol. The sedating effect of these drugs can be increased by alcohol, leading to slowed or impaired breathing, impaired motor control, abnormal behavior, memory loss, and fainting. The risks of mixing antipsychotics and alcohol include impaired judgment, dizziness, drowsiness, low blood pressure, the worsening of a psychiatric condition, an increased risk of suicide, and more. Mixing anti-anxiety and epilepsy medications with alcoholic beverages can cause slowed breathing, impaired motor control, abnormal behavior, and memory loss. Consuming alcohol while taking lithium or valproic acid can also cause drowsiness, dizziness, and tremors.
Adderall, Dexedrine, and Vyvanse can increase a person’s risk for heart problems. When combined with alcohol, medications for attention and concentration disorders can make a person dizzy and sleepy. Here’s a list of medications that can negatively interact with alcohol, along with descriptions of what those interactions may look like. A woman’s body contains a greater concentration of alcohol than a man’s because alcohol interacts with bodily water. Women are, therefore, more vulnerable to liver impairment and other alcohol-related organ damage.
In addition, online interaction checkers allow one to search easily for interactions between alcohol and most medications. If you accidentally mix alcohol with medication and experience symptoms like nausea or dizziness, contact your doctor if they worsen. If you have severe symptoms such as seizures, slow heart rate or breathing, or unconsciousness, call 911 immediately. If you’re not sure if a medication can be combined with alcohol, avoid any alcohol consumption until your doctor or pharmacist has told you that it’s safe to mix the two. Although most drugs are safe and effective when used as directed, it’s important to read warning labels on all medications. Many popular pain medications — and cough, cold, and allergy medications — contain more than one ingredient that can adversely interact with alcohol.
