Antibiotics and alcohol

Answer 1

A widespread myth holds that you shouldn't drink alcohol while taking antibiotics, but in fact, drinking doesn't lessen the effects of the drugs. However, alcohol can lower your general energy and delay your recovery so it is best to minimize drinking until you've finished the prescribed course of antibiotic treatment. (Beyond that, chronic liver damage from excessive alcohol consumption can affect the metabolism and toxicity of antibiotics.) There are other precautions you should take when on antibiotics. Antibiotics not only kill harmful bacteria that are making you sick, they also destroy the beneficial flora in your gut and can promote the development of resistant organisms in your body. To restore the helpful organisms, be sure to take supplemental acidophilus while you're on antibiotics. Acidophilus is the general name for dried or liquid cultures of the living lactobacillus bacteria that aid digestion. Always check the expiration date to help ensure that the acidophilus product you choose is still viable. Take one tablespoon of the liquid culture or one to two capsules after meals, unless the label directs otherwise. I recommend taking acidophilus to restore "friendly" cultures even when on antibiotics for just a few days. And I particularly recommend products containing lactobacillus GG, a strain proven to survive passage through the strong acid in the stomach. (Visit Culterelle for more information: http://www.culturelle.com/) The organisms that withstand antibiotic treatment contribute to the growing problem of antibiotic resistance, which leaves us with fewer options for therapy when knockout treatments really are needed. For that reason, I generally encourage people to seek alternatives to antibiotics, whenever possible. For example, long-term antibiotic therapy for acne isn't very wise (instead, try an anti-inflammatory diet(http://www.drweil.com/drw/u/ART02012/anti-inflammatory-diet),taking essential fatty acids and using traditional Chinese medicine). I would reserve antibiotics for situations that really require them, such as bacterial infections in vital organs or fast-moving infections that the immune system can't contain.

Answer 2

Some antibiotics will be able to be safely taken with alcohol, but there are some antibiotics that when mixed with alcohol will cause some unfortunate effects. Save yourself the trip to the hospital and keep the two separate.

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In most cases antibiotics and alcohol should not be mixed.

Antibiotics are made of antimicrobial compounds (such as penicillin is made from a fungus) which is used to destroy bacteria in the body which might be causing an infection.

Since alcohol is the by-product of bacteria and contains bacteria, introducing it into the body makes antibiotics less effective because the body will try to use the antibiotic to eliminate the bacteria in the alcohol rather than the infection.

This is one way alcohol weakens the immune system.

The best course of action is to eliminate alcohol use until the antibiotic is finished, and as always, consult a medical professional if you have additional questions.

Answer 3

No, it has no effect.

The idea that alcohol 'stops antibiotics working' was put about in the clinics during the war.

When penicillin was introduced, it came with the warning not to drink while taking it. The reason was actually more psychological than pharmaceutical.

Answer 4

Alcohol can mess up the metabolism of antibiotics, as well as cause additional bacteria to enter your body (alcohol products such as beer and other malt liquors contain bacteria).

This can cause antibiotics to leave the body quicker than normal as well as give the antibiotics additional bacteria to fight, making it less effective, almost like you're not taking the antibiotic at all.

This is one of the ways that alcohol can weaken the immune system.

Answer 5

The principle effect of alcohol on antibiotics is the diuretic factor. Alcohol causes a rapid loss of body fluids, and can cause antibiotics to move through the system so rapidly that they do not have an opportunity to do their entire job.

Two drinks could affect one dose, but would not be likely to do more than that. Overall, however, we would not recommend drinking while taking any oral medication without speaking with your doctor.