Can I drink alcohol after taking a tablet of cephalexin

"Take Cephalexin and alcohol, and go when you want", this was a post that went viral in various family groups during the Chinese New Year. I believe everyone is familiar with it. There are also many people who love drinking and think that they can drink alcohol after stopping medication. This idea is completely wrong. Cephalexin will remain in the body for nearly a week, so do not drink alcohol within a week after stopping medication, and do not use cephalexin within a week after drinking. This article introduces the details of this aspect, let’s take a look.

Can I drink alcohol while taking cefuroxime?

Do not drink alcohol while taking cefuroxime.

From a medical point of view, there are two ways for alcohol to be metabolized in the human body. One is the direct decomposition of ethanol, and the other is the conversion of alcohol into acetaldehyde by the liver in the body, which then decomposes acetaldehyde into carbon dioxide and water. Cephalexin will inhibit the metabolism of acetaldehyde. Therefore, taking cephalexin and drinking alcohol can easily cause acetaldehyde poisoning.

What happens if you take ceftriaxone and drink alcohol?

Spore drugs can block acetaldehyde, preventing it from further oxidative metabolism after it is produced, thereby causing acetaldehyde accumulation in the body and causing poisoning reactions. Poisoning reactions usually manifest as flushing, nausea, vomiting, and irritability. In severe cases, breathing difficulties and heart rhythm disorders may occur, which may induce myocardial infarction, acute heart failure, and even death.

What to do if you take ceftriaxone and drink alcohol:

Seek medical attention promptly

If you drink alcohol after taking cefuroxime and experience poisoning, you need to seek medical attention immediately. The acetaldehyde poisoning reaction caused by this disulfiram reaction is relatively fast, and symptoms such as dizziness, nausea, and flushed face usually begin to appear within 5 minutes. In severe cases, coma will occur within half an hour.

How long after taking ceftriaxone can you drink alcohol?

You can drink alcohol 24 hours after taking ceftriaxone.

Cephalosporins consumed directly are metabolized relatively quickly in the human body and can generally be completely excreted from the body within 24 hours. At this time, you can drink alcohol. However, if your liver function is poor and your metabolism is slow, you should drink alcohol after a week to ensure your health and avoid poisoning.

How long after taking ceftriaxone can I drink alcohol?

Intravenous cephalexin is different from direct ingestion of cephalexin. It takes a longer time to metabolize, generally about half a month.

The injected cephalosporin enters the blood directly, which has a better therapeutic effect, but it is also metabolized more slowly and generally stays in the human body for 5 to 7 days. Therefore, if cephalosporin is injected, it is best to start drinking alcohol after 1 to 2 weeks to avoid poisoning.