What are the consequences of drinking and taking medicine

If you have some understanding of the use of drugs, you will be very clear about some common contraindications, such as the time of use of the drug, whether to take the drug on an empty stomach, etc. But no matter what medicine it is, you cannot drink alcohol before taking it. This is a very clear principle. If some people do not pay attention to this, it may easily cause great harm. So, what are the consequences of drinking and taking medicine?

Experts point out that some medicines containing antibiotic cephalosporins often become poisons under the stimulation of alcohol, causing alcohol poisoning, and in severe cases even death.

Why does alcohol poisoning occur?

Experts explain that the combination of cephalosporin drugs and alcohol can easily produce a "disulfiram" reaction. Simply put, cephalosporins inhibit acetaldehyde dehydrogenase in the liver. This enzyme is very important for people who drink alcohol. A high "level" of the enzyme means a strong alcohol-detoxifying function. Once the function of this enzyme is inhibited, alcohol (ethanol) can no longer be oxidized and decomposed after being oxidized into acetaldehyde in the human body, resulting in the accumulation of acetaldehyde in the body and causing acetaldehyde poisoning reaction.

Symptoms of disulfiram reaction

Clinical studies have found that the disulfiram reaction generally occurs 8 to 10 minutes after drinking, sometimes only 20 seconds later, and as slow as an hour later. The main manifestations are facial fever, flushing, blurred vision, headache, nausea and vomiting, tachycardia, low blood pressure, irritability, etc.

If it appears quickly, it will also ease and disappear quickly, and it will generally ease on its own after rest and adjustment. If severe symptoms such as respiratory depression, myocardial infarction, and acute heart failure occur, the patient must be sent to the hospital immediately for symptomatic treatment and ethanol metabolism and excretion must be promoted as soon as possible. If not treated in time, it may lead to shock or even death.

Avoid drinking alcohol after taking some medicines

In fact, in addition to cephalosporins, nitroimidazoles (such as metronidazole, tinidazole), furans (such as furazolidone), chloramphenicol, ketoconazole, griseofulvin, sulfonamides, sulfonylurea hypoglycemic drugs (such as chlorpropamide, tolbutamide), warfarin, tricyclic psychotropic drugs (such as chlorpromazine, trifluoperazine), tolazoline, insulin, isoniazid, nitroglycerin, isoflurane, diphenhydramine, barbiturates and other drugs will also produce varying degrees of adverse reactions after interacting with alcohol. Experts remind that when using the above-mentioned drugs for a certain period of time, you should not drink alcohol or consume beverages or foods containing alcohol.

The severity of the disulfiram reaction is proportional to the dose of cephalosporin and the amount of alcohol consumed and is persistent. The symptoms are more serious in the elderly, children, and patients with cardiovascular and cerebrovascular diseases. Some patients may experience this reaction after drinking alcoholic beverages, eating chocolate with alcohol filling, taking Huoxiang Zhengqi water, or even simply treating the skin with alcohol.