People who blush when drinking alcohol should be careful when taking these 3 types of medicines

When friends and family get together, there are often people whose faces turn red when they drink. The culprit for blushing after drinking is not alcohol (ethanol), but acetaldehyde. In the body, alcohol is first catalyzed into acetaldehyde and then further broken down by acetaldehyde dehydrogenase 2. If there is a problem with the activity of this enzyme, acetaldehyde cannot be metabolized in time and remains in the body in large quantities, which may dilate facial blood vessels and cause blushing. In severe cases, it may cause damage to organs such as the heart, brain, liver, and kidneys. People who blush easily when drinking should be cautious when taking medication, especially the following three types of medicine.

Nitroglycerin: Emergency medication may not be effective

It is well known that if angina attacks are not treated promptly, they may cause acute myocardial infarction or even sudden death due to severe arrhythmias. Nitroglycerin is a "life-saving drug" for treating angina pectoris, but the ineffectiveness rate among the Han Chinese population is as high as 25%, many of whom are people who easily blush when drinking. Aldehyde dehydrogenase 2 can specifically metabolize nitroglycerin to produce nitric oxide, thereby achieving vasodilation and relieving angina pectoris. The activity of acetaldehyde dehydrogenase 2 in people who blush when drinking alcohol is usually not high, so taking nitroglycerin may not be effective or even ineffective. It is recommended that these patients use nitroglycerin with caution under the guidance of a doctor. If necessary, they should keep other medicines on standby or switch to other medicines, such as nitrates, beta-receptor blockers, calcium channel blockers, or Chinese herbal preparations such as Quick-acting Heart-saving Pills and Musk Heart-protecting Pills, to prevent missed treatment opportunities and life-threatening consequences due to irrational use of medications.

Many antibiotics: May cause severe headaches, rapid heartbeat, and other symptoms

In addition to being careful when using nitroglycerin, you should be cautious when using antibiotics within a period of time after drinking. A variety of antibiotics can bind to acetaldehyde dehydrogenase 2, inhibiting the activity of the enzyme, preventing acetaldehyde from being metabolized in time, accumulating in the body, and causing a disulfiram reaction. Its clinical manifestations include fever in the face, scarlet complexion, violent pulsation of blood vessels in the head and neck, or throbbing headache. In severe cases, there may be difficulty breathing, nausea, vomiting, sweating, dry mouth, chest pain, rapid heartbeat, low blood pressure, irritability, and even shock. Drugs that can cause disulfiram reactions include metronidazole, ketoconazole, chloramphenicol and certain cephalosporin antibiotics. People who blush easily after drinking are particularly sensitive to this reaction. Generally, people should not take antibiotics within 3 days after drinking. For those who blush after drinking, the recommended time is 5 to 7 days, or even longer.

Diuretics: Causes hypotension

Both ethanol and its metabolite acetaldehyde have vasodilatory effects and can enhance the efficacy of vasodilators. Especially when using diuretic antihypertensive drugs such as thiazides, drinking alcohol may aggravate orthostatic hypotension. People who blush when drinking have poor ability to metabolize acetaldehyde and are more likely to get into danger, so they should avoid drinking alcohol when taking this type of medication.

Blushing after drinking is also related to factors such as environment, diet, and individual disease status. Be sure to take medication under the guidance of a doctor or pharmacist. Some medicine instructions state that you should not drink alcohol while taking the medicine. When taking these medicines, you should not drink alcohol, regardless of whether you blush easily or not.