Alcohol And Drug Interactions

With rising consumption of alcohol in recent times, experts have advised on cautious use with some drug medications.
Among drugs that do not tally with alcohol are hypertensive and antibiotics medications.
Antibiotics are one class to watch out for. Certain drugs are more concerning than others, so there tends to be confusion about whether it is okay to drink alcohol or not. One to keep an eye on is erythromycin. Erythromycin can increase blood alcohol levels and the effects of drinking, making patients feel more intoxicated than anticipated.
Similarly, taking metronidazole with alcohol might cause a disulfiram-like reaction – leading to nausea and general hangover-like symptoms. There is some controversy over how likely this is to occur, but the general consensus is to avoid drinking while taking metronidazole.
Additionally, patients might not realise that certain antibiotics such as doxycycline might be less effective in patients who are regular drinkers. If patients are not able to stop drinking, providers might consider an alternative drug.
Also talk to patients about antihypertensive drugs. Chronic drinking can cause hypertension. But moderate drinking while taking antihypertensive drugs can increase the effects of these drugs, leading to hypotension.
Additionally, drinking red wine can rapidly increase blood levels of extended-release felodipine and its side effects. Advise patients taking extended-release felodipine to avoid red wine specifically.
There are many other drug-alcohol interactions to watch out for, including interactions with painkillers and antidepressants. There are a lot of factors to consider – you will note in our specific interaction entries that some concerns might only be related to binge drinking, while others might apply only to chronic drinkers.
Culled from Tribuneonline