Why antibiotics (and only if they) are incompatible with alcohol?

Why is ALCOHOL incompatible with antibiotics?

There are three reasons for incompatibility. The first is in the chemical interaction of ethyl alcohol and an antibiotic. The second is in compliance with the treatment regimen. The third is in the effect of ethanol on the course of the disease, in which antibiotics were prescribed.

1. With the simultaneous use of a number of antibiotics and alcohol, an incompatibility reaction develops (it is similar to the reaction to a drug used to treat alcohol dependence). 20-30 minutes after drinking, redness, dizziness, severe headache, tachycardia, nausea, vomiting appear, heart rhythm disturbances and a sharp decrease in blood pressure are possible. Antibiotics incompatible with alcohol include cephalosporins (one of the most widely prescribed drugs), chloramphenicol, griseofulvin, metronidazole, sulfonamides.
2. Antibiotics require strict adherence to the treatment regimen (intervals between taking the drug, dosage). In the case of alcohol intoxication , the patient may miss the time of taking the drug, and this leads to a decrease in the concentration of the drug in the blood, the adaptation of microorganisms to the antibiotic and, as a result, to further treatment failure or a protracted course of the disease.
3. Frequently consumed alcohol exposes the drinker's respiratory tract to ethyl alcohol vapor at a concentration that matches the blood alcohol content. Ethanol penetrates into the lung tissue from the blood through the epithelium of the respiratory tract, then the alcohol molecules are broken down in the lungs to an aggressive half-life product - acetaldehyde. Acetaldehyde is highly oxidizing and forms harmful compounds with proteins, including DNA. These compounds disrupt normal cellular processes, cause inflammation, reduce the ability of cells to repair and create favorable conditions for the reproduction of pathogens. Thus, alcohol consumption during the period of antibiotic treatment of respiratory diseases can lead to aggravation of the pathology and slow down the healing process.

What about other drugs, such as antivirals?

- Ethyl alcohol can significantly reduce the effectiveness of antiviral drugs, as well as increase their toxic effects on the liver. This can be manifested by the appearance of nausea, abdominal pain, fever and a protracted course of a viral infection.

In addition to antibiotics and antivirals, during a cold, analgin, paracetamol, vasoconstrictor and antitussive drugs, and remedies for the common cold are often used. All of them interact with alcohol. So, analgin slows down the neutralization of ethyl alcohol, increases the duration and strength of its effect on the body, exacerbates the toxic effects of alcohol. The use of adrenergic drugs for the treatment of the common cold becomes unsafe, since ethyl alcohol increases the sensitivity of the heart to adrenaline. The simultaneous intake of alcohol and cough medicines can lead to depression of the respiratory center up to respiratory arrest, and the use of paracetamol in people who abuse alcohol is fraught with the development of paracetamol hepatitis.

How else can alcohol during an illness affect the body?

- Alcohol causes dehydration of the body in general and the mucous membranes of the respiratory tract in particular. This leads to a violation of the protective functions of the mucosa and "opens the gate" for pathogenic microflora. Therefore, people who abuse alcohol are more susceptible to the transition of a common cold to pneumonia. They are twice as likely to have severe forms of the disease and complications. A characteristic feature of pneumonia in patients with ALCOHOLISM is a long and severe course without clear symptoms of the disease, often there is no fever and inflammatory changes in the general blood test, which leads to a late visit to the DOCTOR and difficulties in treatment.