can you drink alcohol while taking antibiotics?

Question

im taking CO- AMOXICLAV it contains amoxicillin and penicillin 625mg for a lung infection, i was drinking over the bank holiday i just hope the pills will work as im going on holiday soon to turkey for 3 weeks!

Answer 1

read the bottle.... it'll tell you if you can or cant.... or talk to a pharmacist

Answer 2

I always endeavour to stay away from antibiotics but sometimes it is unavoidable. I have never had a drink problem but I have drunk to excess due to depression, I am lucky my bro is an alcoholic
I have reached 53 without ever experiencing a problem drinking and taking AB's at the same time. Obviously the medical profession declare drinking and AB's a no-no but my experience of the folk in medicine from Surgeons, to nurses to physios is that most drink and many take no notice of medical guidelines...a case of do as I say don't do as I do.
I have never found the AB's to be less efficacious when taking booze but I would assume that some may not work as well whilst some folk react badly to a combination.
Really you need to be asking yourself, how important is alcohol to you? If you can't do without it for a few days then you may do yourself more harm by cutting out the booze, if you can take it or leave it err on the side of caution.
NEVER EVER forget though that if you do not complete a course of antibiotics it can have a really bad impact on you next time you need them as the bacteria develop resistance to them and you will need ever stronger doses to combat the illness and the stronger the AB's the more wicked the side effects and then my friend you will have to stop drinking like it or not as you will feel like death.

Answer 3

Drinking alcohol actually doesn't lessen the effects of the antibiotics. However, alcohol could lower the general energy of your body and delay your recovery so it would be at your best interest to minimize drinking until you've finished the prescribed course of antibiotic treatment.

Another nasty thing hat can happen is due to the fact that alcohol generally intensifies the side effects of a lot of antibiotics as well as with other medications. The side effects mostly intensified are dizziness, nausea, and vomiting. These are generally considered not the "fun" aspects of drinking.

A glass or two probably will be fine. But I doubt if you will ever have the ability to stop holding another glass especially if you are having fun with your friends.

Be aware also that excessive alcohol consumption can affect the metabolism and toxicity (increases) of antibiotics which could cause a liver damage.

The best option would be to abstain from alcohol while on antibiotics. Take care of yourself and keep your liver healthy!

Answer 4

before embarking on such a course of action, do check with your own doctor, in case there are any complicating personal factors that neither of us are aware of. The effects of certain antibiotics will be reduced when taken in combination with alcohol and as a rule, one should avoid combining alcohol with any medication. The extent to which each dose of any drug reaches its site of action may be termed its availability. Alcohol can influence the effectiveness of a drug by altering its availability. A single drink of alcohol or several drinks over some hours may prevent a drug's metabolism by competing with the drug for the same processing sites within the liver. This type of interaction prolongs the drug's availability, and may increase the risk of side effects from the drug. On the other hand, chronic alcohol abuse may cause an increase in the liver's ability to process the drug, thus decreasing availability and reducing its effects. This effect may persist for several weeks after stopping drinking. To complicate matters further, a drug may affect the way in which alcohol is broken down, increasing the risk of becoming intoxicated.

Answer 5

Definitely do not have alcohol with these or you will feel very sick. Strictly speaking you should not have alcohol with them anyway as it can alter the effects of them and make their use pointless.
Time will tell if the antibiotics work. If you feel no better after 3 days of taking them then you will need to go back to your GP. Most antibiotics state do not take alcohol!! Your GP wont have much sympathy for you if you tell him/her you drank alcohol whilst taking them.
Hope you get well soon though.

Answer 6

NO, no, NO, no, NO...BAD! *smacks you on the nose wiff a newspaper* It should say right on the bottle to not take alcohol with this medication because it basically inhibits the effects of the penecillin, which is currently fighting off whatever bacterial infection you have, and alcohol will only enable the infection to grow. If you're ever in doubt, err on the side of precaution and lay off the partying until all of your meds are gone.

Answer 7

You can but you are not supposed to, medication damages the liver, and combined with drinking your liver is in for a fire ride through hell. But if you decide to drink be aware of the side effects drinking can have. At least limit what you do drink. I do not think it will conflict with the antibiotics but it will gradually harm your body.
Just be cautious and havea great turkey week lol
~amyj

Answer 8

you can, it wont do you any harm, but it stops the antibiotics working. Also, say if you had 1 drink and were under the legal drink drive limit, but were breathalised, the antibiotics can make it appear as if you had much more drink and can make you fail the test.

Answer 9

1

Answer 10

You could ask you doctor but alcohol often counteracts the medication, read the labels that should tell you whether you can drink with them or not. I have in the past but felt that it probably prolonged the illness so i wouldn't do it now.

Answer 11

Alcohol tends to lessen the effects of antiobiotics, so it's usually best to stay away from the drink if you're taking them.