When taking Antibiotics why are you not supposed to consume alcohol???

Question

Why can't you drink?

Answer 1

this question was already answered here:http://answers.yahoo.com/question/index?...

Answer 2

Certain antibiotics have a disulfiram effect and can cause severe nausea and vomiting if taken with alcohol.  Metronidazole is a prime example. Also, there may be other interactions: alcohol may decrease the effectiveness of the antibiotic, and the metabolism of the antibiotic, which occurs in the liver, may be altered by alcohol because alcohol is metabolized by hepatic isoenzymes.  Other drugs may also effect the metabolism of certain antibiotics.

Answer 3

You shouldn't consume alcohol when taking any medication (especially acetominophen / tylenol), but I believe the specific issue with antibiotics is that the alcohol reduces their effectiveness.  BTW - my fiance tells me that antibiotics also make birth control pills less effective.

Answer 4

A drug has to travel through the bloodstream to the site in the body where it is to have its desired effect. The drug's effects then diminish over time, as it is processed [metabolised] and eliminated from the body. Alcohol behaves in a similar fashion, travelling through the bloodstream, before being metabolised and eliminated, primarily by the liver.

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

Sometimes there is no reason.

As noted above, alcohol with metronidazole makes for extreme nausea. That's an obvious case.

As noted above, some antibiotics are metabolized by the liver, but alcohol may or may not interfere with that metabolism.  Just because a drug is hepatically metabolized doesn't necessarily mean its metabolism is affected by alcohol.  Depending on the drug, its levels may be increased or decreased by changes in the liver.

But many or most of the most commonly used antibiotics are renally excreted, e.g. nearly all of the penicillins and cephalosporins, and I know of no reason not to consume alcohol while using them.