Antibiotics are one of the most common and effective tools in the treatment of various diseases today. Thanks to antibacterial drugs, a number of diseases that were once, more than 100 years ago, and even often life-threatening, are now successfully treated without any results. Modern pharmacology releases a large number of antibacterial drugs that have been successfully developed in infancy: some antibiotics, if nothing else, have been used successfully to treat infants.
Of course, antibacterial drugs are among the agents that preclude accidental and unauthorized use. Thus, the use of this group of drugs should always be justified and agreed with the doctor: their uncontrolled use instead of therapeutic effect always carries serious risks. But what can I say - there are such risks when antibiotics are used as prescribed, because each of these drugs has its own side effects, which in some cases have unpleasant consequences.
One of the warnings that applies to all antibacterial agents without exception is a warning about the impossibility, harm and high risk of combining such drugs with alcohol. You must read the instructions of any of the antibiotics in black and white: the use of alcohol in the background of therapy with such drugs is strictly prohibited. And this is not an empty ban: drinking alcohol in combination with "snacks" on medication can lead to extremely negative consequences.
It is forbidden to use alcoholic beverages only as a means of "washing" drugs. It is forbidden to drink alcohol after antibiotics, and a few hours after taking the drug and a few days (or better weeks) after the end of the course of treatment. Of course, as long as the person being treated does not want to experience a slightly different health problem after healing a "wound" and it is no less serious and complicated.
Abstinence from alcohol after taking antibiotics should be due to the fact that each of these drugs has a period of elimination from the body. That is, even at the end of the course of treatment, the active drugs still remain in the blood, tissues and liver. Until the end of the elimination process, when alcohol is taken after treatment, antibiotics will react with alcohol, just as they react directly to alcohol consumed during therapy.
And these reactions can be completely different, but at the same time they are unequivocally negative in each case. Thus, one of the reasons why alcohol is not actually recommended after antibiotic therapy, but also during treatment, is explained by the nature of alcohol to significantly reduce the effects of drug use. Thus, when alcohol and antibiotics are taken together, the active ingredients of the latter accumulate in the liver instead of being absorbed into the bloodstream and have a therapeutic effect. As a result, the load on the liver from a mixture of certain drugs and alcohol is too great, and the long-awaited treatment is postponed indefinitely.
After antibiotics, alcohol is also contraindicated due to the additional load on the liver: a natural "filter" and so on. When taking antibacterial drugs, it works in an intensified mode, and the additional load in the form of alcohol is a greater blow to the body. Antibiotics that try to break down and process the liver by reacting chemically with alcohol may not cure the condition, but may cause nausea, vomiting, dizziness, headaches, or even nausea. In some cases, a "cocktail" of antibiotics and alcohol can cause shortness of breath and, in extreme cases, death. And such cases, unfortunately, have happened many times in medical practice.
The body's response to a mixture of alcohol and antibiotics is unpredictable. Against the background of the combined use of such drugs and alcohol, there are cases of exacerbation of chronic diseases, for example, as a result of severe reactions from the nervous, digestive and cardiovascular systems.
The combination of alcohol with antibiotics can be a major factor in the development of allergic reactions, even if the patient has not previously suffered from any type of allergy. Thus, if the immune system is still able to protect the body "at an increasing rate" during antibacterial treatment, then alcohol consumption is able to disrupt the functions of the immune system, which manifests itself in appearance. allergy.
Summing up the intermediate result, we can say with confidence that antibiotics and alcohol are not compatible in any way. The reasons for this ban have been given above, and they have also laid the groundwork for the claim that it is better to get rid of alcohol for a while after such treatment. Of course, if you do not want to risk your life and health in vain and in vain.
When to drink alcohol after taking antibiotics
There is no definitive answer to the question of when you can drink alcohol after antibiotics. Each antibacterial drug has an individual cycle of elimination from the body. Accordingly, in each individual case, the decision on when to drink alcohol after antibiotics is made individually.
The minimum period for which you must abstain from alcohol after the end of antibiotic treatment is three days. At the same time, there are drugs that are eliminated from the body for a much longer time, and in this case, the period of abstinence from alcohol can be 10, 14 days and even several weeks. The liver needs to be able to remove even the residual effects of taking antibiotics without taking an extra load in the form of alcohol.
By the way, doctors are only committed to the latter idea, advising all patients to be vigilant at the end of the course of treatment with antibacterial agents as much as possible. The longer the patient takes the liver to remove the antibiotics and then resume normal functioning, the lower the risk of a conflict between alcohol and antibacterial drugs.
This is most important for people taking antibiotics for liver and kidney problems. In such cases, the ban on alcohol is extended after the end of antibiotic treatment: the already completely unhealthy liver must be neutralized and antibiotic residues must be removed from the body. If the liver is overloaded with such increasing loads, it will be difficult to do without complications.
For many people accustomed to drinking at least one glass of good red wine a day, it is very difficult to give up their favorite habits, even during antibiotic treatment. Such people are often reminded of the dangers of combining alcohol with antibiotics, and for some reason justify themselves by saying that "nothing will come from a glass of wine. "And it is completely useless: even experts will never take responsibility for thinking about the possible severity of the consequences. In some cases, a glass of wine after taking antibiotics may not show any serious results. However, in another situation, even at first glance, an insignificant amount of alcohol consumed while taking antibacterial drugs can lead to serious consequences. Therefore, it is better to think a hundred times before rejecting benevolent workers who warn about the impossibility of combining alcohol and antibacterial substances - is a glass of wine really more important than our own health?