Yes, alcoholic beverages can reduce the effectiveness of some antibiotics and cause various side effects. When the two demands come to the liver, the main organ responsible for the metabolism of drugs in the body, the organ does not know which to metabolize first, consequently ends up not playing its full role and one of the metabolizations is impaired. As alcohol is usually consumed in greater quantity, the liver, instead of metabolizing the drug, tries to metabolize the alcohol first, which ultimately reduces the efficiency of the medication. The liver also is not able to absorb the alcohol completely and part of it stays in the blood stream for longer, potentializing the state of intoxication. Some antibiotics that cause such effects are: ketoconazole, itraconazole, fluconazole, nitrofurantoin, erythromycin, rifampicin and isoniazid - danger of inhibition of the effect and potentiation of hepatic toxicity.
Some antibiotics, in turn, can generate extremely unpleasant side effects when associated with alcohol. Are:
- Metronidazole (Flagyl®)
- Trimethoprim-sulfamethoxazole (Bactrim®)
- Tinidazole (Tindamax®)
- Griseofulvin (Grisactin®)
Alcohol may be the best-known villain, but it's not the only one. Certain drugs should not be taken with food, because of decreased absorption and, consequently, effect. It is also common to interact with other medicines used by the patient. Therefore, it is important that you ask your doctor if there is interaction with other medicines and how the antibiotic should be used. Another option is to read in the package insert the guidelines for its proper use.
There are no reports of interaction related to other antibiotics. However, it should be remembered that alcohol inhibits the immune system and makes it difficult to fight infectious agents, so it is not wise to drink when you have an infection.
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