What happens when you take medicine after alcohol?

How alcohol reacts with medications?

Side effects can add up

Alcohol can have same side effects as medicine. Both can add up.

Example: Sleeping pills make you sleepy. Alcohol also makes you sleepy. Taking them together can make you too sleepy.

Another example: Blood pressure pills lower your blood pressure. Alcohol can also lower your blood pressure. Taking them together can lower your blood pressure too much. You can feel tired, dizzy, and nauseous. You can faint or pass out.

Medicine can increase effect of alcohol

That means you can feel drunk faster. Or you can feel drunk even after drinking less alcohol. You can feel hung over. Or your hangover can stay longer.

Example: Pregabalin can increase effect of alcohol. That means you can feel drunk even after drinking less alcohol.

Medicine can increase blood levels of alcohol

Some medicines can reduce your body's ability to get rid of alcohol. That means higher alcohol level your system. Or alcohol stays in your system longer. So you can feel drunk after drinking little alcohol. Or you might stay drunk for longer than normal.

Example: A study showed that aspirin increases BAC (blood alcohol concentration). That means you can feel more drunk if you are taking aspirin and alcohol together.

Another example: A study showed that verapamil (medicine for blood pressure) increases BAC (blood alcohol concentration). That means you can feel more drunk if you are taking verapamil and alcohol together.

Alcohol can increase blood levels of medicine

That means you can have more medicine in your system. More medicine means more side effects.

Example: Alcohol can increase blood levels of methylphenidate (medicine for ADHD). So you might feel excited and hyper.

Alcohol can decrease blood levels of medicine

That means you can have less medicine in your system. Less medicine means your disease might not be cured.

Example: Some people get liver transplant or kidney transplant. After transplant, you are supposed to take medicine for keeping transplant alive. Alcohol can decrease blood levels of transplant medicines. When that happens, your medicine might not be able to work properly. That can cause transplant failure. That is a very serious problem.

Alcohol can dissolve long-acting medicines

Some medicines come as sustained release tablets or capsules. These tablets or capsules contain a large amount of medicine. The medicine is slowly released from the tablet or capsule. So that you don't have to take medicine many times in a day. Check name of your medicine. Does it say CD, ER, LA, XL, XR? It means a long-acting medicine.

Alcohol can dissolve long-acting tablet or capsule. That means too much medicine can hit you suddenly. You might get side effects.

Example: Diltiazem is a medicine for blood pressure. A study showed that when you mix alcohol with diltiazem capsules, too much medicine can release from capsule. That means too much medicine can hit your system. You might get serious side effects.

Alcohol can make your health problem worse

Or alcohol can cause the same problem for which you are taking the medicine.

Example: Some people have trouble holding pee (urinary incontinence). Many people take medicine for this problem. But alcohol also makes you pee. So alcohol is making the problem worse.

Another example: Some people have migraines (serious headaches). Many people take medicine for this problem. But alcohol can trigger migraine attacks. So alcohol is making the problem worse.

Alcohol can cause new health problems

Example: If you keep drinking long time (several years), your blood pressure can become higher. Your blood pressure medicines might not be effective. Or you may need to take a higher dose.

Regular drinking changes your body functions

Your body might not be able to handle medicine. Or you might get too much effect of medicine.

Example: Regular drinking can hurt your liver. Your liver might become weaker. That means your liver might not be able to metabolize (get rid of) medicine. You might get more side effects from the medicine.

Page last updated: 25-November-2019