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it's only certain antibiotics that react badly with alcohol

experiment and see if yours is one of them.

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arrangedletters, Fri 27 Mar 2009, 16:21, archived)

They don't react badly in the slightest.

The only reason for not taking alcohol whilst on antibiotics is that the alcohol competes with the drug for the enzymes in the liver needed to metabolise it. The alcohol wins and this means that the antibiotic ends up going through the system without metabolising and ultimately being as much use as smarties.
No point taking antibiotics with drink because the drugs don't work.
Any other idea about being messed up whilst on both is urban myth.

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Pasanonic 's been known to cause insanity in laboratory mice, Fri 27 Mar 2009, 16:45, archived)

Yes and no

en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Antibiotics#Alcohol
Well, no, really.

(_Felix 's school of dance and occult sciences, Fri 27 Mar 2009, 16:58, archived)

My doctor drinks in my

pub and I remember having this conversation over booze.
I'm happy to take my hazy recollection of his word over Wiki anyday. ( I'd take any fact I heard in the pub before I'll take Wiki at face value ).

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Pasanonic 's been known to cause insanity in laboratory mice, Fri 27 Mar 2009, 17:01, archived)

I know you hate wikipedia

So here are the websites which wikipedia cites:
www.nhs.uk/chq/pages/871.aspx?CategoryID=73&SubCategoryID=103&r=1&rtitle=http%3a%2f%2fwww.nhs.uk%2fchq+-+871%3fCategoryID%3d73%26SubCategoryID%3d103
www.mayoclinic.com/health/antibiotics-and-alcohol/AN01802
You're right in as far as it's probably alright to drink on antibiotics, but wrong in that if they're rarer kinds, you'll end up puking. You're half-right that alcohol might make the antibiotics stop working, but again, it depends what they are, and usually it won't. (And I don't get the metabolising part - I mean, sure, you don't metabolise the antibiotics, but that just means they don't get broken down, so they'd keep working for longer, wouldn't they?)

(_Felix 's school of dance and occult sciences, Fri 27 Mar 2009, 17:06, archived)

I'm not a chemist so I'm out of my depth here

But I understand that the antibiotics make their way through your system at a set rate and the more of it going into your faeces the less effective it is. ( I think )

And I'm not saying it's ok to drink and take them. What would be the point? I'm just saying that there are many myths about it and only 5 or so antibiotics known to doctors to cause any kind of side-effect.

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Pasanonic 's been known to cause insanity in laboratory mice, Fri 27 Mar 2009, 17:11, archived)

I guess the thing is

if you can't metabolise the antibiotic, it's like taking a bigger dose, and that might not be pleasant.

(_Felix 's school of dance and occult sciences, Fri 27 Mar 2009, 17:18, archived)

*recovers sense of humour*

"My doctor drinks in my pub and I remember having this conversation over booze."
Ha ha, he must have been on the metronidazole first. :-S

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Bee Nice |-|, Fri 27 Mar 2009, 17:43, archived)

No, that's wrong.

(Or at least dangerously incomplete).
See:
www.nelm.nhs.uk/en/NeLM-Area/Evidence/Medicines-Q--A/Which-oral-antibiotics-interact-with-alcohol/
(It's a .doc, I'm afraid. Try Google's HTML rendering of it).

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Bee Nice |-|, Fri 27 Mar 2009, 16:59, archived)

Hmmm, I didn't know that (to my shame :)

But it seems like one or more of:

a) Alcohol competes for detoxifying enzymes, so leaving more of the antibiotic around for more intense side-effects

b) Heavy drinkers produce more detoxifying enzymes, so the drug is less effective (is broken down faster)

c) Alcohol can increase the sedative effect of some drugs, but also the effects of alcohol can be increased by the same sort of competing for binding sites.

Phew! (from : www.steadyhealth.com/articles/Antibiotics___Alcohol__The_truth_and_myths_a144_f0.html)

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The Alchemist king of the needlessly complicated, Fri 27 Mar 2009, 17:05, archived)

I'm happy to concede that

there are a handful of antibiotics that can react with alcohol ( high blood pressure being the main effect I think ) but the absolute reason for not drinking is simply because it reduces their effects and you may as well not be taking them.

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Pasanonic 's been known to cause insanity in laboratory mice, Fri 27 Mar 2009, 17:08, archived)

From the NHS NeLM:

"1. Metronidazole (AVOID ALL ALCOHOL)

Metronidazole can inhibit the metabolism of alcohol, so that metabolites build up in the body. These metabolites cause an unpleasant reaction characterised by symptoms such as flushing, nausea, vomiting, headache, hypotension, and palpitations (1-5). Not everyone is affected, but it is a common enough reaction for all people on metronidazole to be advised to avoid alcohol."

Metronidazole is certainly a commonly prescribed antibiotic.

The same document does say "Members of the public commonly believe that all antibiotics interact with alcohol. This is not true." They should have spelled "all" "ALL".

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Bee Nice |-|, Fri 27 Mar 2009, 17:12, archived)

You are throwing words at me as though I suggested

that people should drink and take antibiotics. Far from it. I'm just disputing the misconceptions behind why you are told not to.

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Pasanonic 's been known to cause insanity in laboratory mice, Fri 27 Mar 2009, 17:15, archived)

It's nothing personal.

But the words "They don't react badly in the slightest" are wrong*, and might make someone ill if they acted on them.

(I agree with you that there are a lot of myths floating around on both sides).

(*: assuming we trust the NHS National electronic Library for Medicines (NeLM) as a competent authority. The Hedgehog From Hell, where are you? :-)

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Bee Nice |-|, Fri 27 Mar 2009, 17:20, archived)

there's some

a very very small minority.. that actually react with the alcohol. My weekend plan for Mr. V was to see if it was one of them :)

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arrangedletters, Fri 27 Mar 2009, 17:09, archived)