Author: James Anderson

Many at Risk for Alcohol-Medication Interactions National Institutes of Health NIH

As a result, women are more susceptible to alcohol-related damage to organs such as the liver. Alcohol, like some medicines, can make you sleepy, drowsy, or lightheaded. Small amounts of alcohol can make it dangerous to drive, and when you mix alcohol with certain medicines you put yourself at even greater risk. Combining alcohol with some medicines can lead to falls and serious injuries, especially among older people. Here’s some information to help you get ready for your appointment, and what to expect from your health care provider or mental health provider.

A study by Ekors and colleagues noted that over 80% of people worldwide use some type of supplement. Many of these products are not regulated by authorities or monitored by a patient’s healthcare provider, and the potential for drug interactions is often unknown. The use of alcohol with alternative medications should always be cleared with a provider first. Be sure to check on your prescription drugs, as well as your over-the-counter (OTC) medicines, herbals, and dietary supplements like vitamins and minerals. When combined with alcohol some OTC medicines can have serious drug interactions, too.

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The American Heart Association (AHA) recommends limiting your intake to no more than one or two occasional drinks if you are on anticoagulant therapy. If you lie about the amount of alcohol you consume on a regular basis, your doctor can’t accurately judge the risks and benefits of prescribing a particular medication. Treatment may involve a brief intervention, individual or group counseling, an outpatient program, or a residential inpatient stay.

Working to stop alcohol use to improve quality of life is the main treatment goal. According to the CDC, about two-thirds of American adults over age 18 at least occasionally use alcohol. Of these, about 51% are current regular drinkers (defined as at least 12 drinks in the past year), and about 13% are infrequent drinkers (defined as up to 11 drinks in the past year). The easiest way to lookup drug information, identify pills, check interactions and set up your own personal medication records. If you mix any type of anti-nausea drug with alcohol, the side effects of the medication can become more intense. Medications that are prescribed to treat nausea can make you feel drowsy, dizzy, and may impair your motor control—symptoms that can also be caused by alcohol.

For example, some OTC products can make the effects of alcohol (such as drowsiness) more intense. More intense side effects mean you might be more impaired after having one drink than you would typically be. When you recommend or prescribe a medication that can interact with alcohol, this scenario presents a natural opening to review or inquire about a patient’s alcohol intake. The potential for a harmful interaction may provide a compelling reason for patients to cut down or quit drinking when warranted (see Core articles on screening and brief intervention). The lists presented in this review do not include all the medicines that may interact harmfully with alcohol. To more closely review specific interactions, visit the Drugs.com Interaction Checker and speak with your doctor or pharmacist.

The Dangers of Mixing Alcohol and Medications

Mild liver inflammation can occur in about 2% of people who take statins for a long time. While it typically gets better after stopping taking the medications, there has been concern that alcohol (which is metabolized by the liver) could potentially make liver inflammation worse. Certain types of anti-nausea medication can be used to help someone who is trying to stop drinking alcohol. When used under medical supervision, the combination can be an effective way to treat alcohol withdrawal. Older adults (especially those who take more than one medication) are also more likely to experience problems, as the ability to clear both alcohol and drugs from the body is reduced with age.

1. Drinking while taking steroids (corticosteroids, or anti-inflammatory medications like prednisone) often used for pain can lead to stomach bleeding and ulcers.
2. We provide links to resources to help you mitigate these risks, including a consensus-developed list of potentially serious alcohol-medication interactions in older adults.
3. Add a drug, for example a drug that causes drowsiness or sedation to the mix, and the risk for dangerous side effects can skyrocket.
4. When used under medical supervision, the combination can be an effective way to treat alcohol withdrawal.

The longer a person misuses stimulants and alcohol together, the higher the risk becomes of developing substance use disorders. Explore Mayo Clinic studies testing new treatments, interventions and tests as a means to prevent, detect, treat or manage this condition. One ingredient in some cough suppressants called dextromethorphan (DXM) can be especially dangerous because it can cause extreme sedation and respiratory depression. John C. Umhau, MD, MPH, CPE is board-certified in addiction medicine and preventative medicine. For over 20 years Dr. Umhau was a senior clinical investigator at the National Institute on Alcohol Abuse and Alcoholism of the National Institutes of Health (NIH). Contributors to this article for the NIAAA Core Resource on Alcohol include the writer for the full article, content contributors to subsections, reviewers, and editorial staff.

Older people face greater risk

However, do not stop using any medications without first talking to your doctor. Alcohol and medication side effects may be especially prevalent in women. In fact, women may be at a greater risk of side effects due to alcohol and drug interactions than men. Women have a lower percent of body water and greater percent of body fat. Because of this, they do not metabolize alcohol as efficiently, putting them at greater risk for high blood alcohol levels after drinking the same amount of alcohol as a man.

Examples of Potentially Deadly Interactions

Muscle relaxants are commonly used to treat back and neck pain, as well as certain kinds of headaches. Some research has found that alcohol does not appear to worsen liver inflammation in certain people who take medication for their cholesterol. A 2006 Harvard study found that moderate alcohol use did not have a significant negative effect on the livers of men taking statins after heart surgery. You might not need to completely avoid alcohol if you are taking a blood thinner.

The risks of mixing antipsychotics and alcohol include impaired judgment, dizziness, drowsiness, low blood pressure, the worsening of a psychiatric condition, an increased risk of suicide, and more. Protect yourself by avoiding alcohol if you are taking a medication and don’t know its effect. To learn more about a medicine and whether it will interact with alcohol, talk to your pharmacist or other health care provider. The combination of alcohol and painkillers and other sedating medications may be a common risk for the elderly. Among adults over 65 years of age who were current drinkers in the NIH study, close to 78% of those surveyed used a medication that could interact with alcohol.