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The Spanish Society of Primary Care Pharmacists (SEFAP warns about the risks of mixing alcohol and drugs“especially worrying” is the case of analgesics and anti-inflammatories such as ibuprofen o paracetamolas they may increase the risk of gastric involvement or liver toxicity.
“In general, the risk of this interaction is something that is known, in fact, it is reported on the medication leaflets, but sometimes it is not given due importance due to the implications and harm that can be caused by mixing alcohol and medications,” says José Manuel González de la Peña Puerta, member of the Patients and Citizenship Committee of the Spanish Society of Primary Care Pharmacists (SEFAP).
The adverse effects of medications depend largely on the drug being taken, but in general the most common due to the mixture are nausea, vomiting, headache, dizziness, and drowsiness; and in more serious cases hemorrhages, cardiac disorders or respiratory distress.
Among the treatments with the most side effects when mixed with alcohol are sleeping pills or medications to address mental health problems, as well as those used for diabetes, to control tension or to prevent blood clots. Specifically, they highlight the case of diabetes drugs, which also taking alcohol can lower blood sugar, causing dizziness and loss of consciousness.
In the case of sleeping pills and anxiety drugs, remember that alcohol and sedatives decrease activity in the brain. Together, they can increase sleepiness, dizziness, and loss of balance. As for blood pressure drugs, alcohol can cause a greater effect and increase the risk of dizziness, fainting and falls.
Regarding the interaction between alcohol and certain medications that decrease blood clotting, the risk of serious bleeding increases when taken together; While with antibiotics such as metronidazole, alcohol can cause a serious problem, redness of the face, vomiting, pain in the head and racing of the heart, to the point that you may need to go to the hospital.
On the other hand, age may also be a factor that increases the risks of this combination; Thus they remember that the consequences multiply in people over 65 years of age. “Aging causes the metabolism to slow down, which is added to the fact that on many occasions this population group takes medications that are more likely to interact with alcohol, so they should take extreme precautions,” advises González de la Peña.
Alcohol and painkillers
Especially worrying is the consumption of alcohol with analgesics and anti-inflammatories such as ibuprofen or paracetamol, since due to their availability they are more commonly used among the population to treat pain or fever.
The expert recognizes that, if the use of these drugs is punctual, the risk is not so high, but in any case he points out that their mixture is not the most advisable, since both alcohol and paracetamol are degraded in the liver, therefore Taking them together could overload the organ, increasing the risk of liver toxicity.
“Drinking alcohol could fundamentally increase the risk of gastritis or gastric ulcer, as long as its use is chronic, since it could enhance this adverse effect,” says the spokesperson for the SEFAP Patients and Citizenship Committee.
