Adverse reaction/toxicity data are limited to possible disulfiram-like reactions in two individuals, but the reported reaction cannot be clearly attributed to the combination of TMP-SMX and alcohol. In a randomized crossover trial, the effects of whiskey and red wine on the PK of doxycycline for six students was studied (35). Whiskey did not significantly modify the absorption of 200 mg of oral doxycycline. Acute intake of alcoholic beverages does not interfere with the PK of doxycycline to an extent that would affect its therapeutic levels.
Some people can experience side effects from combining the two—at least for certain antibiotics—and in some cases, it might slow down the healing process. Despite this interaction, not everyone will experience these reactions when drinking while taking metronidazole. Still, people should avoid drinking alcohol while taking metronidazole. When people drink tap beers and red wine with linezolid, the amount of tyramine in the blood may rise.
There is no clinical evidence about Levaquin interacting with eating or drinking dairy products. However, calcium supplements or calcium-fortified foods can both bind to Levaquin, making it less effective. Rarely, severe symptoms can occur, such as very low blood pressure or heart attack.
- Online drug information centers for Walgreen’s, Rite Aid, and CVS pharmacies were queried for each antimicrobial for concurrent alcohol use warnings (Table 1).
- Despite the widespread belief that metronidazole is contraindicated with alcohol consumption, the literature raises doubt.
- People who regularly drink alcohol may have lower levels of folic acid and should use trimethoprim-sulfamethoxazole with caution.
- The CDC describes binge drinking as consuming four drinks for women and five drinks for men on a single occasion.
Symptoms may include facial flushing, nausea, headache, vomiting, chest pain, vertigo, sweating, thirst, blurred vision, weakness, confusion, and hypotension (8). Check with your healthcare provider each time you start a new prescription or over-the-counter medicine to determine if there are important drug interactions with alcohol. Mixing moderate amounts of alcohol with an antibiotic will not usually lower your antibiotic’s effectiveness.
International Patients
Talk to your pharmacist or healthcare provider and weigh your overall health background in the context of your specific solution-focused therapy worksheets pdf antibiotic treatment. It’s OK to consume alcohol low in tyramine with this class of drugs. Tyramine is a naturally occurring trace compound from the amino acid tyrosine. High-tyramine alcohols include home-brewed beer, beer on tap, Korean beer, and vermouth. Most bottled beers are lower in tyramine, but it’s always best to ask a healthcare provider if it’s safe to consume alcohol on these antibiotics. These drugs are often reserved for illnesses like community-acquired pneumonia and severe skin and bacterial infections after other antibiotics have not worked.
Control groups had higher mortality rates that were thought to be due to higher protein binding in the absence of alcohol. The effects of alcohol on levofloxacin, moxifloxacin, and trovafloxacin were studied in a rat pneumonia model (24). The mean serum Cmax and AUC were higher in the ethanol-fed group for all FQs, with a statistically significant difference in the moxifloxacin group. The ethanol-fed group was found to have decreased protein binding and an increased free fraction of antibiotics. You should also avoid the use of alcohol while being treated with linezolid due to increased risk of CNS side effects.
Less common
Mixing Levofloxacin and alcohol may not always lead to immediate problems, but it’s important to know that alcohol can strengthen Levofloxacin’s side effects. There’s a chance of serious side effects, and thatâs why doctors usually advise against combining Levofloxacin and alcohol. Ask your healthcare professional how you should dispose of any medicine you do not use. The amount of medicine that you take depends on the strength of the medicine. Also, the number of doses you take each day, the time allowed between doses, and the length of time you take the medicine depend on the medical problem for which you are using the medicine. This medicine works best when there is a constant amount in the blood.
However, this still may not entirely avoid the interaction and may not always be feasible. Levofloxacin may lower the number of some types of blood cells in your body. To help with these problems, avoid being near people who are sick or have infections. Stay away from rough sports or other situations where you could be bruised, cut, or injured.
Can you consume alcohol while taking Levofloxacin?
Recent data do not support that nitrofurantoin and alcohol causes a disulfiram-like reaction or other adverse reactions/toxicities. Historical studies have suggested that alcohol use with nitrofurantoin resulted in a disulfiram-like reaction (40–42). Likewise, a study found that alcohol did not cause a disulfiram-like reaction with nitrofurantoin in volunteers (44). Minocycline may attenuate alcohol-mediated toxicity in pregnant mice.
Given the biologic plausibility, it would be prudent to avoid alcohol with pyrazinamide. Concurrent use of alcohol precipitated disulfiram reactions in two patients treated with ketoconazole. Concurrent ketoconazole and alcohol consumption warrants caution. It should also be noted that the FDA and the NIH do not list fluconazole as having an interaction with alcohol (4, 5). Ask your doctor or pharmacist if your antibiotic has an interaction with any liver enzymes. It’s important to know if there are concerns about how effective the antibiotic might be for your infection based on any drug interactions, including alcohol.
While technically possible, it’s not advised to consume alcohol while taking Levofloxacin. Alcohol can amplify Levofloxacin’s side effects, stress your liver, weaken your immune system, and potentially hamper the antibiotic’s effectiveness. Although certain medicines should not be used together at all, in other cases two different medicines may be used together even if an interaction might occur. In these cases, your doctor may want to change the dose, or other precautions may be necessary.
