Mixing Alcohol and Medication

How Common Are Alcohol-Pill Reactions?

You may be thinking mixing alcohol and medication is something everybody does, and to an extent, that is true for some people. The National Institute on Alcohol Abuse and Alcoholism (NIH) has stated alcohol-drug interactions could be a factor in at least a quarter of all emergency room admissions, with an unknown number of less-obvious interactions being unrecorded or unnoticed.

The elderly are particularly at risk of combining the two due to their likelihood of taking pills for health concerns. In fact, according to NIH, the older population is responsible for taking between 25 to 30 percent of all prescribed medications.

Seniors are therefore also at risk for reactions from mixing alcohol and medication. Furthermore, due to this group’s advancing age, any side effects they experience tend to be more severe. That said, anyone who takes any pill along with alcohol is putting their health at risk.

How Alcohol Interacts With Drugs

For a drug to work, it needs to go through your bloodstream to make changes inside your body. After this has happened, the effects of the drug diminish due to your body metabolizing it via its enzymes, then eliminating the drug from your system.

After the enzymes are activated, they remain that way even when you’re not drinking. What this means is they can affect the way your body metabolizes some drugs for many weeks afterward. This is why it’s important to let your doctor know if you’re a chronic drinker, as you’ll likely need higher doses of some medications to achieve the desired effect.

Alcohol can inhibit a dose of another drug getting to its site of action when you take just one drink or several over a series of hours. It does this by competing with a drug to use the same metabolizing enzymes. This process makes a drug stay longer within your body and can then present you with some detrimental issues such as Benadryl and alcohol side effects that can cause death.

 

Long-Term or Chronic Drinkers

When you drink alcohol, it behaves in a similar way, moving through your bloodstream, acting within your brain to make you feel drunk, before being processed primarily via your liver and finally eliminated from your body.

If you’re a chronic drinker, your drug-metabolizing enzymes may already be activated, meaning any pill you take finds it more difficult to reach its desired site. Its effects won’t be so pronounced.

It’s also imperative to know that if you’re a long-term drinker, some drugs can transform within your body to have toxic effects, potentially damaging your brain and other organs.

The combination of Benadryl, Advil, and alcohol, for instance, isn’t as innocuous as you might have first thought. In fact, it’s quite the opposite. The dangers of overdose increase twofold when alcohol is combined with other drugs.

Commonly Used Drugs in Combination With Alcohol

Taking a drink alone can leave you feeling spaced out and disoriented. Mixing Benadryl and alcohol is greatly discouraged, so if someone asks you, “can I take Benadryl with alcohol,” the answer is a resounding no.

As illegal drugs aren’t regulated, their effects are unpredictable. When you mix these with alcohol, they become even more exaggerated and can cause anything from vomiting to heart failure. If you’re thinking of taking a drug alongside a drink, it’s best to abstain if you can.

When you take illegal drugs, you can never be entirely sure what you’re getting. They could be cut with other toxic substances, like drain cleaner or other drugs. This is bad enough. When you add alcohol into the mix, the cocktail could be lethal.

Keep in mind, when you’re taking drugs, you’re more likely to make snap decisions without thinking about them in advance. Rather than having one or two alcoholic drinks, you might be tempted to have more than you usually would, say, if you’re mixing alcohol with medication like Benadryl. This also puts you at risk of alcohol poisoning.

Remember that alcohol and other drugs can have a negative impact on each other, even when they’re not taken together. Just having drugs in your system and drinking alongside them can be dangerous. If you’re a chronic drinker, you also put yourself at risk of getting illnesses such as cancer and heart disease. Now that you’re aware of some of the dangers of mixing alcohol and medication, let’s explore more specific alcohol-drug interactions.

 

Can You Mix Alcohol and Antibiotics?

If you’re taking a prescription drug such as amoxicillin, you may be wondering if mixing alcohol and an antibiotic can kill you. The answer depends on the drug you’ve been prescribed.

In general, antibiotics can cause similar reactions to alcohol, even when taken exactly as prescribed. Drowsiness, dizziness, and stomach upset can result when combining the two substances. Although some antibiotics may be safe to combine with alcohol, keep in mind that drinking can reduce the efficacy of the drug.

Other drugs, such as Flagyl, Tindamax, and Bactrim, can cause a severe reaction when mixed with alcohol. These reactions include headache, severe gastrointestinal upset, an uncomfortably rapid heart rate, and skin flushing. Avoid blending alcohol and antibiotics to eliminate the risk that an uncomfortable reaction will result.

Antibiotics	Used for treating infections caused by bacteria.
Antibiotics + Alcohol	Profound dizziness, drowsiness, and abdominal pain.

 

Mixing Alcohol and Amphetamines

Amphetamines give you a high like a rush of adrenaline. When you take these drugs, your heart rate speeds up, your blood pressure elevates, and your breathing becomes faster. You may also find that as your body temperature elevates, you become dehydrated. This is exacerbated if you drink alcohol.

Amphetamines exert pressure on your heart, and when you drink alcohol, this pressure can kill you.
Another negative aspect of taking speed and alcohol together is both substances make you lose your inhibitions. If you combine the two, you’re setting yourself up to do something you could seriously regret.

Finally, although when you take speed you generally feel energized and confident, when you add alcohol to the mix, you can become aggressive, anxious and paranoid. In addition, you won’t feel the full effects of alcohol until the amphetamine has worn off, so you could potentially drink huge amounts and end up with alcoholic poisoning. Remember:

Amphetamines	Potent central nervous system stimulants that make you feel confident and aware.
Amphetamines + Alcohol	Make you lose your inhibitions entirely and become dangerously dehydrated, which can result in behavioral changes and alcoholic poisoning.

 

 

Mixing Alcohol and Adderall

Used to manage the symptoms of ADHD in both children and adults, Adderall is a stimulant medication. A controlled Schedule 2 drug, Adderall has a high potential for both addiction and abuse. When it’s mixed with alcohol, a depressant, Adderall, which is a stimulant, competes against it in your body.

Adderall can dull the symptoms of being intoxicated, so if you combine both substances together you might not realize how much alcohol you’ve consumed. This can lead to drinking more and behaving in out-of-character ways. It may also lead to alcohol poisoning.

Taking Adderall alone comes with risks to your heart. These become exacerbated when you take it alongside alcohol and may:

• Cause an irregular heart rate
• Increase your heart rate
• Elevate your blood pressure
• Raise your body temperature

Mixing alcohol and medication such as Adderall can also cause you to behave aggressively as well as reduce your inhibitions. Remember:

Adderall	A stimulant medication used to manage ADHD symptoms in both children and adults.
Adderall + Alcohol:	Negatively impacts your heart, can lead to alcohol poisoning and can cause you to behave in an aggressive, uninhibited manner.

 

 

Mixing Alcohol and Vyvanse

Vyvanse is a powerful stimulant prescribed to people with ADHD. Mixing alcohol and medication such as Vyvanse, or any other stimulant causes an overshadowing of alcohol’s depressant effects so that you may not realize just how intoxicated you are.

Alcohol poisoning due to drinking excessively is a major concern, along with suffering heightened side effects of Vyvanse: Rapid heartbeat, difficulty breathing, elevated blood pressure, unpredictable changes in behavior and hallucinations. Signs of possible alcohol poisoning include uncontrollable vomiting, stupor, hypothermia, and seizures.

Vyvanse	A prescription stimulant designed to reduce symptoms of ADHD.
Vyvanse + Alcohol	Irregular heartbeat, hyperventilation, hallucinations, and alcohol poisoning.

 

What happens when you mix Alcohol with Xanax?

Xanax, also known as alprazolam, is a highly addictive benzodiazepine. Benzodiazepines are central nervous system depressants that are used for the relief of anxiety, sleeplessness, seizures and panic disorder.

Like alcohol, Xanax works on the GABA receptors in the human brain to produce feelings of relaxation. People who have a legitimate prescription for a drug such as Xanax should never use the drug regularly for an extended period of time, unless under the explicit instructions of a qualified physician. Withdrawing from Xanax is extremely difficult after long-term use, even for those who take the drug exactly as prescribed.

Safe use dictates never combining a benzo with alcohol because the cumulative combined effects can be fatal. Both substances slow heart rate and breathing, and overdose is possible even in small amounts.

Never take Xanax if you have not been given a prescription for a legitimate medical need. Most who overdose from prescription drugs do so because they took a drug given to them by a friend or family member. Mixing alcohol and medication like Xanax together can kill you.

Xanax	Used for the relief of anxiety, sleeplessness, seizures and panic disorder.
Xanax + Alcohol	Extreme slowing of heart rate and breathing & Possible death

 

Mixing Alcohol with Valium

Valium, also known as diazepam, is the most commonly prescribed benzodiazepine in the world. It is used in clinical settings to induce relaxation and treat anxiety. It is highly addictive and works in the central nervous system in a similar way to alcohol.

Taking Valium for a prolonged period of time is dangerous. Quitting suddenly can result in benzodiazepine withdrawal syndrome, an extremely uncomfortable condition that produces a variety of unpleasant physical and emotional effects.

Valium also produces physical dependence and tolerance. When combined with alcohol, a fatal overdose can result.

Valium	Used to induce relaxation and for treating anxiety and muscle spasms.
Valium + Alcohol	Profound dizziness and drowsiness, Extreme slowing of heart rate and breathing & Possible death

 

Can You Mix Vicodin and Alcohol?

Vicodin is a powerful combination painkiller that is the most commonly prescribed opioid analgesic in America. Vicodin is a blend of the addictive opioid painkiller hydrocodone and the over-the-counter drug acetaminophen, which is also known as paracetamol or Tylenol.

Although the hydrocodone component of Vicodin is the addictive central nervous system depressant, Tylenol is toxic to the liver in large doses. In fact, many who overdose on Vicodin do so because of acute liver toxicity.

Combining alcohol and Vicodin is dangerous. These two drugs account for more emergency room overdose visits than any other substances. Not only does alcohol enhance the relaxing effects of the hydrocodone, it also boosts the risk of developing liver problems. Overdosing on alcohol and Vicodin can kill you.

Vicodin	Used for treating moderate to severe pain.
Vicodin + Alcohol	Extreme slowing (or complete stop) of heart rate and breathing & Possible death

 

Mixing Alcohol and Suboxone

A prescription medication that combines naloxone and buprenorphine, Suboxone is used in the treatment of opioid addiction. When mixed with alcohol, it can create breathing difficulties, which can lead you to stop breathing completely or even die.

Suboxone	A prescription drug used in the treatment of opioid addiction containing naloxone and buprenorphine.
Suboxone + Alcohol	Can create breathing difficulties that can cause you to stop breathing and to die.

 

Mixing Alcohol and Nicotine

Although they’ve been a pairing for generations, tobacco, and alcohol actually work to damage your cells when they’re used together. In addition, drinking alcohol actually makes it easier for your throat and mouth to absorb the chemicals in tobacco that cause cancer.

As nicotine and alcohol increase dopamine levels in your brain, using both these drugs together theoretically brings more pleasure than using each one alone. Keep in mind:

Nicotine	The primary addictive ingredient in cigarettes.
Nicotine + Alcohol	A cell-damaging combination that makes your mouth and throat absorb the cancer-causing chemicals in tobacco more easily.

 

 

Is it ok to mix Alcohol with Marijuana?

Using marijuana and alcohol together makes it more likely you will use too much of both substances. Since pot and alcohol are depressants, you won’t feel as “stoned” or drunk when combining them, as opposed to using one or the other alone. In addition, marijuana is an antiemetic or a drug that seems to inhibit vomiting.

While drinking excessively usually causes most people to throw up, smoking pot while drinking means you’re much more susceptible to suffering alcohol poisoning, a condition that kills thousands of people every year. Studies have also shown that alcohol facilitates the absorption of THC. Panic attacks, paranoia, delusions, and agitation are likely if you smoke several grams of marijuana while drinking alcohol. Finally, mixing alcohol and marijuana can suppress breathing and heart rates to the point of inducing shock, unconsciousness and even coma.

Marijuana	A psychoactive plant containing THC that interferes with breathing and heart rates, impairs memory and decision-making and may cause paranoia and hallucinations.
Marijuana + Alcohol	Significantly increases the risk of alcohol poisoning, coma or suffering psychotic symptoms such as paranoia, delusions, and hallucinations.

 

What happens when you mix Alcohol with BHO?

Butane hash oil (BHO) is concentrated marijuana plant resin, and an almost pure extract of THC, the ingredient in marijuana primarily responsible for its psychoactive properties. Mixing alcohol and BHO means users will experience alcohol’s intoxicating effects — the powerful mood, consciousness and perception-distorting properties of THC — along with the dangers associated with inhaling the butane left on the hash oil.

While butane will increase your heart and respiration rate, induce vomiting and cause dizziness, the pureness of BHO combined with alcohol’s ability to suppress central nervous system functioning can lead to overwhelming feelings of paranoia, anxiety, and agitation that could last for several days.

Butane Hash Oil (BHO)	A particularly potent form of THC made by soaking marijuana leaves, stems and flowers in butane to extract pure THC.
BHO + Alcohol	Rapid heartbeat, difficulty breathing, anxiety, panic, paranoia, and uncontrollable vomiting.

 

Mixing Alcohol and Moon Rocks

As a purer form of MDMA, moon rocks interact strongly and unpredictably with alcohol. Since MDMA is an amphetamine, moon rocks stimulate users and prevent them from realizing how intoxicated they really are, which can lead to excessive drinking and alcohol poisoning.

Mixing alcohol and moon rocks also makes users think they can drive a vehicle, since they don’t feel drunk, either physically or mentally. The powerfully stimulating properties of moon rocks suppress alcohol’s sedative effects while increasing its stimulating influence on the central nervous system. Heart palpitations, hyperventilation, hallucinations, and shock are other potential health issues arising from mixing alcohol and moon rocks.

Moon Rocks	A designer drug derived from MDMA, purer in content than Molly or Ecstasy.
Moon Rocks + Alcohol	Tachycardia, difficulty breathing, alcohol poisoning, and hallucinations.

 

Mixing Alcohol and Ecstasy

Ecstasy, also known as MDMA, gives you energy and enables you to stay awake for many hours. It can also make you develop temporary feelings of affection and love for people around you. When you take alcohol alongside ecstasy, it can potentially stop you from feeling high. In addition, you’ll experience a much worse come-down period if you’ve been drinking.

This drug combination is exceptionally dangerous, as both ecstasy and alcohol dehydrate your body. This comes with the risk you’ll overheat and become dangerously dehydrated if you mix the two. In fact, many people have died because of taking alcohol and ecstasy together after suffering heatstroke through dancing for protracted amounts of time in hot clubs and not replacing their lost fluids with water. Help is available 24/7 call this number for a free personal consultation 800-338-5770

Alcohol is a diuretic. It makes you sweat more and urinate more, too. This makes it even more difficult to maintain the fluid levels in your body when you’re also on ecstasy. Also, your kidneys and liver come under strain when you’re taking both drugs, and this is a danger in itself. Remember:

Ecstasy	A recreational psychoactive drug that gives you heightened sensations, euphoria, and increased empathy.
Ecstasy + Alcohol	Makes you dehydrated, affects your kidneys and liver, and can kill you.

 

 

Mixing Alcohol and Cocaine

Cocaine is often referred to as a party drug since people often take it when they socialize in bars and clubs. For this reason, alcohol and cocaine are a common partnership. When you mix alcohol and cocaine, the drugs create a highly toxic substance in your liver, called cocaethylene.

Cocaethylene increases alcohol’s depressive effects and often results in you becoming aggressive. It also takes your system longer to process and excrete this substance from your system than it takes to get rid of the actual cocaine and alcohol. This puts your liver and heart under a lot of stress and can result in fits, heart attacks or even death. Keep in mind this formula:

Cocaine	A recreational strong stimulant drug.
Cocaine + Alcohol	Sudden aggressiveness, increased risk of heart attack and possible death.

 

Mixing Alcohol and PCP

PCP was originally developed for use as a surgical anesthetic. However, it was taken off the market in the mid-‘60s as its side effects were horrifying. The hallucinogen, which is also known as angel dust, can mimic the symptoms of being intoxicated with alcohol and, as a sedative, can be compounded by taking a drink.

When you take PCP alongside alcohol, you could experience some of the following:

• Enhanced effects of alcohol
• Persistent vomiting
• Increased disorientation
• Accidental overdose
• Coma
• Death

Keep in mind:

PCP	A sedative and hallucinogenic narcotic.
PCP + Alcohol	Increases the sedative effects of alcohol, and can cause disorientation, vomiting and accidental overdose, leading to coma or death.

 

Mixing Alcohol and LSD

LSD, also known as acid, is often taken with alcohol at parties and clubs. Although the effects tend to vary between users, with some saying alcohol dulls the LSD “trip,” others find mixing the two drugs makes their hallucinations worse.

Mixing the two can cause:

• Visual hallucinations
• Auditory hallucinations
• Loss of time
• Changes in blood pressure
• Rapid heart rate

Keep in mind:

LSD	A hallucinogenic drug that causes increased heart rate, hallucinations, nausea, and numbness.
LSD + Alcohol	Can make hallucinations worse and cause an inability to keep track of time.

 

Mixing Alcohol and Heroin

A powerfully addictive opiate producing analgesic and euphoric effects, heroin suppresses breathing, heart rate and other essential life functions controlled by the central nervous system. Mixing alcohol and heroin quickly and profoundly intensifies the sedative effects of heroin that can easily lead to alcohol poisoning or accidental overdose.

Shallow breathing, irregular heartbeat, tremors and loss of consciousness often occur when you mix heroin with alcohol. Since heroin is already a dangerously unpredictable drug that may be laced with toxic chemicals, drinking alcohol while high on heroin may cause sudden and deadly health conditions.

Heroin	An addictive opiate causing extreme drowsiness, euphoria, slowed breathing, periods of alertness and unconsciousness.
Heroin + Alcohol	Dangerously slow breathing and heart rates, vomiting, shock, alcohol poisoning, and even death.

 

Mixing Alcohol and Caffeine

Alcohol is a sedative, while caffeine is a stimulant. Mixing the two is dangerous.

As reported by Scientific American, a can of regular beer contains around four or five percent alcohol, whereas an alcoholic energy drink is generally around 12 percent alcohol and contains the caffeine equivalent of five cups of coffee. Taking this into consideration, it doesn’t take a lot of an alcoholic energy drink to get you drunk.

According to the Centers of Disease Control and Prevention, caffeine-laden energy drinks are regularly consumed by 34 percent of people ages 18 to 24, and drinkers who consume alcoholic energy drinks are three times as likely to binge drink than those drinking only alcohol.

When you drink alcohol and an energy drink together, the caffeine can mask the depressant effects of the alcohol. Caffeine doesn’t affect your liver’s metabolism of alcohol and consequently doesn’t reduce breath alcohol or reduce your risk of coming to harm due to drinking too much. Caffeine can also make you feel that you’re more sober than you are. Keep in mind:

Caffeine	A commonly taken central nervous system stimulant.
Caffeine + Alcohol	Gets you drunk quickly, makes you feel less drunk than you are, and can cause you to binge drink.

 

 

Mixing Alcohol and Benadryl

Benadryl is a very common over-the-counter treatment for congestion and allergies, but mixing alcohol and medication like Benadryl can have dangerous results that can be fatal.

You see, Benadryl and drinking are a combination that needs to be avoided because the active ingredients in the medicine slow down your body. Alcohol works in the same way, and this is why drinking and Benadryl don’t mix.

It’s simply not safe to drink alcohol to help relieve your symptoms if you’re taking this congestion-relieving medication, as there are many serious side effects of Benadryl and alcohol, such as:

• Extreme drowsiness
• Dizziness
• Even death

Diphenhydramine is another name for Benadryl, so you need to avoid taking diphenhydramine and alcohol, too. If you’re ever in doubt as to what medications contain, always check the label.

A Benadryl-alcohol interaction is probably something few of us consider, as the medication is a staple in the medicine cabinet. So if you’re inquiring, “can you take Benadryl with alcohol,” you now know that although it is a seemingly innocuous medication, taking Benadryl with alcohol is never advisable and should be avoided at all costs.

Benadryl	Used in the treatment of allergies, congestion and the common cold. It is also sometimes used for motion sickness.
Benadryl + Alcohol	Profound dizziness and drowsiness & Possible death

 

 

Mixing Alcohol and Pseudoephedrine

Found in many over-the-counter allergy and cold medications, pseudoephedrine reduces nasal congestion by constricting blood vessels in the sinuses and decreasing mucus production. Considered a mild stimulant, pseudoephedrine counteracts alcohol’s sedative effects.

Consequently, mixing alcohol with medication like pseudoephedrine puts you at risk for alcohol poisoning or overdosing on cold medications, since alcohol and pseudoephedrine counteract each other’s side effects on the central nervous system. Additional dangers of taking pseudoephedrine and alcohol together include nausea, vomiting, irregular heartbeat, anxiety, tremors and spiking blood pressure.

Pseudoephedrine	A mildly stimulating ingredient found in cold and allergy medications for reducing nasal congestion.
Pseudoephedrine + Alcohol	Overdosing on cold medications, alcohol poisoning, tachycardia, trouble breathing, abnormally high blood pressure.

 

Mixing Alcohol and Paracetamol (Tylenol)

Paracetamol, a drug more widely known in America as acetaminophen or Tylenol, is toxic to the liver during an overdose. In fact, people who suffer from acute liver failure usually have taken too much acetaminophen. Nausea and abdominal pain are common side effects of paracetamol toxicity, which can be fatal if not treated.

It is important to note that paracetamol is safe and effective when used precisely as directed and for a short period of time. Combining paracetamol and alcohol, however, can kill you because alcohol increases the toxicity of this otherwise safe and effective drug.

Tylenol	Used for treating mild to moderate pain and to reduce fever.
Tylenol + Alcohol	Extreme nausea and abdominal pain along with liver failure & Possible death

 

Can You Mix Ibuprofen or Advil and Alcohol?

Say you have sinus pain and congestion and you have a party to attend. You might think mixing alcohol and Advil is OK just this once. If you’re wondering, “can Advil be taken with alcohol,” it shouldn’t be, and you would be far safer sticking with soft drinks for just one evening. Similarly, if you ask your doctor or pharmacist if you can mix alcohol with ibuprofen, they’d warn you against this.

Keep in mind, ibuprofen is also sold under the name Motrin, and you need to stay aware of the fact that mixing Motrin and alcohol carries the same risk as ibuprofen.

Ibuprofen, despite its undeniable efficacy in treating minor to moderate pain, is well known to cause problems in the liver. Alcohol also damages the liver, especially when heavy drinking occurs over a lengthy period of time.

Never take ibuprofen as a remedy for drinking you’ll damage your internal organs. From bleeding stomach ulcers to liver failure, ibuprofen and alcohol together are a deadly mix.

Ibuprofen	Used for the treating minor to moderate pain and inflammation.
Ibuprofen + Alcohol	Internal organ damage, including stomach ulcers and liver failure & Possible death.

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Staying Safe

Did you know most who overdose on prescription medication do so after getting it from a friend or relative? The latest evidence indicates people who take addictive drugs recreationally are more likely to suffer a fatal overdose than those who suffer from physical dependency. Mixing prescription pills and alcohol and even mixing an over-the-counter drug such as ibuprofen or Benadryl is even deadlier.

If you’re planning on drinking, the best advice is not to mix alcohol with any drugs — over-the-counter or otherwise. In addition:

• Always check the label so you know how much alcohol you’re drinking.
• Pace yourself by alternating alcoholic drinks with soft drinks or water.
• Plan how you’re getting home before you go out.
• Drink from a smaller glass to ensure your pours aren’t too generous.
• Eat alongside alcohol or before drinking, as this soaks up the alcohol.
• Encourage those around you to have a soft drink if they seem worse for wear.
• Drink alcohol in moderation on hot days or you’ll become dehydrated.

The Morning After

Chances are if you’ve been drinking to excess the night before, you’ll wake up feeling hungover the next morning. It’s a good idea to drink lots of water before you go to bed. In addition:

• Take an antacid to settle your churning stomach in the morning.
• Eat as soon as you can, as drinking lowers your blood sugar levels.
• Refrain from having another drink, as you’re only delaying your hangover.
• Give your body a rest from drinking for a few days.

 

Mixing alcohol and medication is just not safe. If you find you’re taking medications or illicit drugs when you’re drinking, you need to seek help as soon as possible. Help is available 24/7 call this number for a free personal consultation 800-338-5770

12 Keys in Florida specializes in providing attentive, personalized care in a supportive environment. Contact us today and take your first, positive steps toward recovery.