antibiotics and alcohol?

[Woden]

Just wondering why people are advised/told not to drink alcohol when they are on antibiotics?

cheers

data

[eth0_]

Mixing antibiotics with alcohol can cause nausea, vomiting, headaches, convulsions, and increase or decrease the effective of antibiotics, and can increase the risk and severity of side effects. Some drugs can also drastically increase how intoxicated alcohol makes you.

This page goes into more detail:
http://www.somersetmedicalcenter.com/13102.cfm

[Woden]

thanking you

data

[GuanYin]

[edit] that sites pretty much it

[Paddy20]

In laymans language. If a person has been perscribed antibiotics for an infection/inflammation etc. They are usually advised to avoid alcohol for a number of days as alcohol makes the antibiotic ineffective.

So a patient could be taking an expensive anti-biotic for a potentially serious health problem, and then un-wittingly have a drink which could stop the healing process.

P. :ninja:

[Capt'n Midnight]

If ya are on antibiotics you need to eat plenty of natural youghurt too since the "good bacteria" (from which we get much of our vitamins) get hammered by the anti biotics too.

The worst thing you can do with antibiotics is not finish a course - even if you feel better - because that is the best way to select for antibiotic resistance in whatever you were trying to kill off. - If there were only a few billion bacteria left you migh not notice them - but since they can double very fast they could recolonise very fast hours. Also antibiotic resistance can be passed between different species.

Some species can double every 9 minutes under ideal conditions ie. one could divide to a thousand billion in six hours - OK human gut is not ideal conditions - but you get the idea

[GuanYin]

Originally posted by Capt'n Midnight
If ya are on antibiotics you need to eat plenty of natural youghurt too since the "good bacteria" (from which we get much of our vitamins) get hammered by the anti biotics too.

The worst thing you can do with antibiotics is not finish a course - even if you feel better - because that is the best way to select for antibiotic resistance in whatever you were trying to kill off. - If there were only a few billion bacteria left you migh not notice them - but since they can double very fast they could recolonise very fast hours. Also antibiotic resistance can be passed between different species.

[size=1]Some species can double every 9 minutes under ideal conditions ie. one could divide to a thousand billion in six hours - OK human gut is not ideal conditions - but you get the idea

[/QUOTE]

Capt, capt capt

1. Antibiotic activity is very specific, so although while some of what you say is correct, you have not accounted for many factors, least of all specific antibiotic activity.

2. Whats this about vitamins? Commensal bacteria have many roles in the GI tract, vitamin sourcing is not a very high one. Generally they outcompete pathogens and produce enzymes that help maintain the turnover of the mucus gel layer in your gut.
They are NOT a primary source of nutrients.

3. Bacteria population is self maintaining and commensals will never over colonise. The available nutrients and competition there in keep the status quo. Its when they start crossing the mucosal barrier that you get problems, this can occur with stress, trauma or immunolgical defects.

4. Please don't give medical advice, especially incorrect medical advice.

[Sangre]

I had a course of antibioitics for a bad dose of tonsilitis a few weeks ago (streptaco....you know) and no where on the packaging did it say not to drink alcohol nor did the doctor/pharamcist mention it.

Needless to say after one easy night drinking, I stepped up the pace the next night with no side effects and it was grand. (on class party trip)

[Capt'n Midnight]

Originally posted by syke

Capt, capt capt

1. Antibiotic activity is very specific, so although while some of what you say is correct, you have not accounted for many factors, least of all specific antibiotic activity. [/b][/quote]
Most of the best known antibiotics are Broad Spectrum and will have some effect on intestinal bacteria.
http://www.arches.uga.edu/~jteston/antibiotic2.html

2. Whats this about vitamins? Commensal bacteria have many roles in the GI tract, vitamin sourcing is not a very high one. Generally they outcompete pathogens and produce enzymes that help maintain the turnover of the mucus gel layer in your gut.
They are NOT a primary source of nutrients.

Ignoring rumminants for whom they are the major source of vitamins , well everthing really 'cos they can't digest cellulose
http://www.trekfit.com/nc/nf_05_K.html

the body's need for Vitamin K is very minute and half of the Vitamin K requirement is supplied from intestinal bacteria .... People who have taken or are taking antibiotics to fight infection (which kills intestinal bacteria) may have low levels of Vitamin K

large amounts of B vitamins are also adsorbed

3. Bacteria population is self maintaining and commensals will never over colonise. The available nutrients and competition there in keep the status quo. Its when they start crossing the mucosal barrier that you get problems, this can occur with stress, trauma or immunolgical defects

E-coli are one of the main intestinal bacteria and everyone has large amounts of them, getting the runs by drinking the water in Sligo or Montazuma's revenge etc. can be caused by different strains of this organism to the one you are used to.

4. Please don't give medical advice, especially incorrect medical advice.

And as for stopping an antibiotic course because you "feel better" - Antibiotic resistance was noticed a very long time ago, (1940's) and had the regieme of treatment been changed then there might have been less propogation of the reistance. The point about bacteria doubling times was that if you don't finish a course of antibiotics then even if 99.9999% of the bacteria are killed then in the unlikley event that infection reappear - it would be would be derived from the most antibiotic resistant 0.0001%
Is this a factor in multi drug resistant TB ?
Scary but East London now has one of the highest rates of TB in Europe.

BTW I've been recommended to take natural youghurt by doctors and pharmacologists when on antibiotics (might be a different story if you have yeast infections)

[Sarky]

Perhaps they just rather like yoghurt? It is tasty, after all...

[ColmOT [MSFT]]

When I was in Med school we were taught that alcohol & antibiotics drug-drug interactions were not relevant (except for a small class of antibiotics), your Peniciliilins, augmentins etc were not affected by alcohol.

[Woden]

Originally posted by ColmOT [MSFT]
When I was in Med school we were taught that alcohol & antibiotics drug-drug interactions were not relevant (except for a small class of antibiotics), your Peniciliilins, augmentins etc were not affected by alcohol.

ah augmentin this was what i was on thanks for the info, i was under the impression though that augmentin was one of the many pencillin based drugs on the market with a co drug type thing in it that made it work

[ColmOT [MSFT]]

Yeah, you're correct Dataisgod - but it's too long ago for me to remember the details...(Where's there a biochemist when you need one!)

Essentially, augmentin has a compound that 'augments' it's action and makes it more effective on the bugs...

That's about all I remember about the mechanisms of action When you learn something new, it pushes old stuff out!

[GuanYin]

Originally posted by ColmOT [MSFT]
Yeah, you're correct Dataisgod - but it's too long ago for me to remember the details...(Where's there a biochemist when you need one!)

Essentially, augmentin has a compound that 'augments' it's action and makes it more effective on the bugs...

That's about all I remember about the mechanisms of action When you learn something new, it pushes old stuff out!

Med School? I thought you worked for Microsoft?

Its basic Pharmacology really and its the related Bioavailability/Pharmacokinetics and Pharmacodynamics of teh antibiotic. Its nothing to do with the actual action of the drug but more the clearence from the system of metabolites and by-products which are toxic, for both alcohol and antibiotics.

This is taught in pharmacology for med students in the old 2nd year module (I think).

[ferdi]

i drank the last time i was on antibiotics and i was grand.:dunno: