What happens if you drink alcohol after taking ceftriaxone?

Cephalexin is a relatively common antibacterial drug and a relatively good broad-spectrum antibiotic. When taking cephalosporin, you must be aware of some contraindications, especially you cannot drink alcohol after taking cephalosporin. You cannot drink alcoholic beverages within a week, otherwise you may have a more serious disulfiram-like reaction, which means that drinking alcohol after taking the medicine will cause facial flushing, blurred vision, and even nausea and vomiting. More severe symptoms may cause acute heart failure, convulsions, and even death.

One thing to do and five things not to do when taking medicine

1. It is advisable to take medicine with boiled water

Generally, it is 200 ml to 250 ml of boiled water at 40℃ to 50℃, because water can protect and lubricate the esophagus. At the same time, it can accelerate the dissolution of drugs in the gastrointestinal tract, promote absorption, accelerate excretion, and reduce toxic side effects.

2. Oral medication should not be taken with tea

Because the caffeine in tea can reduce the effects of central nervous system depressants (such as hypnotics and antitussives). In addition, when taking berberine, multienzyme tablets, and pepsin inhibitors with tea, the proteins in them will react with the tannic acid in the tea, causing the bioalkali to precipitate and reduce the efficacy of the drugs.

3. Oral antibiotics should not be taken with milk, juice, or other beverages.

Because the protein and calcium ions in milk and the large amount of acidic substances in fruit juice can easily react with certain ingredients in the medicine, reducing the efficacy and affecting the absorption of the drug.

4. Some medicines should not be diluted after taking

For example, some stomachic medicines use bitterness to stimulate the taste receptors on the tongue, reflexively promoting appetite. They should not be diluted after taking, and it is even more inappropriate to add white sugar to the medicine. Taking cough syrup has a soothing effect on the respiratory tract and it is not advisable to drink water immediately.

5. Bananas and oranges should not be eaten when taking potassium-sparing diuretics

Because bananas and oranges are rich in potassium, their blood potassium concentration will become very abnormal, which may lead to symptoms such as fatigue, difficulty breathing, and even cardiac arrest.

6. Do not smoke while taking any medication

Because smoking can weaken the effect of drugs and even increase adverse drug reactions.

Remember:

Cephalosporin antibiotics plus alcohol are equivalent to poison, because the main component of alcohol is ethanol, which is first converted into acetaldehyde when entering the body, and then converted into water and carbon dioxide under the action of enzymes and excreted from the body. Excessive accumulation of acetaldehyde can cause symptoms such as facial and body skin flushing, nausea, vomiting, headache, dizziness, chest tightness, palpitations, blurred vision, abdominal pain, diarrhea, shortness of breath, sweating, and even serious symptoms such as low blood pressure, difficulty breathing, acute heart failure, myocardial infarction, and shock.