Alcohol and Drugs Don’t Mix

According to the US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), nearly one-half of the country’s population uses at least one prescription medicine. Nearly 1 in 4 people regularly take three or more prescription drugs, and 1 in 8 use five or more prescription drugs. Combining certain medications with alcohol can be harmful to health.

Combining alcohol with prescription or over-the-counter medications can be dangerous. In some instances, the combination may produce a synergistic effect whereby the substances interact and the effects are intensified. 

Mixing medication with alcohol can produce the following health effects:  loss of coordination, nausea, vomiting, fainting, drowsiness, and headaches.  It also may put you at risk for heart problems and internal bleeding. 

In other instances, alcohol may reduce the effectiveness of a medication or make it useless, which can put your health at risk. Some medications may become harmful or toxic to your body when combined with alcohol.

Liquor licensees must take particular care when serving or selling alcohol.  Wait staff or store clerks will not know what medications a patron has taken earlier that day which is why it is important to assess for sobriety at every sale or order of a drink.

Consult with your doctor or pharmacist if you have questions about how your medications interact with alcohol.  Protect your health by refraining from alcohol use if you are taking a medication and do not understand its effect.

For more information, review the National Institute on Alcohol Abuse and Alcoholism publication materials, “Harmful Interactions: Mixing Alcohol with Medicines.”