Initially, it may not cause life-threatening symptoms, but it could result in severe complications down the road. If you mix Levofloxacin and alcohol, it may lead to dangerous agitation, confusion, and disorientation. Therefore, it’s crucial to refrain from such activities.Recent studies indicate that metabolizing alcohol weakens the immune system. Generally, it’s best to practice caution and speak with a healthcare provider about drinking alcohol while on these antibiotics. Antibiotics are among the most commonly prescribed medications in the outpatient setting (2). Warnings may vary depending on the pharmacy that dispense the prescription.
Table 1: Common Antibiotic and Alcohol Interactions
In general, medical professionals are hesitant to recommend drinking at all while recovering from infection. Most antibiotics don’t react dangerously, but drinking alcohol may lengthen and decrease the quality of the recovery period. Any abnormal changes to your health or concerns when using antibiotics warrant a call to your healthcare provider.
Obviously, these effects might be heightened if you have too much to drink. Other potential side effects, like headache or dizziness, might also be worse if you drink alcohol. Both alcohol and antibiotics can cause side effects in your body, and drinking alcohol while taking antibiotics can raise your risk of these harmful effects. The types of drugs in this class of broad-spectrum antibiotics are tetracycline, doxycycline, minocycline, and tigecycline.
Levofloxacin is used to treat bacterial infections in many different parts of the body. It is also used to treat anthrax infection after inhalational exposure. Levofloxacin is also used to treat and prevent plague (including pneumonic and septicemic plague). It’s also important to remember that the amount of alcohol is key.
- Rifamycins may cause hepatotoxicity; however, this does not preclude use with alcohol without preexisting LFT elevations when appropriate monitoring can be performed.
- Always seek medical attention if you experience symptoms that feel out of the ordinary or are concerning.
- And drinking heavily, which is bad for your health at any time, may be even riskier if you are also taking an antibiotic.
- Check the ingredient labels on these and other products if you’ve had an alcohol-antibiotic reaction in the past.
Levofloxacin disease interactions
Enter your phone number below to receive a free and confidential call from a treatment provider. There are plenty of beverages that you can enjoy while taking antibiotics without worrying about how they might interact with your treatment. Scientists have linked heavy and binge drinking with an impaired immune system. People with an impaired immune system have a higher risk of infection. Metronidazole is a nitroimidazole antibiotic that doctors prescribe to treat abdominal infections, sexually transmitted infections, and other anaerobic bacteria-related infections.
If you think you’re having a medical emergency, call 911 or your local emergency services number immediately. Oxazolidinones may be used for certain infections, such as osteomyelitis, an infection in the bones, or endocarditis, an infection of the inner lining of the heart muscle. In 2018, the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) published updated safety warnings on all fluoroquinolone antibiotics. Trimethoprim-sulfamethoxazole can affect the metabolism of folic acid in bacteria. In rare cases, it can also affect the metabolism of folic acid in human cells. But if your day includes unwinding with a beer or glass of wine … you’ll probably have to put that on hold while you take your medication.
The combination will cause effects like increased heart rate, nausea, and vomiting. Read the warning label and directions on the drug packaging and heed the prescribing provider’s advice to understand possible antibiotic and alcohol interactions. You may need to wait at least 48 to 72 hours after finishing your course of antibiotics before consuming alcohol.
An interaction between two medications does not always mean that you must stop taking one of the medications; however, sometimes it does. Speak to your doctor about how drug interactions should be managed. Antibiotics kill bacteria in order to avoid infections or stop them if they’ve started. Understanding the interactions between alcohol and antibiotics as well as alcohol and infections may clarify why avoiding alcohol may be pertinent. If you are concerned about any possible negative interactions with your prescription, speak with your medical provider or pharmacist.
Levaquin and Dairy
Finally, many studies were conducted in alcoholics, leaving a gap of knowledge for the social drinker who may be taking antimicrobials. An awareness of these limitations can be used to inform future, higher-quality studies. No, it’s generally not recommended to consume alcohol while taking antibiotics, including Levofloxacin. Alcohol can interfere with the effectiveness of the antibiotic, prolong the resolution of the bacterial infection, and enhance the side effects of the medication. Additionally, alcohol may weaken your immune system and strain your liver, which processes medications. Sulfonamides are a broad-spectrum class of manufactured antibiotics, including sulfisoxazole, sulfamethizole, and sulfamethoxazole.
Health Products
One of the potential issues with taking Levaquin and alcohol is that some of the side effects of alcohol may increase. You may feel more lightheaded, dizzy or have worsened impaired judgement. But much of the time, the amount of alcohol is the most important consideration. You are much more likely to have problems with impaired antibiotic effectiveness, slowed healing, or worsened side effects if you drink excessively.
Once you’ve completed your course of antibiotics, taken as directed, it will be safer to consume alcoholic beverages again. It can cause nausea, dizziness, headache, chest and abdominal discomfort, flushing, vomiting, and hangover-like symptoms. A 2020 review shows a lack of solid evidence behind how common this is, but caution is still warranted. How antibiotics react with alcohol can differ by type of drug. In 2020, pharmacists at the Department of Veterans’ Affairs in can drug dogs detect nicotine New York published a study examining the data regarding alcohol use with certain classes of antibiotics.
