Painkillers and alcohol

I regularly get headaches whether I drink or not, and take paracetomal and sometimes aspirin to help with that. I normally do it with alcohol and thought it was fine, but my friends today told me that was a really bad idea and I shouldn't to it. Why is it a bad idea? Does it make you more drunk, or have some bad side effects? Today I had a lot to drink, and not much soft drinks so feel really dehydrated and had a lemonade and some aspirin to get rid of the headache I had coming on.

If its a bad idea I will stop, but they didnt have any reasons as to why it supposedly is. I read the leaflet in the packet and it just said avoid taking with alcohol, which doesn't sound too big a deal, and it didn't say what could happen. If anything from the times I have done it it just makes me feel sleepy

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Reply 1

vpsycho

If you get regular headaches, then surely there must be something wrong? Go make an appointment with your GP.

drink more water?

Original post by vpsycho

If you get regular headaches, then surely there must be something wrong? Go make an appointment with your GP.

been doing that since the age of 13, had lots of preventers, stuff to help when I got them, MRI scans and stuff, and nothing at all helped.

I did an allergy test and gave up everything I was allergic too, but all I am asking is whether it is ok to take painkillers with alcohol rather than why I was getting headaches

Reply 4

Teofilo

Within reason its okay. Few nights during freshers week when I didn't feel at all good and was taking a couple of Paracetemol while drinking and there didn't seem to be a problem. I was told that it was alcohol and antibiotics that was a potentially dangerous combination.

Mind you, I don't remember much of that night...

Reply 5

hanaalou

I'm not sure but it's often advised on the label of the tablets as well
I was once drinking and taking codeine and that was a VERY bad idea :/

Reply 6

metalthrashin'mad

Original post by Teofilo

time before now I had ppl round mine after the pub, put a film on, fell asleep within 3 minutes, next thing I know I am wandering around campus and can't find my house lol.

Could be the 9 pints I had though, and I am way too lightweight for that much alcohol really, it probs would have happened anyway

Reply 7

markrush

Generally bad call man bad call. I used to mix sleeping pills and alcohol though, for a while it was the only way I could sleep....

Reply 8

J_90

I know someone who used to hit the paracetamol every single time before he went out on the town and you no what? It helped with hangovers, hmm.

Reply 9

Californian

Original post by metalthrashin'mad

You get headaches because your are dehydrated. Try drinking a glass of water for every alcoholic drink and I can nearly guarantee that your headaches will be gone(at least that was my experience).

Reply 10

Californian

also, asking a random forum for medical advice is probably not the best idea... especially when you use the generic term "painkillers." Which drugs? what are the mechanisms of action? Just google the drug name and "package insert" to read all about it.

Reply 11

metalthrashin'mad

Original post by Californian

I clearly said Paracetamol and aspirin in the thread and about how the insert wasn't too helpful.

Please learn to read.

Reply 12

metalthrashin'mad

Original post by Californian

You get headaches because your are dehydrated. Try drinking a glass of water for every alcoholic drink and I can nearly guarantee that your headaches will be gone(at least that was my experience).

As already stated, probably badly, I already know why I am getting headaches, I want to know if taking paracetamol will be a problem if I have been drinking.

Reply 13

emi_sarb

I don't know about other pain killers but it isn't a good idea to take paracetamol and alcohol together. Alcohol changes the way your body metabolises alcohol and the end product causes irreversible liver damage.

Reply 14

metalthrashin'mad

I am allergic to milk anyway, but aspirin is better than paracetamol? Thats good news, its what I have taken

Reply 15

Californian

Original post by metalthrashin'mad

I clearly said Paracetamol and aspirin in the thread and about how the insert wasn't too helpful.

Please learn to read.

My point still stands. You're better off asking a medical professional than a random forum.

(edited 13 years ago)

Reply 16

metalthrashin'mad

Original post by Californian

My point still stands. You're better off asking a medical professional why you're getting headaches than a random forum online. It could be something unrelated to alcohol poisoning. It could be a random obscure neurological disease that only emerges when alcohol is blocking something else. Who knows?

I already know why I get headaches - dehydration because I was drinking. Thing is having several pints of water in a row doesn't help quickly, it takes a few hours.

I get headaches for lots of reasons, but I know what most of them are and can avoid doing things to stop them. However alcohol has a tendancy to cloud my judgement.

As for asking a medical professional, I have been passed from doctor to doctor for 6 years, tried lots of headache preventers, special painkillers, had MRI scans and allergy tests, and the allergy test is the only thing that somewhat helped me.

I would assume on a student forum enough people would do either biology or chemisty and know whether paracetamol and aspirin were safe to take with alcohol.

Reply 17

Sabres3819

Taking paracetamol and alcohol is fine it is a theoretical danger because both use the enzyme CYP2E1 to be metabolised, but in practice it has NEVER been proven to be dangerous

The girl who said it changes how the liver metabolises alcohol is a moron

Aspirin does effect the stomach by causing ulcers...but only if you take too many, otherwise it is fine

Basically, as long as you don't OD you are fine, and if you accidentally OD you deserve to die