The Student Room Group

drinking on antibiotics

Recently I had a chest infection and got put on Clarithromycin antibiotics. Its a 2 week course and I have 1 week left. Tonight I'm going to a xmas party and I really want to drink as everyone else will be, but is it ok to do this when taking antibiotics? The worst it can do is make them less effective, right?

Scroll to see replies

Reply 1
As far as I know, all it does is make you more susceptible to the alcohol. Friends on anti-biotics have just seemed to get drunk quicker. :s-smilie:
Reply 2
Have one or two drinks at most.

Also check the side of the box to be safe.
Reply 3
Its up to you; could make you get drunk a lot quicker then you are used to and also might make you sick. Is it really worth it?

Was having same conversation with my dad; he was on antibiotics and wanted to be able to drink at his works xmas do but then decided it wasn't worth the hassle and drove there, didn't drink and still had a good time.
sparkriot
Recently I had a chest infection and got put on Clarithromycin antibiotics. Its a 2 week course and I have 1 week left. Tonight I'm going to a xmas party and I really want to drink as everyone else will be, but is it ok to do this when taking antibiotics? The worst it can do is make them less effective, right?


If it's bothering you so much, just don't drink! Your friends surely won't mind?! You just don't want illness to linger and hover over you. Get it out of the system, once and for all.
check the pack insert or speak to your local friendly community pharmacist ( this is what they are for !!)

drinking while on metronidazole ( or recently finished a course of mteronidazole) is a really really bad idea , most other antibiotics aren't that much problem - but remember you are already ill and that will have an effect on your tolerance of alchol
Reply 6
zippyRN
drinking while on metronidazole ( or recently finished a course of mteronidazole) is a really really bad idea
****ing messy. :colone:
It's not to do with making it less effective, it's to do with the chemicals in the antibiotics reacting with the alcohol...

To be honest, as long as you don't overdose on the antibiotics and you don't overdo it with the drinking, you SHOULD be fine. But it's difficult to know when to stop - you'll get drunk a lot quicker than everyone else, and the quantity that would normally just get you quite wasted could end up putting you in a coma!
Doesn't it reduce the effect of the antibioitics if you drink as well. If it says you shouldn't drink alcohol, then surely you really shouldn't.
Reply 9
i looked up online about Clarithromycin, and there doesn't seem to be anything indicating that alcohol is a big no-no. however,

a) yo will get drunk more easily, and
b)the alcohol will stop the antibiotics from being absorbed in your stomach as well

so don't get too trashed, and try not to drink too often til you finish the course, because obviously it's not ideal. remember i've got no medical training whatsoever and it's just my opinon so do your own research if you wanna be safe
Reply 10
general rule of thumb is to not drink, but seeing as your nearly up on the course and apparently its not a serious antibio then you could be ok
cpj1987
As far as I know, all it does is make you more susceptible to the alcohol. Friends on anti-biotics have just seemed to get drunk quicker. :s-smilie:


I was discussing this with a couple of medical students earlier today (lots of illness in the flat and we were trying to find the light at the end of the tunnel!)

You can drink whilst on the vast majority of antibiotics, but it is more likely to give you an upset stomach and obviously you won't need to drink as much to feel the effects. This is why doctor's recommend you don't drink, but if you want to, it won't do too much harm :smile: (Just don't over do it!!!)
Reply 12
LOL. After commenting here yesterday, I got really bad jaw ache, went to the dentist this morning and had to have a mandibular cyst sorted out and now have to take antibiotics! Pretty ironic, but I'm gonna have to follow my own advice and not drink when I'm out this Thursday now.
Reply 13

my DR told me that apparently there is actually only one type of antibiotics that you cannot drink with, (but obv this is the most prescribed one) so its best to actually check with him first X
Reply 14
ballerina1989
my DR told me that apparently there is actually only one type of antibiotics that you cannot drink with, (but obv this is the most prescribed one) so its best to actually check with him first X
As you've read the thread you can identify which it is, can't you?

(Most prescribed, my arse :rolleyes: )
zippyRN
drinking while on metronidazole ( or recently finished a course of mteronidazole) is a really really bad idea


So I've read. My boyfriend is gutted that he's been prescribed them just before Christmas. :smile:
Reply 16
don't do it! my friend did this at the weekend, had one drink and passed out.
Reply 17
It's mainly a myth that you can't drink with antibiotics. There are one or two that you can't drink with, but the rest you will be fine. Just nip into any pharmacist and ask about the one your taking.

I was taking antibiotics last month and went out drinking as normal and was fine.

People either ignore the doctor/pharmacist when told not to drink on certain antibiotics or pretend to be pi**ed and ill for attention.
i've taken antibiotics when drinking.
it does make it alot less effective though...so is there really any point?.
i doubt it will do that much harm. it should say on pack.

last time i took them it said nothing about it so i didnt think it mattered.
My friend recently went to the doctors because she had an earache. He was going to give her some antibiotics, but she was going to a wedding the next day so she asked if she could have drops instead.
And he said that it was a complete myth that you can't drink on antibiotics, you can, theres only 2types of antibiotics where the alcohol changes how the antibiotic functions and that these were rare.
I've also never had any problems drinking whilst on antibiotics, and anyone who says they get drunk quicker I think is suffering from some kind of placebo effect.