You are here:
Family, Internal Medicine, General Medical Questions/WHAT'S GOOD FOR YOU
Advertisement
Question
I was wondering would you please explain to me: what will happen to you if
took medicine with wine?
Thanks
Hi Cameron. You pose a good question that people often ask in the doctor's office. Many medications interact harmfully with alcohol. These interactions may result in increased risk of illness, injury, and even death. Alcohol's effects are heightened by medicines that depress the central nervous system, such as sleeping pills, antihistamines, antidepressants, anti-anxiety drugs, and some painkillers. In addition, medicines for certain disorders, including diabetes, high blood pressure, and heart disease, can have harmful interactions with alcohol. If you are taking any over-the-counter or prescription medications, ask your doctor or pharmacist if you can safely drink alcohol.
There are many ways that the harmful interactions can occur, but it is mainly because certain medications and alcohol are broken down in the liver and are given their directions for elimination from the body. When your body is busy with the alcohol it may not be processing your medications in the right way making them harmful to you because you get toxic levels in the body or they do not work for you because some medications must be broken down into active metabolites for your body to use.
The short answer is to avoid alcohol when taking medications, but there are certain medications which can be taken if other circumstances are in order. Using any medication with alcohol should be discussed with your doctor on a case by case basis. Don't be afraid to ask when you receive a prescription.
Related Articles
Answers by Expert:
Fawzia Zawahir M.D.
Expertise
I can answer medical questions that are encountered in a general medical practice. I do have an interest and expertise in holistic and naturopathic medicine and my practice is considered to be an integrated medical practice.
Experience
I am a licensed medical doctor with a family practice located in Bayridge, Brooklyn.
Publications
Zhanqing Shen, MD, Antonio Palma, MD, Manu Rajachandran, MD, Gino Oliva, MD, F. Zawahir, BS and Michele Nanna, MD. “Prediction of single and multi-vessel coronary disease in patients after myocardial infarction according to quantitative ultrasound wall motion analysis.” American Heart Journal. 1992, p.949.
Y. Maraket, MD, J Wu, MD, A Palma, MD, F Zawahir, BS, M Goldberg, MD, Michele Nanna, MD. “A rapid non-geometric method for calculating left ventricular end-diastolic volume by echocardiography.” Clinical Research, 1994, p.326a.
Education/Credentials
Medical School: New York Medical College
Residency: Beth Israel Medical Center
Awards and Honors
Stay Beautiful Safely
Keeping Skin, Hair and Nails
Looking Great During Pregnancy
By Nicole Gray
Nail Care
Admittedly, a woman’s beauty routine might feel downright spartan when she’s pregnant, but there is one area of virtual freedom. You can maintain well-groomed hands and feet. According to Dr. Fawzia Zawahir, a Jersey City, N.J.-based pediatrician trained in maternal-fetal health, “Manicures and pedicures are OK, because nail lacquer is not absorbed into the nail bed.”
According to Dr. Zawahir, the issue of absorption is key. “The areas of greatest concern are with those products that can cross the placenta," she says. "Things that cross the placenta can affect the way DNA replicates, which may lead to birth defects.”
©2012 About.com, a part of The New York Times Company. All rights reserved.