Harmful Interactions: Mixing Alcohol with Medicines
Mixing alcohol and medicines puts you at risk for dangerous reactions. Protect yourself by avoiding alcohol if you are taking a medication and don't know its effect. To learn more about a medicine and whether it will interact with alcohol, talk to your pharmacist or other health care provider.
| Symptom/Disorders | Medication | Possible reactions |
| Allergies/Colds/Flu | Alavert (loratadine) | Drowsiness, dizziness; increased risk for overdose |
| Allegra, Allegra-D (fexofenadin) | ||
| Benadryl (diphenhydramine) | ||
| Clarinex (desloratadine) | ||
| Claritin, Claritin-D (loratadine) | ||
| Dimetapp Cold & Allergy (brompheniramine) | ||
| Sudafed Sinus & Allergy (chlorpheniramine) | ||
| Triaminic® Cold & Allergy (chlorpheniramine) | ||
| Tylenol Allergy Sinus (chlorpheniramine) | ||
| Zyrtec (cetirizine) | ||
| Angina (chest pain), coronary heart disease | Isordil (isosorbide) | Rapid heartbeat, sudden changes in blood pressure, dizziness, fainting |
| Nitroglycerin | ||
| Anxiety and epilepsy | Ativan (lorazepam) | Drowsiness, dizziness; increased risk for overdose; slowed or difficulty breathing; impaired motor control; unusual behavior; and memory problems |
| Klonopin (clonazepam) | ||
| Librium (chlordiazepoxide) | ||
| Paxil (paroxetine) | ||
| Valium (diazepam) | ||
| Xanax (alprazolam) | ||
| Arthritis | Celebrex (celecoxib) | Ulcers, stomach bleeding, liver problems |
| Naprosyn (naproxen) | ||
| Voltaren (diclofenac) | ||
| Blood clots | Coumadin (warfarin) | Occasional drinking may lead to internal bleeding; heavier drinking also may cause bleeding or may have the opposite effect, resulting in possible blood clots, strokes, or heart attacks |
| Cough | Delsym, Robitussin Cough (dextromethorpan) | Drowsiness, dizziness; increased risk for overdose |
| Depression | Anafranil (clomipramine) | Drowsiness, dizziness; increased risk for overdose; increased feelings of depression or hopelessness in adolescents (suicide) |
| Celexa (citalopram) | ||
| Desyrel (trazodone) | ||
| Effexor (venlafaxine) | ||
| Elavil (amitriptyline) | ||
| Lexapro (escitalopram) | ||
| Luvox (fluvoxamine) | ||
| Norpramin (desipramine) | ||
| Paxil (paroxetine) | ||
| Prozac (fluoxetine) | ||
| Serzone (nefazodone) | ||
| Wellbutrin (bupropion) | ||
| Zoloft (sertraline) | ||
| St. John's Wort | ||
| Diabetes | Glucophage (metformin) | Abnormally low blood sugar levels, flushing reaction (nausea, vomiting, headache, rapid heartbeat, sudden changes in blood pressure) |
| Micronase (glyburide) | ||
| Orinase (tolbutamide) | ||
| Enlarged prostate | Cardura (doxazosin) | Dizziness, light headedness, fainting |
| Flomax (tamsulosin) | ||
| Hytrin (terazosin) | ||
| Minipress (prazosin) | ||
| Heartburn, indigestion, sour stomach | Axid (nizatidine) | Rapid heartbeat, sudden changes in blood pressure (metoclopramide); increased alcohol effect |
| Reglan (metoclopramide) | ||
| Tagamet (cimetidine) | ||
| Zantac (ranitidine) | ||
| High blood pressure | Accupril (quinapril) | Dizziness, fainting, drowsiness; heart problems such as changes in the heart's regular heartbeat (arrhythmia) |
| Capozide (hydrochlorothiazide) | ||
| Cardura (doxasozin) | ||
| Catapres (clonidine) | ||
| Cozaar (losartan) | ||
| Hytrin (terazosin) | ||
| Lopressor HCT (hydrochlorothiazide) | ||
| Lotensin (benzapril) | ||
| Minipress (prazosin) | ||
| Vaseretic (enalapril) | ||
| High cholesterol | Advicor (lovastatin/niacin) | Liver damage (all medications); increased flushing and itching (niacin), increased stomach bleeding (pravastatin + aspirin) |
| Altocor (lovastatin) | ||
| Crestor (rosuvastatin) | ||
| Lipitor (atorvastatin) | ||
| Mevacor (lovastatin) | ||
| Niaspan (niacin) | ||
| Pravachol (pravastatin) | ||
| Pravigard (pravatatin/aspirin) | ||
| Vytorin (ezetimibe/simvastatin) | ||
| Zocor (simvastatin) | ||
| Infections | Acrodantin (nitrofurantoin) | Fast heartbeat, sudden changes in blood pressure; stomach pain, upset stomach, vomiting, headache, or flushing or redness of the face; liver damage (isoniazid, ketokonazole) |
| Flagyl (metronidazole) | ||
| Grisactin (griseofulvin) | ||
| Nizoral (ketokonazole) | ||
| Nydrazid (isoniazid) | ||
| Seromycin (cycloserine) | ||
| Tindamax (tinidazole) | ||
| Muscle pain | Flexeril (cyclobenzaprine) | Drowsiness, dizziness; increased risk of seizures; increased risk for overdose; slowed or difficulty breathing; impaired motor control; unusual behavior; memory problems |
| Soma (carisoprodol) | ||
| Nausea, motion sickness | Antivert (meclizine) | Drowsiness, dizziness; increased risk for overdose |
| Atarax (hydroxyzine) | ||
| Dramamine (dimenhyrinate) | ||
| Phenergan (promenthazine) | ||
| Pain (such as headache, muscle ache, minor arthritis pain), fever, inflammation | Advil (ibruoprofen) | Stomach upset, bleeding and ulcers; liver damage (acetaminophen); rapid heartbeat |
| Aleve (naproxen) | ||
| Excedrin (aspirin/acetaminophen) | ||
| Motrin (ibuprofen) | ||
| Tylenol (acetaminophen) | ||
| Seizures | Dilantin (phenytoin) | Drowsiness, dizziness; increased risk of seizures |
| Klonopin (clonazepam/phenobarbital) | ||
| Severe pain from injury, postsurgical care, oral surgery, migraines | Darvocet–N (propoxyphene) | Drowsiness, dizziness; increased risk for overdose; slowed or difficulty breathing; impaired motor control; unusual behavior; memory problems |
| Demerol (merepidine) | ||
| Fiorinal with codeine (butalbital/codeine) | ||
| Percocet (oxycodone) | ||
| Vicodin (hydrocodone) | ||
| Sleep problems | Ambien (zolpidem) | Drowsiness, sleepiness, dizziness; slowed or difficulty breathing; impaired motor control; unusual behavior; memory problems |
| Lunesta (eszopiclone) | ||
| Prosom (estazolam) | ||
| Restoril (temazepam) | ||
| Sominex (diphenhydramine) | ||
| Unisom (doxylamine) |
SOURCES:
National Institute on Alcohol Abuse and Alcoholism
of the National Institutes of Health
Last Editorial Review: 4/22/2010 11:39:30 AM
SOURCES:
National Institute on Alcohol Abuse and Alcoholism
of the National Institutes of Health
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