Alcohol and Medications: How Long Should You Wait Before Mixing Them?

Drinking even a small amount of alcohol while taking an antibiotic called Flagyl (metronidazole) can cause a severe reaction, making you extremely sick with nausea and vomiting. You will want to avoid alcohol for three days before you start and after you stop Flagyl. The following list of medications that shouldn’t be mixed with alcohol isn’t exhaustive. You should always read the label of any medication and check with a doctor to be sure you are safely taking a medication. One of the biggest risks with DXM and alcohol co-use is the potential for additional harmful effects and stress on the liver.

Dextromethorphan and alcohol

As with cold and flu remedies, combining alcohol with medications used to treat a cough can cause drowsiness, dizziness, and motor impairment. The effects of the mix can be especially serious—if not deadly—when the cough medicine also contains alcohol. The risk of dizziness, drowsiness, or confusion may be increased if you drink alcohol while taking dextromethorphan. There are hundreds of prescription and OTC medications that aren’t safe to use with alcohol. The hazards of mixing alcohol with medicine can vary from increasing side effects to life-threatening symptoms, overdose, and death.

• But when taking it according to the instructions on the product label, side effects rarely occur.
• It is important to consult with a healthcare professional before taking dextromethorphan with other medications to ensure there are no potential interactions.
• In some cases, mixing alcohol with medications can lead to an overdose or alcohol poisoning—both of which are potentially life-threatening medical emergencies.
• It is recommended to wait at least 48 hours after the last dose of metronidazole before consuming alcohol.
• Keep in mind that liver damage from excessive acetaminophen use can occur without noticeable symptoms at first.
• People who abuse DXM and alcohol together in high doses are at increased risk for seizures.

This combination is sometimes called “Robo-tripping” or “Skittling.” This practice is popular because people want to experience the drug’s psychoactive effects. Any information published on this website or by this brand is not intended as a substitute for medical advice, and you should not take any action before consulting with a healthcare professional. But at the same time, you don’t want to negate the benefits of the dry month you successfully observed. Metronidazole is a commonly prescribed antibiotic that effectively treats bacterial infections. However, it’s important to know when it’s safe to consume alcohol after taking this medication.

Health Conditions A-Z

There are 363 drug interactions with Cough Syrup DM (dextromethorphan). There is no way to flush the alcohol out of the system faster, as the body will metabolize it at a natural pace. That said, drinking more water will improve the function of the kidneys and liver, allowing them to rid the body of alcohol more effectively. For example, if conducted between six and 12 hours after a person’s last drink, the tests are deemed highly accurate, but the results could be skewed outside of that window.

Chronic misuse of DXM can lead to long-lasting cognitive impairments affecting memory, concentration, and problem-solving skills. It’s also particularly hard on the liver, an effect compounded by the fact that DXM is often misused in combination with other substances that also affect the liver. In recent years, dextromethorphan has also been investigated for its role in treating other psychiatric conditions, such as the pseudobulbar affect and certain symptoms of Alzheimer’s disease. Despite its promise, it is not considered the primary course of treatment for any condition other than coughing.

Overdose risk

For some people, dextromethorphan can cause an allergic reaction. This is the highest level of care where you will live at the treatment facility. If you have a severe, long-term addiction, you may need the safety, security, and total structure of a residential program. Robotripping can be intensified by introducing alcohol to the situation. It’s common for people to use dextromethorphan all day long to maintain a persistent high. Doing this can cause you to develop a tolerance, including a physical and psychological dependence on DXM and alcohol.

• If you have questions about drug interactions that may affect you, ask your doctor or pharmacist.
• Dextromethorphan is an over-the-counter (OTC) drug used to help relieve a dry cough.
• When we consider the complexities of DXM and its interactions, especially with alcohol, we unravel a narrative filled with potential risks and unintended consequences.
• This floating feeling can last up to six hours or more and chronic users can have heightened effects, especially when combined with other substances like alcohol.
• As with all medications, the cost of dextromethorphan oral forms can vary.

When we consider the complexities of DXM and its interactions, especially with alcohol, we unravel a narrative filled with potential risks and unintended consequences. While DXM can be a valuable medicinal tool, mixing DXM and alcohol opens the door to a wide range of health hazards. Another important thing to consider is the interaction between alcohol and other medications present in cough syrups in particular. Many cough medications contain acetaminophen, also known as APAP or by its brand name, Tylenol.

Recommended dosages

If you lie about the amount of alcohol you consume on a regular basis, your doctor can’t accurately judge the risks and benefits of prescribing a particular medication. Alcohol can make some medications less effective by interfering with how they are absorbed in the digestive tract. In some cases, alcohol increases the bioavailability of a drug, which can raise the concentration of the medication in your blood to toxic levels. Read to learn how DXM and alcohol can affect the body and why you should avoid mixing them.

DXM also affects serotonin — a complex neurochemical best known for its role in mood and cognition. DXM acts as a much weaker version of a common class of antidepressants known as selective serotonin reuptake inhibitors (SSRIs) by increasing the amount of serotonin in our bodies. At normal doses, this doesn’t have an immediate effect, but in certain combinations with other antidepressants it has been shown to help treat major depressive how long after taking dextromethorphan can i drink alcohol disorder.

A generic drug is an exact copy of the active ingredient in a brand-name medication. Delsym is the brand-name medication that dextromethorphan suspension is based on. A generic is considered to be as safe and effective as the original drug.