Older people are at particularly high risk for harmful alcohol–medication interactions. Aging slows the body’s ability to break down alcohol, so alcohol remains in a person’s system longer. Older people also are more likely to take a medication that interacts with alcohol—in fact, they often need to take more than one of these medications.

This CME/CE credit opportunity is jointly provided by the Postgraduate Institute for Medicine and NIAAA. Part of recovering from alcohol use disorder is changing old behaviors and routines. Some people may not provide the support you need to reach your goals. Treatment for alcohol use disorder can vary, depending on your needs.

How Is alcohol metabolized?

For example, if someone usually relapses at the holidays or the anniversary of the death of a loved one, they might decide with their doctor to take it just around that time, Schmidt says. Three drugs have FDA approval for alcohol use disorder, and each works differently. Caffeine-fueled energy drinks can be a popular mix among college students. Energy drinks mixed with alcohol can lower the feeling of intoxication, which can lead to excessive drinking and alcohol-related injuries.

Types of alcohol-medication interactions

And remember, alcohol and medicines can have harmful interactions even if they are separated and taken at different times of the day. Checking for interactions and discussing them with your doctor or pharmacist is the best way to prevent harm. Drinking while taking steroids (corticosteroids, or anti-inflammatory medications like prednisone) often used for pain and inflammation can lead to stomach bleeding and ulcers.

Checking alcohol-medication interactions

If you have alcohol use disorder, medication may help you stop drinking while you take it. Keep in mind medication can’t help change your mindset or lifestyle, though, which are just as important during recovery as stopping drinking. Many people with alcohol problems and their family members find that participating in support groups is an essential part of coping with the disease, preventing or dealing with relapses, and staying sober. Research shows that naltrexone works best for people who have already stopped drinking for at least 4 days when they begin treatment. You take it daily as a pill or get a monthly injection at your health care professional’s office. The medication can help you have fewer days when you drink heavily as well as drink less overall.

1. However, even medications that don’t require a prescription can be unsafe when mixed with alcohol.
2. Even some herbal remedies can have harmful effects when combined with alcohol.
3. Other people might only need to take the medication at times when they know they’ll feel triggered to drink.
4. Add excessive use of alcohol to the regular use of a medication that is hard on the liver, and the potential for harm can soar.
5. The resources below can help alert you and your patients to important potential risks.
6. By Buddy TBuddy T is a writer and founding member of the Online Al-Anon Outreach Committee with decades of experience writing about alcoholism.

One example is the drug interaction between warfarin and alcohol, which could increase bleeding risk. Always check with your pharmacist, doctor or other healthcare provider to see if these types of enzyme interactions are of concern between your medications. Be sure to check on your prescription drugs, as well as your over-the-counter (OTC) medicines, herbals, and dietary supplements like vitamins and minerals. When combined with alcohol drinking when bored some OTC medicines can have serious drug interactions, too. However, do not stop using any medications without first talking to your doctor. If you’re concerned that concurrent use of alcohol and sleeping pills is impacting your health or that of someone close to you, substance abuse treatment programs can help.

We strive to create content that is clear, concise, and easy to understand. By Buddy TBuddy T is a writer and founding member of the Online Al-Anon Outreach Committee with decades of experience writing about alcoholism. Because he is a member of a support group that stresses the importance of anonymity at the public level, he does not use his photograph or his real name on sun rock strain this website.

Older adults don’t metabolize alcohol as quickly as younger adults do, so alcohol stays in their systems longer and has a greater potential brain fog from alcohol to interact with medications. Alcohol is also known to strongly inhibit (or block) an enzyme in the liver known CYP2C9. Mixing these medications with alcohol intensifies the side effects and increases the risk of a fatal overdose. You should avoid drinking alcohol if you are taking allergy medications or any multi-symptom cold and flu formulation.

It’s important that you don’t mix alcohol with any of the following medications. Antipsychotics may be prescribed for people with conditions such as bipolar disorder or schizophrenia. How you achieve that behavior change can vary from one person to another. For others, regular follow-up with their primary doctor should be enough and can work, Holt says.

When a woman drinks, the alcohol in her bloodstream typically reaches a higher level than a man’s even if both are drinking the same amount. This is because women’s bodies generally have less water than men’s bodies. Because alcohol mixes with body water, a given amount of alcohol is more concentrated in a woman’s body than in a man’s. As a result, women are more susceptible to alcohol-related damage to organs such as the liver.