Why can it be toxic to take certain medication with any type of alcoholic beverage?
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Many reasons, but here are a few.
Alcohol is a central nervous system (CNS) depressant, so any drug that has an effect on the CNS could be affected by alcohol. Example: since Xanax is a benzodiazepine and also is a CNS depressant, using Xanax and alcohol together increases the CNS depression.
Alcohol is metabolized in the liver. The liver is responsible for metabolizing many, many other drugs. Drinking can effect the function of the liver which could increase the exposure you have to other drugs
. Example: Tylenol is metabolized by multiple enzymes in the liver. A couple of these enzymes turns Tylenol into a toxic byproduct called NAPQI. You liver needs another substance called glutathione to detoxify the NAPQI. However, your body also needs glutathione to detoxify the byproducts of alcohol metabolism. You only have a certain amount of glutathione available, so you risk liver injury or failure when combining Tylenol and alcohol.
There is also the “disulfiram reaction.” This is named after the drug disulfiram which inhibits the second step of alcohol breakdown. This causes a build up of toxic byproducts and can cause serious issues. Disulfiram is sold under the brand name Antabuse because it can be used to treat alcoholism. Basically, if you take Antabuse and then drink any amount of alcohol, you will get violently ill. They even recommend not using Listerine because that can be enough to cause uncomfortable effects.
There are many ways that alcohol can be toxic and I’m sure I’m missing some. The basic idea is that alcohol is a poison and alters the way your body naturally functions in many ways. This does not mean you absolutely cannot drink alcohol while taking any medications, but you should consult with your doctor or pharmacist about what you take and if you can safely drink while on your medications.
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