Simply make an appointment with a licensed healthcare provider and log on for a one-on-one consultation. From there, we’ll create a personalized treatment plan to address any symptoms you may be experiencing, such as headache, fatigue, stomach pain, and trouble sleeping. However, some people may be able to safely drink alcohol in limited quantities while still on an antibiotic. Talk to your pharmacist or healthcare provider and weigh your overall health background in the context of your specific antibiotic treatment. A strong antibiotic, Levaquin uses include treating various bacterial infections and anthrax. Isoniazid is often listed as an agent that can cause a disulfiram-like reaction with alcohol due to its inhibition of aldehyde dehydrogenase (106–108).
Metronidazole.
Both alcohol and antibiotics can cause side effects in your body, and drinking alcohol while taking antibiotics can raise your risk of these harmful effects. Medicines that interact with levofloxacin may either Family Therapy Recovery Research Institute decrease its effect, affect how long it works, increase side effects, or have less of an effect when taken with levofloxacin. An interaction between two medications does not always mean that you must stop taking one of the medications; however, sometimes it does.
Alcohol can interfere with the effectiveness of the antibiotic, prolong the resolution of the bacterial infection, and enhance the side effects of the medication. Additionally, alcohol may weaken your immune system and strain your liver, which processes medications. A surveillance study of 13,838 patients on isoniazid by 21 health departments found that consuming at least one drink daily appeared to increase the risk of developing hepatitis (105).
Levaquin and Other Medications
Keep in mind that antibiotics are often prescribed on a short-term basis. Consider waiting until you’re off the medications to have your next drink. It may reduce the chance of complications or side effects brought on by antibiotics. If the label on your drug says not to drink alcohol during treatment, follow that advice. Combining alcohol and antibiotics can increase your chance of developing side effects. It’s best to wait until you’re done with your antibiotic course before you have an alcoholic drink.
This may delay the absorption of the antibiotic into the bloodstream and lower the antibiotic effect. May occur with some other cephalosporin antibiotics, check with your doctor or pharmacist. Disulfiram-like reaction which may include abdominal cramps, nausea, vomiting, headaches, flushing, sweating, fast heart rate or more severe reactions.
Table 1: Common Antibiotic and Alcohol Interactions
Drinking plenty of water can help flush alcohol and antibiotics from your system, aiding in reducing any discomfort or adverse effects you may be experiencing. Rarely, severe symptoms can occur, such as very low blood pressure or heart attack. There is no clinical evidence about Levaquin interacting with eating or drinking dairy products. However, calcium supplements or calcium-fortified foods can both bind to Levaquin, making it less effective. Check the ingredient labels on these and other products if you’ve had an alcohol-antibiotic reaction in the past.
For example, many antibiotics have potential side effects like stomach irritation or nausea. Obviously, these effects might be heightened if you have too much to drink. Other potential side effects, like headache or dizziness, might also be worse if you drink alcohol.
- Nitroimidazoles, including metronidazole, tinidazole, and secnidazole, are often used for parasitic or anaerobic bacterial infections.
- Levaquin i.e. levofloxacin is a fluoroquinolone antibiotic that is used in the treatment of bacterial infections in the skin, lung and urinary tract.
- It points instead to similar medications belonging to the fluoroquinolones family of antibiotics.
- As well as its antibacterial effect, linezolid reduces the action of enzymes called monoamine oxidase-A and monoamine oxidase-B.
- Disulfiram-like reactions have been reported in the literature (94–96).
A total of 87 studies are included in this review, after many were excluded due to duplications or not being relevant to the review (Fig. 1). While robust data are lacking, recent studies have determined that alcohol may be used moderately and cautiously when taking tetracyclines. Use caution if driving, operating machinery, or engaging in potentially hazardous activities as your motor coordination and judgement may be affected.
Two of these cases may have been related to the concurrent use of pyrazinamide (114). Drinking alcohol daily can overwhelm your liver, which is crucial because your liver processes medications like Levofloxacin. If your liver is busy with alcohol, it might not handle the medication properly. If you drink alcohol in moderation, it may not stop Levofloxacin from treating your infection, but it can make it take longer to work and may reduce your energy. Sulfonamides are a broad-spectrum class of manufactured antibiotics, including sulfisoxazole, sulfamethizole, and sulfamethoxazole.
What Should I Avoid Eating and Drinking With Levaquin?
This article discusses some key things to consider about this topic. The CDC describes binge drinking as consuming four drinks for women and five drinks for men on a single occasion. Heavy drinking is eight or more drinks for women and 15 drinks or more for men per week. In 2018, the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) published updated safety warnings on all fluoroquinolone antibiotics.