The culprit of redness in drinking is not ethanol, but acetaldehyde. In the body, alcohol is first catalyzed into acetaldehyde, which is then further broken down by the action of acetaldehyde dehydrogenase 2. If there is a problem with the activity of this enzyme, acetaldehyde cannot be metabolized in time and stays in the body in large quantities, which may stretch the blood vessels in the face and cause blushing, and in serious cases may cause damage to the heart, brain, liver, kidneys and other organs. People who drink easily blush should be cautious when taking medication, especially the following three types of drugs: 1, nitroglycerin: emergency medication, may be ineffective As we all know, angina attack if not treated in time, may cause acute myocardial infarction, or even sudden death due to severe arrhythmias. Nitroglycerin is a “life-saving drug” for the treatment of angina, yet the proportion of ineffective in the Chinese Han population is as high as 25%, many of whom are prone to blushing from drinking. Acetaldehyde dehydrogenase 2 specifically metabolizes nitroglycerin to produce nitric oxide, which causes vasodilation and relieves angina. Most acetaldehyde dehydrogenase 2 activity is not high in people who drink and blush, and nitroglycerin may not be effective or even ineffective. These patients are advised to use nitroglycerin cautiously under the guidance of a doctor, and if necessary, they should standby or change to other drugs, such as nitrates, beta-blockers, calcium channel blockers, etc., to prevent delayed treatment and life-threatening effects due to unreasonable use of drugs. 2, antibiotics: from severe headache, rapid heartbeat In addition to the usual nitroglycerin to pay attention to, a period of time after drinking alcohol, be careful to use antibiotics. A variety of antibiotics can be combined with acetaldehyde dehydrogenase 2, inhibit the activity of the enzyme, so that acetaldehyde can not be metabolized in a timely manner, accumulate in the body, the emergence of disulfiram reaction. Its clinical manifestations are facial fever, scarlet face, violent pulsation of blood vessels in the head and neck or pulsating headache, and in severe cases, dyspnea, nausea, vomiting, sweating, dry mouth, chest pain, rapid heartbeat, drop in blood pressure, irritability, and even cause shock. Drugs that can cause disulfiram reaction are: most cephalosporins, metronidazole, tinidazole, Secnidazole, ketoconazole, fluconazole, itraconazole, chloramphenicol, etc. Those who tend to blush when drinking are particularly sensitive to this reaction. Generally, people should not take antibiotics within 3 days after drinking, and this time for people who drink and blush is recommended to be 5~7 days, or even longer. 3, diuretics: cause hypotension Both ethanol and its metabolite acetaldehyde have vasodilatory effects, which can enhance the efficacy of vasodilators. Especially when applying diuretic antihypertensive drugs such as thiazides, if drinking alcohol, can aggravate postural hypotension. Those who drink alcohol and blush have a poor ability to metabolize acetaldehyde and are more likely to be at risk, so alcohol should be avoided when taking such drugs. Drinking alcohol blush is also related to factors such as environment, diet, and individual’s disease status, so be sure to use the medication under the guidance of a physician/pharmacist. Some medication instructions state that alcohol should be prohibited while taking the medication. When taking these medications, alcohol should not be consumed, regardless of whether or not you tend to blush.