Recently, many doctors have been forwarding in their circle of friends “warning friends, soon after the New Year holidays, taking antibiotics (not only cephalosporins, metronidazole), absolutely no alcohol! No alcohol! Otherwise there will be a disulfiram-like reaction, a heartbeat suppression, increasing the risk of sudden death! 1. eating antibiotics and drinking alcohol will really dog belt during taking antibiotics (not only cephalosporins, metronidazole class) can not drink alcohol is true oh, indeed will occur disulfiram-like reaction! So what is disulfiram? And what is a disulfiram-like reaction? In fact, disulfiram is a kind of alcohol withdrawal drug In fact, disulfiram is a kind of alcohol withdrawal drug, after eating even if you drink very little wine or ingest alcohol, the body will also produce serious discomfort, so as to achieve the purpose of alcohol withdrawal. Alcohol in the body will undergo the metabolic process of “ethanol → acetaldehyde → acetic acid → carbon dioxide + water”, and acetaldehyde is the “goblin behind the scenes” that makes you drunk. Disulfiram and alcohol “marriage” will inhibit the acetaldehyde dehydrogenase in the liver, it is K.O after 4 to 5 days to revive, which leads to the accumulation of acetaldehyde in the body, will allow people to drink just a little wine to experience the effect of drinking vomit. Drugs such as cephalosporin and metronidazole contain a similar chemical structure to disulfiram, so they will produce the same effect as disulfiram – this is the disulfiram-like reaction that everyone has been talking about for the past two days. 3. Disulfiram-like reaction makes you look like you are “high” Cephalosporin and disulfiram, like drinking alcohol after taking it, will be like drinking too much like a red face and heartbeat (up to 120 times / min), dizziness, red eyes, the blood vessels above the neck seem to jump out of the skin, some will also vomit, sweating, thirst, serious people will also occur chest pain, lowered blood pressure, angina, acute heart failure, respiratory distress, acute liver damage, convulsions and even death. The larger the dose and the more alcohol consumed, the more severe the symptoms! The elderly, children or friends with cardiovascular disease, as well as those who are sensitive to alcohol, the reaction will be more serious. This reaction usually occurs 15 to 30 minutes after the drug and alcohol consumption. Although the symptoms of disulfiram-like reactions are similar to those of alcoholism and alcohol allergy, they are not the same in nature! Disulfiram-like reactions can occur with the help of a small amount of alcohol under the effect of drugs, and the symptoms appear quickly and heavily, no matter what you drink or how much you drink. And people with alcohol allergy are allergic to alcohol in their own body, disulfiram-like reactions are not carried in the mother’s womb. We know that when alcohol allergy is present, there will be localized skin redness, rash, and itchiness, and the symptoms will disappear slowly, and disulfiram-like reactions show the opposite in these aspects. 5. It is not advisable to take medicine after alcohol and to drink alcohol after medicine. Due to individual differences, the elimination time of alcohol is different for each person. Usually, you can’t drink alcohol during the time you take the medication or within 5-7 days after you take the medication, but some people still react to drinking more than 10 days after they stop taking the medication. Therefore, for your health, avoid drinking alcohol or consuming alcoholic beverages, foods and medications during the medication period and for 20 days after stopping the medication. Disulfiram-like reactions are more likely to occur when drinking alcohol after medication, but they are less likely to occur with medication after drinking, but it is not recommended to use other medications for 12 hours after drinking. Partners must get this point: the longer the interval between drinking and taking medication, the lower the incidence of disulfiram-like reactions, so whether it’s taking medication and drinking, or drinking and taking medication, it’s best to have an interval of more than 7 days. 6. not only cephalosporin XX and metronidazole can not be “mixed” with alcohol In addition to some cephalosporin XX and metronidazole, other drugs may also cause disulfiram-like reactions. There are some less common, such as quinolones, erythromycin, some hypoglycemic drugs, warfarin, insulin, ten drops, etc., may also induce disulfiram-like reactions. In general, reactions are more likely to occur with injectable administration than with other routes of administration. Like ketoconazole ointment, ornidazole suppositories, erythromycin ophthalmic ointment these topical drugs lead to disulfiram-like reactions is very small, but does not exclude the topical drugs and wine at the same time may also occur disulfiram-like reactions Oh. No alcohol, no harm Once a disulfiram-like reaction occurs, stop drinking immediately! These symptoms usually subside in 4 to 12 hours, but severe reactions can last 24 hours or days before they are completely relieved. Don’t forget to tell your doctor that you are taking these medications to avoid delays, as severe disulfiram-like reactions can be easily misdiagnosed. The doctor may need to give you gastric lavage, as well as angina, lower blood pressure, liver damage, all need to be treated symptomatically. There are also, don’t blindly believe in the “antidote” Oh, they blindly take too much medicine is likely to occur other adverse reactions, yo! 8. to pay attention to, but do not scare themselves, the harmony of the New Year But although the above said so much, the circle of friends turned so off the reins, but after taking a normal dose of cephalosporin xx drink a small amount of wine does not necessarily have a serious reaction. Scientific research has told us that, in normal human trials, the occurrence of disulfiram-like reactions is a minority of people, the larger the dose of medication + the more wine you drink, the more severe the reaction will be, and alcohol-sensitive people will be more likely to be “hit”.