When taking certain medications such as cephalosporin antibiotics in daily life, doctors will always advise against drinking alcohol, why? Because if you drink alcohol when taking cephalosporin antibiotics, there is a risk of life-threatening “disulfiram reaction”. Under normal circumstances, after alcohol enters the body, it is first oxidized to acetaldehyde in the liver cells through the action of “ethanol dehydrogenase”, and acetaldehyde is oxidized to “acetaldehyde dehydrogenase” in the mitochondria of liver cells. Acetaldehyde is oxidized to “acetic acid” by the action of “acetaldehyde dehydrogenase” in the mitochondria of liver cells, which is further metabolized to carbon dioxide and water and excreted out of the body. Disulfiram is a drug for alcohol withdrawal, which will cause the intermediate metabolite of ethanol (acetaldehyde) to be blocked, resulting in an increase in the concentration of acetaldehyde in the blood of patients who drink alcohol and causing a series of clinical manifestations, including facial fever, flushing, headache, dizziness, nausea, vomiting, abdominal pain, chest pain, rapid heartbeat, decreased blood pressure, blurred vision, dyspnea, normal or partially altered electrocardiogram (such as ST-T changes), etc. In severe cases It can lead to respiratory depression, cardiac arrhythmia, myocardial infarction, acute congestive heart failure, loss of consciousness, shock, and even death. The severity is related to the dose of the drug and the amount of alcohol consumed. The reaction is more severe in the elderly, the weak, people with underlying diseases and those who are sensitive to ethanol. What drugs can cause disulfiram reactions? Studies and clinical findings have shown that certain cephalosporin antibiotics such as cefoperazone, cefoperazone sulbactam, ceftriaxone, cefazolin, cefradil, cefmetazole, cefminoxime, cefmento, cefadroxil, cefaclor, as well as dysentery, chloramphenicol, furantoin, metronidazole, and glimepiride can cause disulfiram reactions. Note that not all cephalosporin antibiotics can cause disulfiram reactions, such as ceftizoxime, cefixime, ceftezole, and cefodizime, etc. There are no reports in the literature that can cause disulfiram reactions. Disulfiram-like reactions may occur in people who take the above drugs within 5 days of drinking alcohol in general. It is generally safe to take the drugs after 1 week of drinking. Prevention and treatment: 1. It is forbidden to drink alcohol or beverages containing alcohol while taking the above drugs. 2. Once disulfiram-like reactions occur, the drug and ethanol-related products should be discontinued promptly. Mild cases can be relieved on their own, more serious cases should immediately seek medical attention, the doctor will give the appropriate professional treatment.