NCJ Number
157974
Date Published
1995
Length
4 pages
Annotation
This paper examines the prevalence of alcohol-drug interactions, how alcohol and drugs interact, and some specific interactions.
Abstract
Many medications can interact with alcohol, leading to increased risk of illness, injury, or death. The prevalent use of both drug and alcohol suggest that some concurrent use of alcohol and medications is inevitable. The elderly may be especially likely to mix drugs and alcohol and are at particular risk of the adverse consequences of such combinations. Alcohol can influence the effectiveness of a drug by altering its availability. First, an acute dose of alcohol may inhibit a drug's metabolism by competing with the drug for the same set of metabolizing enzymes. Second, chronic alcohol ingestion may activate drug-metabolizing enzymes, thus decreasing the drug's availability and diminishing its effects. This paper discusses how chronic alcohol consumption interacts with the following drug classes: anesthetics, antibiotics, anticoagulants, antidepressants, antidiabetic medications, antihistamines, antipsychotic medications, antiseizure medications, antiulcer medications, cardiovascular medications, narcotic pain relievers, nonnarcotic pain relievers, and sedatives and hypnotics. 39 references