Alcohol | When not to Drink

There are times when not drinking alcohol at all is the safest choice. It could be that you're thinking of becoming pregnant or are pregnant, you're going to drive or operate machinery or you're taking medication. You might be going boating or doing another sport, or be recovering from an injury, operation or illness.

Read more below about why alcohol and some things don't mix too well.

Medication
It can be dangerous to drink if you are taking some other prescription or over the counter medications. Medication that slows you down or sedates you can be dangerous when combined with alcohol. You may find you have difficulty breathing or a great deal of difficulty thinking clearly. You need to be careful with the following drugs:

Antibiotics. Antibiotics are used to treat infectious diseases. Examples include - penicillin, furazolidone (Furoxone), griseofulvin (Grisactin and others), metronidazole (Flagyl), and the antimalarial quinacrine (Atabrine). If combined with alcohol, antibiotics may cause nausea, vomiting, headache, and possibly convulsions
Anticoagulants. These affect the blood's ability to clot. An example is Warfarin (Coumadin). If combined with alcohol, anticoagulants increase the possibility of hemorrhages
Antidepressants. Alcohol increases the sedative effect of tricyclic antidepressants such as amitriptyline (Elavil and others), impairing mental skills needed for tasks such as driving, and increasing the sedative (sleepiness) effect. Some antidepressants when combined with alcohol, result in a dangerous rise in blood pressure
Antidiabetic medications. Oral hypoglycemic drugs are prescribed to help lower blood sugar levels in some patients with diabetes
Antihistamines. Drugs such as diphenhydramine (Benadryl and others) are available without prescription to treat allergic symptoms and insomnia. Alcohol may intensify the sedation (sleepiness) caused by some antihistamines. Combining alcohol and antihistamines can potentially can cause dizziness also
Antipsychotic medications. Combined with alcohol, antipsychotic medications can result in increased sleepiness, impaired coordination and potentially fatal breathing difficulties
Antiseizure medications. Mainly used to treat epilepsy, if combined with alcohol, protection against epileptic seizures is significantly reduced
Cardiovascular medications. These include a wide variety prescribed to treat ailments of the heart and circulatory system such as angina and high blood pressure. Combining them with alcohol can result in dizziness or fainting, as well as reducing their therapeutic effect
Narcotic pain relievers. These drugs are prescribed for moderate to severe pain. They include the opiates morphine, codeine, propoxyphene and meperidine. If combined with alcohol the sedative (sleepy) effect is increased
Nonnarcotic pain relievers. Aspirin and similar non-prescription painkillers, mixed with alcohol, can damage the stomach lining and cause bleeding. They can also prevent stomach enzymes from processing alcohol, meaning the liver requires more time between drinks. In addition, aspirin may increase the effect of alcohol
Sedatives and hypnotics ("sleeping pills"). Benzodiazepines such as diazepam (Valium or Halcion) may cause severe drowsiness in the presence of alcohol

If you want to drink alcohol and have been prescribed medicine (or are taking medication) check the risks with your doctor or pharmacist first.