Why is mixing alcohol and Rx dangerous?  What are the effects of doing so?
439472
It all depends on the drug.  Mixing uppers and downers(alcohol is a downer) is a good way to give yourself a heart attack.  Tylenol & booze can cause serious liver problems (even when it isn't taken in 'abuse' doses).  Sometimes certian perscriptions say to avoid alcohol because it lessens the effect of the drug.  For example, antibiotics say don't take with alcohol, but that's because alcohol can cancel some of the effects of the antibiotic... so you may stay sick, but you won't get any sicker.  Obviously, it is not a good idea to mix drugs & alcohol, but if you do be really careful.  You get much more drunk or high doing both at once.  It might sound good, but it could definitely be a bad thing when you wake up next to Chewbaka... or in the gutter.
1017986
I would not combine the two substances. Use one or the other at any one time.
620430
It kills brain cells but you should have more than enough extra ones that it doesnt seem to concern too many people.  When your body metabolizes the alcohol, it turns it into liver fat and over a long period of time can decrease your body's ability to filter your blood through the liver.  It also dehydrates you and this is bad if you are an athlete.  In moderation, your body can deal with most of the bad stuff.
428662
Not all antibiotics are the same. There are a few different classes and they have different mechanisms of action and different properties.\n\nSome classes of antibiotics cannot be taken with alcohol because it will make you very sick (by blocking breakdown of alcohol, causing some WICKED hangovers), and it will limit the efficacy of the drugs.\n\nPenicillin-class antibiotics don't usually have bad interactions with alcohol.\n\nHowever, cephalosporin-class antibiotics can make you sick if taken with alcohol. Same thing with metronidazole (Flagyl).\n\nWhat antibiotic are you taking, anyway? Your best bet is to ask your doctor whether the alcohol is safe with your durgs, but in general, NEVER drink alcohol if you're on medications. Alcohol tends to complicate a LOT of meds.\n\nADDENDUM: Augmentin (amoxicillin) is not contraindicated with alcohol, HOWEVER, in general it is not advisable to take this drug with alcohol anyway. The interactions between antibiotics and alcohol are more severe between cephalosporins like Cipro (coprofloxacin), Levaquin (levofloxacin), etc. These side effects include dizziness, nausea, and impaired ability to metabolize alcohol. Per that impairment, the antibiotics are processed in the liver, so if the lvier's busy braking down the drugs, they don't have enough resources to break down booze. so the alcohol doesn't get processed as it normally would, making you intoxication more severe and prolonged. That is, if you think two glasses is a little bit with dinner, the meds can make it feel like you drank 3 times that amount.\n\nWhile you aren't likely to suffer terribly for a little wine with Augmentin (unless you have a history of hepatitis or other liver troubles), it's generally better to abstain from alcohol until you have completed all treatment.
913794
Mixing chlorine and alcohol to produce an exposion is quite dangerous, and has caused numerous injuries in children who tried to emulate those videos.  However, the reason for the explosion is that chlorine is highly reactive because it only needs to acquire one electron to fill its valence shell, so it reacts explosively with alcohol to form alkyl chloride, also called chloroalkane.
542962
There are no specific contraindications to use of alcohol while on this medication. However, erythromycin is primarily metabolized by the liver, and general common sense would indicate you should be caution about the concommitant use of alcohol.
379210
alcohol is dangerous for more then 4 reasons but the most basic are... \n1. impairs judgment - obviously unhealthy because of the negative choices that you can make (drunk driving, etc.)\n2. alcohol kills... since alcohol is actually a poison in your body, the more you have the more likely you can get poisoned from it.\n3. liver damage - alcohol kills liver cells faster because the body tries to digest the alcohol in the liver.\n4. kills braincells - compare the results of tests from someone who has drank heavily to someone who doesn't drink you will notice the dramatic difference in the amount of braincells and brain activity.\n\nalcohol is not as dangerous for the women who is pregnant, as it is for the unborn child. the woman must produce food and feed the baby, the babies body is not mature enough to deal with the toxins found in alcohol, causing serious potential defects in the fetus.
117535
The alcohol actually messes with your brain chemistry. It slows the reuptake of seratonin, for one, making you "happy" and "relaxed". It also affects the areas of the brain that control thought, reflexes, and all senses except hearing. Once your kidneys filter it out of your blood stream, you return to "normal".
265752
This is a bad idea.  Both have similar effects and enhance each other.  This is a good way to end up in the hospital or an early grave.  Depressant/sedative drugs should not be mixed with other drugs or alcohol
1040415
I read a whole book of supposed  instances of spontaneous human combustion, and most of the time it was caused by excess drinking in a hot room or near a fireplace. It kinda makes sense because the amount of alcohol in your blood could cause you to be more flammable. Again, none of this is proven scientifically.
100230
Pro: Extra energy, if taken before you drink alcohol it takes longer for you to get drunk!!\n\nCon: Higher heartrate
31360
Because the alcohol leads the drug into your system faster than if it were in say a water base or oil base.
657260
You can, but I wouldn't recommend it.  Alcohol is a depressant and one of the common side effects of Prozac is fatigue.  You add the two together and you'll have a severe psychomotor impairment (it won't kill you, but it'll knock you out and you'll wake up with a hell of a headache).
98920
You should not.  \nIt can cause some serious side effects - many of which are along the lines of what dilantin is used for - seizures.  You wouldn't know if the seizure was due to the alcohol or having a low dilantin level.  Ask your pharmacist for the drug information sheet.
394854
Alcohol is incompatible with many of the drugs used to treat depression. It can intensify the sedative effects of some antidepressants. Chronic alcohol consumption can increase the availability of some antidepressants while decreasing the availability of others. Tyramine, a substance found in beer and wine, can interact with MAOIs potentially causing a dangerous rise in blood pressure. Consult your physician or pharmacist for specific precautions regarding your own medications.
436690
The realistic answer is it probably won't bother you at all. Even if you were to take your effexor you would still be able to have a few beers. Yes, alcohol does amplify the effects of medications like ativan but one isn't going to kill you (as long as you don't binge drink).\nThe party line answer (what pharmacists and doctors are supposed to tell you) is that you shouldn't mix benzos (ativan) and alcohol for risk of serious side effects.\n\n--- have fun, but be careful ---
633309
You absolutely should not drink while taking medications.  Alcohol affects different types of medicines in different ways and can cause you problems.