Thanks to the achievements of modern medicine and pharmacy, today the disease is no longer a short condition, after which you either recover or not. Currently, chronic diseases are widespread, partly due to the fact that there are methods to control them and ensure long-term patient comfort.
Muscle relaxants has become inseparable from our modern lives. Another feature is the lack of patience – any discomfort should be removed as soon as possible and at any cost.
Ethanol alcohol is the substance most commonly abused in modern society. This fact, together with the characteristics described above, attaches particular importance to the issue of concomitant use of alcohol and drugs.
What Happens In The Body After Drinking Alcohol?
After drinking the alcoholic beverage, it enters the stomach, where on average about 20% of it is absorbed. Then, along with the rest of the stomach contents, the alcohol passes into the small intestine, where the main absorption is – 80%.
On an empty stomach, the first signs of intoxication may occur for a further 10 minutes after ingestion, with peak plasma concentrations between 30 minutes and 2 hours thereafter. In the event that alcohol intake is after a meal, especially with a high-fat diet, the process is significantly slowed down and maximum plasma concentrations are expected to occur 1 to 6 hours later.
Carbonated drinks and alcohol accelerate absorption – they have the property to increase the blood supply to the mucous membrane, which also promotes faster absorption of ethanol.
Alcohol has a depressant effect on the brain. On the one hand, it blocks glutamate receptors (glutamate is associated with increased brain activity), and on the other – it activates receptors dependent on gamma aminobutyric acid (associated with a suppressive effect).
The liver is the place where alcohol is metabolized. Initially, the molecule of ethanol alcohol is taken up by the enzyme alcohol dehydrogenase and under its influence is converted into the substance acetaldehyde. We can blame him for the unpleasant effects of alcohol intake, as it causes vasodilation (dilation of blood vessels), redness of the face, rapid heartbeat (tachycardia). The enzyme acetaldehyde dehydrogenase then converts it to acetic acid.
What happens if we take drugs with alcohol, what is the damage to the body, and what measures can we take to prevent it.
Here Is Why You Should Not Take Muscle Relaxants and Medicine With Alcohol.
There is no single drug that medicine would recommend taking with alcohol. However, life is full of temptations, and we do not know whether to take our medicine before going to a birthday party, a friendly party, a family celebration. Is it obligatory to give up alcohol if we have already taken medicine?
Here are the tips of experts:
The combination of muscle relaxants and alcohol has truly unpredictable consequences. In general, two situations are possible, which are not a play on words, but can become a dangerous “game” with health: alcohol changes the effect of the drug, or the drug changes the effect of alcohol.
Alcohol changes the effect of the drugs
Alcohol may increase or decrease the effectiveness of the medicine you are taking. It is also possible to give the drug properties that are not characteristic of it. The combination of alcoholic beverages with pills has unpredictable consequences. It depends on the individual characteristics and chemical composition of the drug, as well as on the content of the respective alcoholic beverage.
Combining many sleeping pills and relaxants with alcohol leads to faster intoxication, but after a few hours, the effects of the combination can be quite different.
The simultaneous use of sleeping pills and relaxants with alcohol promotes faster penetration of barbiturates into brain cells, leading to breathing problems and even death.
Alcohol is a kind of depressant, ie. it is an antidepressant antagonist. Alcohol consumption can reduce and even completely stop the effects of your medication. Alcohol intake stimulates the production of adrenaline, and together with medication it contributes to a faster heartbeat, to increase blood pressure and the formation of spasms in small blood vessels.
Some beers and wines contain tyramine, which is similar in structure and action to adrenaline and quickly increases blood pressure.
The same effect is by using some muscle relaxants (to constrict the vessels) and the use of concentrates such as vodka or brandy. Ethanol also increases the sensitivity of the heart to the effects of adrenaline. Even the smallest dose of a substance similar to adrenaline (and no others are used to unclog the nose) can have a negative effect on health.
Alcohol also contributes to the strong activation of liver enzymes from the group of cytochromes. They are responsible for detoxification and accelerate the absorption of many drugs, such as oral contraceptives. A tablet taken in such conditions can be broken down so quickly that it simply does not work.
Using anti-inflammatory drugs and especially the so-called non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs (like some muscle relaxants). Their effect with alcohol have a hepatotoxic effect and can damage the liver.
Other anti-inflammatory drugs, such as aspirin and paracetamol, combined with alcohol increase the risk of stomach ulcers.
Muscle relaxants alter the effects of alcohol
Ethyl alcohol is broken down in the body under the influence of enzymes. It is first converted to acetaldehyde and then to acetic acid.
Vinegar aldehyde is a toxic product for the cells of our body. It is due to the unpleasant symptoms of a hangover – headache, nausea, fatigue, muscle aches, etc.
It is important to know that taking some drugs blocks acetaldehyde conversion to acid and gradually leads to acetaldehyde poisoning. Disulfirs have a similar effect and some antibacterial drugs, cephalosporin antibiotics, griseofulvin, sulfonamides (including biseptol), and nitrofurans ketoconazole.
Pharmacists warn that in 90% of cases, drugs should be taken only with water at room temperature. In some cases it is better to use milk or mineral water but in no case beverages containing alcohol. We would also advise you that you avoid the consumption of caffeine and energy drinks. And as a final tip, you should know that most natural juices alter the effects of drugs as well. So you should definitely be cautious when taking them together with alcohol,
Always read the instructions for the use of the muscle relaxants before taking it. There you will find enough information about their interactions with alcohol and other muscle relaxants. If there aren’t any specific instruction, we will hope that you rely on your common sense to guide you. More often than not it is common sense that you should not be taking drugs together with alcohol.
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