Alcohol and Medication — Which Combinations Are Safe?
Discover which medications interact dangerously with alcohol. From antidepressants to antibiotics — clear verdicts, FDA data, plain English.
Last reviewed:
⭐ Recommended: Trying to cut back on alcohol while on medication? These products can help you enjoy evenings out without the risk.
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Sertraline + Alcohol
Use with caution
Avoid alcohol with sertraline — it can worsen depression, cause sedation, and unpredictably affect y…
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Metformin + Alcohol
Use with caution
Avoid alcohol with metformin — it significantly increases the risk of lactic acidosis, a rare but se…
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Amoxicillin + Alcohol
Use with caution
Avoid alcohol while taking amoxicillin — not because of a dangerous interaction, but because alcohol…
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Ibuprofen + Alcohol
Use with caution
Avoid combining ibuprofen and alcohol — both irritate the stomach lining and together significantly …
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Paracetamol + Alcohol
Use with caution
Use caution — regular heavy drinking with paracetamol can cause liver damage, though occasional mode…
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Codeine + Alcohol
Avoid
Avoid — codeine and alcohol together cause dangerous respiratory depression and significantly increa…
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Diazepam + Alcohol
Avoid
Never mix diazepam and alcohol — both are CNS depressants and together can cause respiratory failure…
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Tramadol + Alcohol
Avoid
Never mix tramadol and alcohol — the combination can cause dangerous respiratory depression and sign…
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Warfarin + Alcohol
Use with caution
Use caution — even moderate alcohol can unpredictably alter how warfarin works, making your blood ei…
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Fluoxetine + Alcohol
Use with caution
Avoid alcohol with fluoxetine — it worsens depression and anxiety, and together they can cause incre…
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Omeprazole + Alcohol
Use with caution
Use with caution — alcohol irritates the stomach omeprazole is treating, and may slightly increase o…
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Atorvastatin + Alcohol
Use with caution
Avoid regular alcohol use with atorvastatin — both are processed by the liver and together can incre…
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Metronidazole + Alcohol
Avoid
Never drink alcohol with metronidazole — the combination causes a severe disulfiram-like reaction wi…
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Pregabalin + Alcohol
Avoid
Avoid — pregabalin and alcohol together cause dangerous additive CNS depression, including severe se…
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Gabapentin + Alcohol
Avoid
Avoid — gabapentin and alcohol both depress the CNS, and together significantly increase sedation an…
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Naproxen + Alcohol
Use with caution
Avoid alcohol with naproxen — like ibuprofen, both irritate the stomach lining and together increase…
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Ciprofloxacin + Alcohol
Use with caution
Avoid alcohol with ciprofloxacin — it can increase side effects including dizziness, and alcohol imp…
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Zopiclone + Alcohol
Avoid
Never mix zopiclone and alcohol — together they cause dangerous over-sedation and respiratory depres…
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Propranolol + Alcohol
Use with caution
Use caution — alcohol can enhance propranolol's blood-pressure-lowering effect and may mask signs of…
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Citalopram + Alcohol
Use with caution
Avoid alcohol with citalopram — it worsens depression, may increase sedation, and both affect heart …
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Escitalopram + Alcohol
Use with caution
Avoid alcohol with escitalopram — it worsens depression and anxiety, and combined sedation can impai…
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Venlafaxine + Alcohol
Use with caution
Avoid alcohol with venlafaxine — both affect serotonin and noradrenaline systems, and combined sedat…
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Duloxetine + Alcohol
Avoid
Avoid alcohol with duloxetine — the combination increases liver enzyme levels and may cause liver da…
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Lorazepam + Alcohol
Avoid
Never mix lorazepam and alcohol — both depress the CNS and together can cause respiratory failure an…
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Levothyroxine + Alcohol
Use with caution
Light alcohol use is generally tolerated with levothyroxine, but regular drinking can impair thyroid…
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Aspirin + Alcohol
Use with caution
Avoid regular alcohol with aspirin — together they significantly increase the risk of stomach bleedi…
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Ramipril + Alcohol
Use with caution
Use caution — alcohol enhances ramipril's blood-pressure-lowering effect and may cause dizziness or …
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Bisoprolol + Alcohol
Use with caution
Use caution — alcohol can enhance bisoprolol's blood-pressure-lowering effect and may cause dizzines…
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Lansoprazole + Alcohol
Use with caution
You can drink alcohol in moderation while taking lansoprazole, but alcohol worsens the acid reflux l…
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Pantoprazole + Alcohol
Use with caution
Avoid alcohol with pantoprazole — alcohol increases stomach acid and irritates the stomach lining yo…
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Cetirizine + Alcohol
Use with caution
Use caution — cetirizine and alcohol both cause drowsiness and together the sedative effect can be s…
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Loratadine + Alcohol
Use with caution
Generally low risk — loratadine is one of the least sedating antihistamines, but combining with alco…
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Doxycycline + Alcohol
Use with caution
Avoid regular alcohol with doxycycline — it can reduce the antibiotic's effectiveness and worsen nau…
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Trimethoprim + Alcohol
Use with caution
Avoid alcohol with trimethoprim — it impairs your immune system while you are fighting a UTI and may…
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Nitrofurantoin + Alcohol
Use with caution
Avoid alcohol with nitrofurantoin — it worsens common side effects and impairs your recovery from a …
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Co-Amoxiclav + Alcohol
Use with caution
You can drink alcohol with co-amoxiclav (Augmentin) in small amounts — unlike metronidazole there is…
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Tinidazole + Alcohol
Avoid
Never drink alcohol with tinidazole — like metronidazole, it causes a severe disulfiram-like reactio…
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Clarithromycin + Alcohol
Use with caution
Avoid alcohol with clarithromycin — alcohol impairs your immune response and may worsen nausea and G…
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Azithromycin + Alcohol
Use with caution
Avoid alcohol with azithromycin — alcohol impairs immunity and recovery from infection, and may wors…
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Erythromycin + Alcohol
Use with caution
Avoid alcohol with erythromycin — alcohol may increase erythromycin blood levels and worsens GI side…
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Levofloxacin + Alcohol
Use with caution
Avoid alcohol with levofloxacin — alcohol impairs recovery and may compound levofloxacin's risks of …
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Amlodipine + Alcohol
Use with caution
Alcohol can enhance amlodipine's blood-pressure-lowering effect, causing dizziness or faintness — mo…
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Fexofenadine + Alcohol
Generally safe
Fexofenadine is one of the least sedating antihistamines and is generally safe with moderate alcohol…
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Zolpidem + Alcohol
Avoid
Never combine zolpidem and alcohol — together they dangerously suppress the central nervous system a…
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Lisinopril + Alcohol
Use with caution
Alcohol can increase lisinopril's blood-pressure-lowering effect — occasional moderate drinking is u…
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Chlorphenamine + Alcohol
Avoid
Avoid alcohol with chlorphenamine (Piriton) — this older antihistamine is sedating on its own, and a…
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Prednisolone + Alcohol
Use with caution
Alcohol and prednisolone both irritate the stomach lining — together they significantly raise the ri…
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Metoprolol + Alcohol
Use with caution
Alcohol can enhance metoprolol's blood-pressure-lowering and heart-rate-slowing effects — occasional…
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Montelukast + Alcohol
Generally safe
No significant interaction between montelukast and alcohol — moderate drinking is generally fine, th…
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Sildenafil + Alcohol
Use with caution
One or two drinks with sildenafil is usually fine, but heavy drinking causes a dangerous blood press…
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Tamsulosin + Alcohol
Use with caution
Alcohol and tamsulosin both lower blood pressure and can cause dizziness on standing — keep drinking…
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Finasteride + Alcohol
Generally safe
No significant interaction between finasteride and alcohol — moderate drinking is fine, though alcoh…
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Beta-Blockers + Alcohol
Use with caution
All beta-blockers can be taken with small amounts of alcohol, but both lower blood pressure — togeth…