For drugs with limited information, case reports/series were included. Online drug information centers for Walgreen’s, Rite Aid, and CVS pharmacies were queried for each antimicrobial for concurrent alcohol use warnings (Table 1). Many prescription bottles come labeled with a sticker that warns against alcohol use with the antimicrobial (1). Understanding the evidence behind this warning is important, given the commonality of prescribing and the diverse classes and various properties of antimicrobials (2). The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) reported that approximately 270 million antibiotics were prescribed for outpatients in 2016 (3). The National Consumers League and the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) have also warned consumers to avoid alcohol with linezolid, metronidazole, griseofulvin, and antimycobacterials (5).
How long should I wait after taking Levaquin before consuming alcohol?
You should never use Levaquin for viral infections because it will not kill viruses and for people with diabetes, levofloxacin may affect your blood sugar levels. Regarding the interactions between alcohol and levofloxacin, there do not appear to be any clear studies that have demonstrated an interaction between the two. However, doctors strongly recommended that patients avoid combining levofloxacin with alcohol.
Levaquin and Alcohol: What You Need to Know
However, similar to products containing certain nutrients like calcium, you should avoid consuming excessive amounts of caffeine when taking Levaquin. The CDC describes binge drinking as consuming four drinks for women and five drinks for men on a single occasion. Heavy drinking is eight or more drinks for women and 15 drinks or more for men per week. You should talk to your doctor about any medications you are currently taking. There are certain drugs that can cause problems if you take Levaquin at the same time.
Amoxicillin and amoxicillin-clavulanic acid may lead to decreased alcohol consumption. Both of these beta-lactams have the ability to upregulate glutamate transporter-1 and phosphorylated-AKT levels, which are responsible for mediating the brain reward center for alcohol intake (12). You should speak to your doctor about any medications you are taking. Your doctor may decide on a different antibiotic or may advise stopping or modifying one of your other medications to help avoid unwanted interactions. In rare cases, people may experience seizures with fluoroquinolone treatment.
Because of this, it is crucial to avoid drinking any alcohol while you are using Levaquin. If you suffer from a substance abuse disorder, you should talk to your doctor before taking any antibiotics. Drinking alcohol can cause long-term side effects, so getting the proper recovery treatment is essential. Levaquin i.e. levofloxacin is a fluoroquinolone antibiotic that is used in the treatment of bacterial infections in the skin, lung and urinary tract. Many a times, patients are prescribed Levaquin along with other treatments as well. Levofloxacin is an antibiotic medication used to treat bacterial infections.
Can You Drink Alcohol While Taking Levofloxacin?
To our knowledge, there are no data available on the PK/PD or efficacy of ethionamide. To our knowledge, there are no data available on the PK/PD or efficacy of ethambutol. Ethambutol is used in combination with other antimycobacterials as first-line therapy for treatment of tuberculosis (112). To our knowledge, there are no data available on the PK/PD or efficacy of rifamycins. To our knowledge, there are no data available on the PK/PD or efficacy of griseofulvin. To our knowledge, there are no data available on the PK/PD or efficacy of azoles.
Consuming alcoholic beverages while taking any kind of fluoroquinolone will increase these risks. Unlike some medications, you do not have to take Levaquin with food. Unless your doctor tells you to do otherwise, you should drink water when you take your daily dose of this medication.
What Medications Should You Avoid While Taking Levaquin?
Alcohol intake has been reported to diminish the antimicrobial effect of doxycycline. Data are limited regarding the adverse effects of concomitant use of FQs and alcohol. One case report documents a 46-year-old male who developed erythema multiforme while receiving ciprofloxacin after consuming alcohol (25). The reaction resolved with continued ciprofloxacin use and abstention from alcohol.
Metronidazole is a nitroimidazole antibiotic that doctors prescribe to treat abdominal infections, sexually transmitted infections, and other anaerobic bacteria-related infections. Call Allure Detox now to speak with our caring professionals and begin your personalized treatment plan. While levofloxacin is effective, its risks mean it should be used cautiously and only when necessary. Her other culinary mission in life is to convince her family and friends that vegetarian dishes are much more than a basic salad.She lives with her husband, Dave, and their two sons in Alabama.
- Since alcohol lowers the seizure threshold, doctors advise people with a history of seizures to avoid mixing alcohol and fluoroquinolones.
- Pyrazinamide is another agent used in combination therapy for the treatment of TB (116).
- Alcohol did not impact the PK of ceftriaxone in a rat pneumonia model (13).
How we reviewed this article:
Symptoms include headache, palpitations, sweating, flushing, and hypotension (109, 110). It has also been postulated that such a reaction may be due to isoniazid’s inhibition of monoamine oxidase, as symptoms have been reported levaquin and alcohol after consumption of wine (109). Isoniazid was found to alter central monoaminergic neurotransmission (111). Although aldehyde dehydrogenase was inhibited with coadministration, blood acetaldehyde levels were not increased. Early in vitro studies suggested that metronidazole or its metabolites inhibited liver alcohol dehydrogenase (67–69).
An awareness of data that address this common clinical scenario is important so health care professionals can make informed clinical decisions and address questions in an evidence-based manner. The purpose of this systematic review was to determine the evidence behind alcohol warnings issued for many common antimicrobials. In conclusion, drinking alcohol while taking Levaquin is not recommended. Mixing alcohol and antibiotics can cause serious side effects, such as nausea, vomiting, dizziness, and even liver damage. It is important to always follow the instructions of your doctor when taking any medication, and if you have any questions, it is best to consult your doctor.
If taking alcohol is essential, it should not be taken along with the medicine and must be done so many hours later once sufficient amount of Levaquin has been absorbed into the bloodstream. While some medications may interact dangerously with alcohol, others may not. If you are taking the antibiotic Levofloxacin, you may be wondering if it is safe to drink alcohol while taking it. In this article, we will explore the answer to this important question and provide you with the information you need to make an informed decision.
While alcohol use should still be avoided with certain antimicrobials, use with select others appears to be acceptable. Despite an FDA warning, we were unable to identify published data that demonstrate an increased risk with concomitant ethambutol and alcohol use. In vitro testing found that tedizolid reversibly inhibited MAO enzymes similarly to linezolid (80). A randomized, double-blind crossover trial of 30 healthy subjects assessed the pressor response to an oral tyramine challenge in patients treated with 200 mg of tedizolid. Seven subjects had a positive response of a 30 mm Hg increase in SBP during both placebo and treatment phases, suggesting that the result may have been related to other factors. The median tyramine dose required to produce a 30 mm Hg increase in SBP was 325 mg in the tedizolid group.
Further, patients could have been concurrently consuming a multitude of drugs, which can confound hepatoxicity risk. Finally, many studies were conducted in alcoholics, leaving a gap of knowledge for the social drinker who may be taking antimicrobials. An awareness of these limitations can be used to inform future, higher-quality studies. Although data are not optimal, it is reasonable to advise avoidance of alcohol consumption in patients taking isoniazid. A disulfiram-like reaction and a possible increased risk of hepatitis are potential concerns. Isoniazid is often listed as an agent that can cause a disulfiram-like reaction with alcohol due to its inhibition of aldehyde dehydrogenase (106–108).
One of the potential issues with taking Levaquin and alcohol is that some of the side effects of alcohol may increase. You may feel more lightheaded, dizzy or have worsened impaired judgement. A type of antibiotic called doxycycline may be less effective in people with a history of heavy drinking. An occasional drink with fluoroquinolone can be safe, but regularly drinking alcohol may cause central nervous system side effects. People deficient in folic acid may be at risk of further reducing their folic acid levels while taking trimethoprim-sulfamethoxazole.