Antibiotics and alcohol?

I do not know so I'm hoping someone can answer this for me. Can you have a few drinks while taking antibiotics? 

I've always been told no, but I just did a quick google search and apparently it's not totally verboten.

http://www.drweil.com/u/QA/QA326593/

(this in no way means I'm a Dr. Weil fan - it was just the first useable hit from my search)

i usually stay away from alcohol when on any antibiotics, but lots of people do have a few drinks and dont seem to have any side effects.  I guess it depends on what antibiotic you are on.  Ask your pharmasist. 

It's not like mixing the two will make you sick but alcohol may negate the benefit of the antibiotic. I don't think that it would be a problem if, during a ten days course, one had a couple of glasses of wine one night (the effect would be like that of missing a dose). But, to drink on a regular basis while on anti-biotics would be like not taking antibiotics at all.

There are some antibiotics that should not be mixed with alcohol. I was on one like that recently and, even though I waited 48 hours after my last dose to drink, I had some abdominal cramps.

Oooo, yuck. Hope it passed quickly.

I always hear people saying 'oh i cant drink cos im on antibiotics', but i have never had a doctor warn me against it, and i have mixed alcohol and antibiotics with no ill effects.   

I always hear people saying 'oh i cant drink cos im on antibiotics', but i have never had a doctor warn me against it, and i have mixed alcohol and antibiotics with no ill effects.   

I've done the same, with no problems either.

Yeah but I do know there are doctors here in the UK who say not to mix them!  A lady I work with -- she was taking them & her doctor told her that.  I'd never heard of this (not taking them together) in the US -- over here was the first time I'd ever heard that.  Only thing I'd ever heard was the thing about antibiotics and birth control - something to do with that.

I think the alcohol can speed your recovery as well as anything, and anyhow -- they say we're taking too many antibiotics (MRSA & all that).

Well, I was just on Amoxillian for a sinus infection last week. It was a 3 a day course for 5 days. I forgot that I was taking them on the 3rd day and went to the pub and got drunk and so far, I've not had anything wrong. I was worried that I'd still have the infection but I've not had any symptoms.

But saying that, my GP usually tells me yay or nay on alcohol with antibiotics and this time he didn't. Dunno if it was the type or whatever.

I asked my sister, who is a nurse about this shortly after arriving in the UK and getting sick.  In the US I had never been warned not to drink whilst on antibiotics, but in the UK you always get warned and people constantly talk about how they can't drink as they are on a course of meds.

My sister said that it really is specific to the actual antibiotic - some CANNOT be mixed, while others can without any ill effects.  My sister seemed to think that it was probably just UK Drs being extra cautious about the ones that do have serious side effects and making blanket statements.  If you really want to drink, I would try and find a Merck manual or something like that and look up the specific drug you are on and see what the manual says.

I personally have never had any issues, but as a previous poster mentioned, they had abdominal cramps.  Better safe than sorry.

I've always been told no, but I just did a quick google search and apparently it's not totally verboten.

http://www.drweil.com/u/QA/QA326593/

(this in no way means I'm a Dr. Weil fan - it was just the first useable hit from my search)

I AM 

I AM 

I know that some people have unkind feelings toward him, so I wanted to stave off any... grumpiness... that might ensue.  I honestly have not read enough of him to have an opinion either way, although I do like his homeopathic approach.

Just wanted to clarify.

I know that some people have unkind feelings toward him, so I wanted to stave off any... grumpiness... that might ensue.  I honestly have not read enough of him to have an opinion either way, although I do like his homeopathic approach.

Just wanted to clarify.

I actually didn't know of any 'unkind' feelings towards him... I got what you were saying, which is cool
I just wanted to emphasize that I LOVE HIM.
He was the first person I've ever heard speak about health and weight loss that actually got me to listen... a feat.  So I dig him.
Whatever works for each person

It does depend very much on the antibiotic you're taking. I recently had to take a course of metronidazone. Even though it has nothing to do with alcoholism, it is very similar to antabuse -- therefore mixing alcohol with it is a huge no-no. In fact, the resulting effects would be extremely painful and unpleasant.