Posted by medlib on April 15, 2000, at 11:55:27
In reply to Mixing Alcohol and Prescription Drugs, posted by Leona on April 15, 2000, at 3:17:34
> What are the effects of mixing beer with Hydrocodone 500mg, Zoloft 50mg, and Xanax .5mg? The beer is consumed every waking minute and the medications are taken twice daily with the exception of Zoloft, which is taken once, plus Benadryl for allergies.
Leona--A normal adult liver can detoxify approximately 12oz. of beer per hour. However, continuous beer intake will quickly lead to a very fatty liver, unable to detoxify anything normally. This will prolong the metabolism and excretion of all drugs, including alcohol, and may potentiate (increase the effects of) some drugs.
The liver performs over 500 functions in the human body, so a liver made sick by alcohol affects much more than just drug metabolism. However, symptoms of a sick liver are subtle and diffuse--not easy to recognize until disease is quite advanced. This enables the denial of alcoholism: "There's nothing wrong with me--I feel fine." At the very minimum, the physician who prescribed the drugs should be made aware of the patient's alcohol intake.
poster:medlib
thread:30064
URL: http://www.dr-bob.org/babble/20000411/msgs/30089.html