Whilst there is a long standing suspicion that mixing penicillin and alcohol together can be harmful and potentially dangerous, there is absolutely no supporting evidence to substantiate this. Established doctors and respected scientists are all in agreement that no harm can come to anyone combining the two, although the effectiveness of the antibiotic is weakened if shared with drinking to excess, as the body responds slower when under the influence.
Perhaps another reason why people believe that penicillin and alcohol don’t mix is that, like all antibiotics, penicillin should be taken on an empty stomach for best results; but alcohol is best taken with a decent lining to the stomach; so more often than not, the medication takes longer to have its effect. Drinking in moderation would always be the more sensible recommendation, otherwise whatever the ailment or infection, the recovery time will always be extended.
There is the distinct possibility that if you were to get intoxicated there would be a very good chance that an individual would simply forget to take their prescribed dosage, meaning the effects of all the previous days tablets will be greatly reduced. Some people do experience either nausea or diarrhoea, sometimes both, when penicillin and alcohol are taken at the same time; but these symptoms often accompany over indulgence of alcohol too, so it would be wrong to attribute these bouts of sickness and ill-health to that specific combination.
There are a high proportion of people who are actually allergic to penicillin; many suffering severe swelling to the face and unpleasant rashes develop all over the skin. Therefore, it is important to declare this allergy when a practitioner is considering what to prescribe in terms of medication. Other reactions reported are tingling teeth, and numbing of the cheeks, or roof of the mouth; but these are quite rare and none can be associated with the intake of penicillin and alcohol together.
If any adverse reactions are endured from the penicillin, then it is imperative that the course is stopped immediately, and the doctor informed, so that an alternative can be found. The drug can also cause some irritability to the bowels and as most will have experienced, the last thing you would want to do when feeling unwell, is compound the situation, by taking something that will add to the problem; which mixing it with large quantities of alcohol would undoubtedly do.
Alexander Fleming’s wonderful discovery has saved countless lives and if truth be known, alcohol has taken far too many. However, it is a totally false statement to declare that mixing penicillin and alcohol can cause terrible side effects. Take the pills and enjoy a few glasses of beer or spirits, it genuinely will not have any specific unseemly effect.