Mixing alcohol with prescription medications can lead to some severe consequences. Most prescription medications come with a warning label against mixing the medication with alcohol. The side effects can be severe and unpredictable, and they can lead to exacerbation of the side effects of the medications and alcohol.
Speaking with a medical professional about potential side effects can lead to a better understanding of what could happen without alcohol being a factor, and these effects can be heightened if the two substances are mixed.
Dangers of Alcohol and Prescription Medications
Because different prescription medications have different side effects, when someone begins mixing alcohol with prescription medications, it can lead to those side effects being exacerbated and becoming unpredictable. Prescription medications are often misused and abused, and alcohol use disorder rates are on the rise. Prescription misuse includes taking more than prescribed or not as prescribed.
However, this also can include consuming alcohol in conjunction with these medications. Mixing alcohol with prescription drugs can be dangerous. Those dangers can include heart problems, liver damage, stroke, internal bleeding, brain damage, depression, anxiety, and other mental health conditions that could make it difficult to live daily life.
Alcohol is a central nervous system (CNS) suppressant. When mixing alcohol with prescription medications can make the effects on the CNS far more severe. The central nervous system is crucial to vital bodily functions including breathing. When breathing is affected by alcohol, and further affected by prescription medication side effects it can lead to overdose. This can be fatal.
Effects of Mixing Alcohol With Prescription Medications
While consuming alcohol is common practice among people of all age groups across the United States, the rates at which people are becoming dependent upon alcohol and prescription medications are staggering. When someone begins mixing alcohol with prescription medications, there can be short and long-term effects that could impact their lives.
Short Term
Short term, mixing alcohol with prescription medications can lead to effects like nausea, vomiting, upset stomach, drowsiness, dizziness, and headache among others. When drinking alcohol in conjunction with taking prescription medications, can lead to changes in blood pressure that could potentially cause heart damage. Mixing these two substances can lead to severe consequences, even with the short-term effects that are associated.
Long Term
The long-term effects of mixing alcohol with prescription medications can be extremely life-changing. The impacts on health can lead to life-threatening conditions like heart damage, heart attack, or stroke. The heart is a vital organ, and when damage occurs it can make life difficult in the long run. If someone’s heart is struggling to work properly, the effects can include chest pains, extreme fatigue, and shortness of breath.
Heart problems can lead to a steady deterioration in the quality of life for those enduring the condition. Liver damage can also be caused by mixing alcohol with prescription medications. The liver is another of the vital organs in the body. Without a properly functioning liver, toxins are not filtered fully.
Other effects of liver damage can include extreme fatigue or tiredness, yellowing on the skin and whites of the eyes (jaundice), abdominal pain, and swelling as well as swelling of the legs and ankles. Excessive drinking can also lead to cirrhosis and fatty liver, which can be irreversible and fatal.
Alcohol and Prescription Medication Detox
When someone is mixing alcohol and prescription drugs, they are misusing the medication, and when it is purposeful in order to heighten the effects of the substances, it is substance abuse or misuse. This can lead to tolerance and cause someone to need higher doses of the medication or alcohol in order to feel the effects. Dependence can be reached through tolerance. When the body is dependent on a substance, or more than one, it can be an extremely uncomfortable process to remove them from the system.
Alcohol and prescription medication detox symptoms can include nausea, vomiting, diarrhea, blood pressure changes, heart rate changes, tremors, headaches, muscle, and joint aches and pains, as well as many other symptoms. Some of the symptoms associated with detox can lead to complications like seizures, and heart issues. This is why it is highly recommended that someone be medically monitored while these symptoms occur. They can be monitored and addressed as they occur, and in turn, these symptoms can be alleviated. Recovery is possible, and it begins here.
Help for Substance Use Disorder Near Nashville, TN
Struggling with substance use disorder can have a severe impact on someone’s life. It can lead to some severe impacts and consequences on the physical health and mental health of those struggling. It can also lead to legal issues, and family problems that can be difficult to reverse and repair. Recovery is possible and a better life is available. If you or a loved one struggle with substances, Brentwood Springs Detox can help. We offer care in a safe and compassionate environment so that healing can take place.
Contact us today and begin the next chapter of your life.
