How long does it take after taking cefuroxime before I can drink alcohol?

In modern life, there are many medicines invented based on advanced science and technology. Most of them have unique therapeutic effects and are very effective for some traditional diseases. For example, cephalexin is a very famous anti-inflammatory antibiotic. This drug is particularly powerful and has a strong inhibitory ability against general malignant infections. Therefore, it is widely welcomed and widely used in the medical community. However, since cephalexin is a chemical drug, some precautions need to be taken after direct use to ensure the safety of the drug. For example, cephalexin and alcohol are prone to react, causing serious side effects to the human body. Let’s take a look at how long you have to wait before you can drink alcohol after taking cefuroxime.

1. Drinking alcohol while taking cephalosporin antibiotics can easily lead to disulfiram-like reactions, such as facial flushing, headache, nausea, vomiting, palpitations, tachycardia, mild drop in blood pressure, and some patients may also have difficulty breathing. In severe cases, liver failure or even death may occur within a short period of time. It is recommended not to drink alcohol and any alcoholic beverages, drugs, etc. during medication or at least one week after stopping the medication.

2. If you drink alcohol while using cephalosporins and experience reactions such as facial flushing, abdominal pain, nausea, vomiting, headache, dizziness, drowsiness, chest tightness, palpitations, blurred vision, or even serious symptoms such as low blood pressure, difficulty breathing, confusion, and shock, it is likely that you are experiencing a "disulfiram-like reaction" caused by the reaction of cephalosporins and alcohol. So for prevention, it is best not to drink alcohol while taking the medicine.

3. Generally speaking, after taking cephalosporin , you need to wait until the drug is excreted before drinking alcohol. It usually takes 48-72 hours for cephalosporin to be completely eliminated, so you should generally wait three days before drinking alcohol.

4. Do not drink alcohol immediately after taking cephalosporin antibiotics . If you drink alcohol, it will lead to poisoning reaction caused by accumulation of acetaldehyde in the liver, causing disulfiram-like reaction, the main manifestations of which are facial flushing, conjunctival congestion, blurred vision, headache and dizziness, nausea and vomiting, dry mouth, sweating, chest pain, and even serious conditions such as myocardial infarction, acute heart failure, difficulty breathing, acute liver damage, convulsions, and death. Therefore, it is recommended not to drink alcohol during medication and within 5-7 days after stopping the medication.