Key takeaways
- Drinking alcohol in moderation is generally safe while taking azithromycin, as alcohol doesn’t appear to reduce the medication’s effectiveness or cause dangerous interactions.
- However, combining alcohol with azithromycin can worsen side effects like nausea, vomiting, diarrhea, headache, and dizziness, and may delay your recovery from illness.
- Healthcare professionals may recommend completing your full course of azithromycin — typically 3 to 10 days — before drinking alcohol to support your body’s healing process.
Overview
Azithromycin is an antibiotic medication doctors prescribe to treat different types of infections caused by bacteria. These include bronchitis, certain ear, nose, and throat infections, skin infections, and some sexually transmitted infections (STIs), such as chlamydia and gonorrhea.
In most cases, alcohol does not cause dangerous interactions with azithromycin. But it can make side effects worse and delay your recovery from illness.
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Can you drink alcohol while taking azithromycin?
If you drink alcohol, it is generally safe to drink it in moderation while taking azithromycin since it doesn’t appear to reduce the drug’s effectiveness or cause dangerous interactions.
However, it may make certain side effects worse and delay recovery from illness. Drinking alcohol in moderation means limiting consumption to no more than two drinks per day for men and no more than one drink per day for women.
Some side effects of azithromycin that may be more likely to occur when combining it with alcohol include:
- nausea, vomiting, and diarrhea
- headache
- fatigue
- dizziness
- liver problems
Drinking alcohol while taking azithromycin may also cause your body to recover from illness more slowly. Alcohol on its own may slow down the body’s healing process. This is because it disrupts restorative sleep patterns like REM sleep, which are vital for recovery.
Healthcare professionals typically recommend staying properly hydrated as your body recovers from an illness. But alcohol acts as a diuretic, which means you urinate more and lose more water.
How long after taking azithromycin can you drink alcohol?
There are no established guidelines for how long to wait before drinking alcohol after taking azithromycin.
While alcohol does not cause dangerous interactions with azithromycin in most cases, it can worsen side effects and delay recovery from illness. Your doctor may recommend completing treatment with azithromycin before drinking alcohol.
Many azithromycin treatments only last 3 to 10 days, and azithromycin starts working quickly, often within the first couple of days after you start taking it.
When taking any medication, it is best to ask a doctor before combining it with other substances, including alcohol. You should always finish the full course of azithromycin that your doctor prescribed, even if you feel better. Consider talking with your doctor if you experience any bothersome side effects.
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Get free cardWhat should I avoid while taking azithromycin?
Azithromycin can affect the way some medications and supplements work. Interactions with azithromycin aren’t expected to vary depending on the form of azithromycin you’re prescribed.
Azithromycin may interact with:
- antacids that contain aluminum or magnesium
- blood thinners like warfarin
- medications for atrial fibrillation
- medications for seizures or epilepsy
- nelfinavir (Viracept), an antiretroviral drug that treats HIV
It’s important to keep a list of all vitamins, herbs, supplements, and medications you take and tell your doctor and pharmacist about them. This can help prevent interactions.
Summary
It is generally considered safe to drink alcohol in moderation while taking azithromycin. Alcohol does not appear to reduce the effectiveness of azithromycin nor cause dangerous interactions.
However, alcohol can make certain side effects worse and delay your recovery from illness. Because of this, you may want to hold off on having a drink until you finish your azithromycin treatment.
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