Cephalosporins are a common antibacterial drug in our daily lives, and the phrase 'cephalosporins mix with alcohol and leave as soon as you say' is often heard. So how long can I take cephalosporins after drinking? How long can I drink alcohol after taking cephalosporins? Are the intervals the same? Below is a detailed explanation for you. Why is cephalosporin and alcohol so "toxic"? The main component of wine is ethanol. After drinking, it undergoes oxidation and metabolism in the body to produce acetaldehyde. Acetaldehyde needs to be decomposed into harmless carbon dioxide and water under the action of acetaldehyde dehydrogenase to be discharged from the body. Taking cephalosporins can affect the metabolism of acetaldehyde, leading to a large accumulation of acetaldehyde in the body and the occurrence of acetaldehyde poisoning reactions. This includes symptoms such as facial flushing, headache, abdominal pain, sweating, palpitations, etc. It can cause adverse reactions such as vomiting, nausea, and difficulty breathing. In severe cases, it can lead to allergic shock and even death. We call it disulfiram like interaction. It usually appears within 5-10 minutes after drinking alcohol. If alcohol is no longer consumed, the reaction duration can range from 30 minutes to a few hours. Therefore, drinking alcohol is not allowed during the treatment period with cephalosporins. What other medications should not be consumed after taking them? In addition to the so-called cephalosporin drugs, they include cefoperazone sulbactam, ceftriaxone, cefazolin, and laxiflorum. Special reminder: Cefoperazone is the drug with the highest incidence of disulfiram reaction. There are also nitroimidazole drugs, such as metronidazole, tinidazole, etc; Other antibacterial drugs, such as furazolidone, tolbutamide, chlorpromazine, etc., can also cause disulfiram like effects. During the treatment period with these drugs, patients should be prohibited from drinking alcohol and taking drugs or foods containing ethanol, such as Huoxiang Zhengqi Water, Jiuxin Chocolate, etc. How long before drinking alcohol after taking cephalosporins? Cephalosporin drugs require several days to complete metabolism in the body, and different drugs have different metabolic times. The occurrence of disulfiram like effects is concentrated in patients who have been drinking alcohol for 3 days before and after taking the drug. Another survey shows that people who consume cephalosporin drugs and drink alcohol within 6 days are likely to experience disulfiram like effects, while it takes 4 to 5 days for acetaldehyde dehydrogenase to fully recover its activity after being inhibited. Therefore, patients should be required not to consume alcoholic beverages for 7 days after using cephalosporins. For other types of drugs such as metronidazole, studies have shown that disulfiram like effects can occur even after 72 to 96 hours of discontinuation during medication. Therefore, it is recommended that patients taking metronidazole should not come into contact with products containing ethanol during the medication period and within 5 to 7 days of discontinuation. This includes drinking various alcoholic beverages and alcoholic beverages, applying drugs using ethanol as a solvent, and using alcohol bath (physical cooling). How long can I take cephalosporins after drinking alcohol? The disulfiram like effect is closely related to the concentration of ethanol in the body. Research has pointed out that. Alcohol remains in the body for approximately 12 hours. Considering other factors, it is recommended not to take cephalosporins for 3 days after drinking alcohol. For patients who have come into contact with ethanol containing products within 24 hours, other types of drugs such as metronidazole should be avoided as much as possible in clinical medication. (New News Agency)