Can you drink alcohol while taking Ciprofloxacin?
Question posted by jameskeiger on 8 Sep 2012
Last updated on 26 February 2015
7 Answers
Yes, you can drink alcohol while taking Cipro. There are a number of drugs that you should not mix with Cipro, which the Mayo article about the drug spells out at length. The most common one is probably calcium, which should not be taken at the same time as the Cipro, nor should Cipro be taken with milk or other dairy products.
it's an antibiotic and you shouldn't drink alcohol with ANY antibiotic. :)
Hello jameskeiger. To answer your question, yes you can. Regards pledge
Great answer. Correct, to the point, and without expressing certain biases some other posters can't seem to hold back.
Hi jameskeiger - welcome to DC and I hope you find what you are looking for in the way of supportive answers and a friendly environment in which to seek help. I wanted to add also for the future when posting questions it helps to post as "conversational" so that we can interact more with you. Posting "direct" means we can only reply once. Now about that CIPRO... as kaismama has pointed out... the side effects of this particular antibiotic are very severe. Also, because it is one of the strongest antibiotics out there (same one used to treat anthrax) to treat bacterial infections... drinking alcohol, too, can lead to having other health issues like thrush and yeast infections. It literally kills ALL of the bacteria... the good ones we are supposed to have along with the bad ones you are being treated for. Drinking during the course of this treatment just is beyond unwise. The side effects still exist for months following this course of treatment.
That is particularly so with tendonitis which is a quite common side effect and even ruptured tendons. If you are a runner or a jogger or do any weight lifting... you run a higher risk of developing tendonitis or worse.
Mary
Cipro has enough side effects without adding alcohol to it. I'm having a major problem with all of the questions about drinking with medications. It is NEVER ok to drink with medications. Its also totally unecessary to push your luck with doing it.
This is an antibiotic. I'm not a nurse, or a doctor, but it's my understanding that drinking while taking an antibiotic causes the medication to become much less effective. Maybe it's different for this one, but I don't think so.
Yes, the only food type substance you need to stay away from is ones containing calcium such as milk, yogurt or antacids like Rolaids, Tums or Maalox. Calcium-containing products should not be taken within 6 hours before or 2 hours after taking the cipro.
Its 2 hours before and 6 hours after.
Related topics
Further information
- Ciprofloxacin uses and safety info
- Ciprofloxacin prescribing info & package insert (for Health Professionals)
- Side effects of Ciprofloxacin (detailed)
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