During the National Day holiday, relatives and friends love to gather together and have some alcohol. However, if you, your family or friends happen to be taking any of the following medications, it is necessary to be careful and avoid drinking alcohol.

1. Most cephalosporins contain a methylthiotetrazole group with a similar chemical structure to disulfiram. If you drink alcohol before or after taking the medicine, it may cause a disulfiram-like reaction. Disulfiram-like reaction refers to the fact that some drugs have a similar chemical structure to disulfiram. If you drink alcohol after taking the drug, you may experience facial flushing, conjunctival congestion, blurred vision, violent pulsation of blood vessels in the head and neck, or pulsating headache, dizziness, nausea, vomiting, difficulty breathing, convulsions, and even death. Once a disulfiram-like reaction occurs, it is necessary to stop taking the drug and alcohol-containing products in time. Mild cases could be resolved by themselves, while more severe cases should be sent to the hospital for oxygen and symptomatic treatment.

2. Acetaminophen tablets are an ingredient in most cold medicines for reducing fever, and commonly relieving mild to moderate pain (such as joint pain, migraine, etc.). Research shows that drinking alcohol may increase acetaminophen liver toxicity.

3. Excessive drinking could dilate blood vessels, inhibit sympathetic nerves and vasomotor centers, and weaken myocardial contractility. If you take antihypertensive drugs after drinking, the small blood vessels will expand further, decreasing the blood volume and the blood pressure suddenly, causing orthostatic hypotension or syncope.

4. There are pharmacokinetic interactions and certain pharmacodynamic interactions between aspirin and ethanol. The intake of ethanol of any concentration will increase the irritation to the digestive tract, which may easily cause gastric mucosal lesions or recurrence of ulcers, increasing the risk of aspirin-related upper gastrointestinal bleeding.

5. When sedative-hypnotic drugs are taken with ethanol, the degree of suppression of the central nervous system is related to the type of drug, dosage, and amount of alcohol consumed. The symptoms, such as increased drowsiness, reduced reaction sensitivity, distraction, and poor coordination may occur. In severe cases, it may even lead to death.

6. Ethanol can affect the metabolism of some anti-epileptic drugs, thereby affecting their efficacy. In addition, drinking alcohol may cause epileptic seizures. Therefore, patients with epilepsy should not drink alcohol.

7. Drinking alcohol while taking sulfonylurea drugs may cause severe hypoglycemia or irreversible neurological lesions. Ethanol can hinder the conversion of glycerol, lactic acid and certain amino acids into sugar, lowering blood sugar, and also causing the "disulfiram-like reaction".

Here are some tips from Beijing 120. It is necessary to avoid taking cephalosporins within 3 days after drinking alcohol. Do not drink alcohol within 7 days of taking the medicine. At the same time, alcohol-containing medicines and foods are prohibited during the 7 days, such as alcohol-filled chocolate, Huoxiang Zhengqi Oral Solution, injections containing ethanol as excipients, or alcohol for treating skin, etc. In addition, nitroimidazole drugs, such as metronidazole and tinidazole may also cause disulfiram-like reactions with ethanol and should be used separately. Ethanol can alter the response of many drugs, and heavy drinking can affect the biotransformation of many drugs. It is necessary to read the instructions carefully while taking the medicine, and promptly inform the doctor of your recent drinking history when going to a doctor.