2024-03-19 00:50:50
The Spanish Society of Primary Care Pharmacists (SEFAP) has prepared an infographic aimed at the general population in which it warns about the risks of mixing alcohol and drugs.
Although according to data from the Ministry of Health in the period 2010-2017, 15,489 deaths occurred in Spain per year attributable to alcohol, alcohol consumption is absolutely normalized in society. This is demonstrated by the results of the EDADES 2023 Survey prepared by the National Drug Plan. According to them, 9% of the population aged 15 to 64 admitted to having drunk daily during the 30 days prior to the survey, while 6.4% of citizens admitted to having gotten drunk during the last month.
This normalization, despite all the information campaigns carried out, also affects the interaction between alcohol consumption and the use of drugs. “In general, the risk of this interaction is something that is known, in fact, it is reported in the medication package inserts, but sometimes it is not given due importance due to the implications and harm that mixing alcohol and medications can cause.“says José Manuel González de la Peña Puerta, member of the Patients and Citizenship Committee of the Spanish Society of Primary Care Pharmacists (SEFAP).
To contribute to this awareness, SEFAP has created an interactive infographic that warns of the risk of this interaction, especially in the case of certain drugs, such as sleeping pills or medications to address mental health problems, as well as those used for diabetes, to control blood pressure or to prevent blood clots. Risks that are even greater in the case of people over 65 years of age. “Aging causes the metabolism to slow down, which is added to the fact that on many occasions this population group takes medications that are more likely to interact with alcohol, so they should take extreme precautions.“Advises González de la Peña.
The adverse effects of medications depend largely on the drug being taken (for example, in the case of diabetes drugs, alcohol can lower blood sugar, causing dizziness and loss of consciousness), but in general The most common due to the mixture are nausea, vomiting, headache, dizziness, and drowsiness; and in more serious cases hemorrhages, cardiac disorders or respiratory distress.
Especially worrying is the case of analgesics and anti-inflammatories such as ibuprofen or paracetamol, since due to their availability they are more commonly used among the population to treat pain or fever. “Drinking alcohol could fundamentally increase the risk of gastritis or gastric ulcer, as long as its use is chronic, since it could enhance this adverse effect.“says the spokesperson for the SEFAP Patients and Citizenship Committee. The expert recognizes that, if the use of these drugs is punctual, the risk is not so high, but in any case he points out that their mixture is not the most advisable, since both alcohol and paracetamol are degraded in the liver, therefore Taking them together could overload the organ, increasing the risk of liver toxicity. Ana Mera, pharmacist. Barcelona
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