During the May Day period, the news of the death of a Russian Internet celebrity due to drinking painkillers spread, and the public couldn't help but wonder for a while.
The purpose of pain relievers is to relieve pain
Commonly used painkillers can be divided into three categories:
Antipyretic analgesics: acetaminophen, ibuprofen, diclofenac sodium, naproxen, piroxicam, indomethacin, etc.
Opioid analgesics: Opioids are mainly used to treat moderate to severe pain, such as cancer pain. These include codeine, dihydrocodeine, oxycodone, morphine, fentanyl and meperidine.
Antispasmodic pain relievers: usually include atropine, benatizine, etc.
First of all, no matter what type of painkiller will damage the gastric mucosa to a certain extent, taking it with alcohol will aggravate the irritation of the gastrointestinal tract, and alcohol will make the gastric mucosa ulcerate and bleed. Secondly, alcohol will inhibit the liver's ability to metabolize drugs, so that drugs accumulate in the body, increase the burden on the liver, and may even induce liver dysfunction.
It can even be life-threatening! Opioid painkillers inhibit breathing, and acetaldehyde, a metabolite of alcohol, has a similar effect, and when taken together, it is highly likely to cause respiratory depression, confusion, and even death by asphyxiation.
Be careful, these pills are dangerous when taken with alcohol!
Note! These cough syrups can't be used with cephalosporins!
It is worth mentioning that cephalosporin antibiotics can not only have disulfiram-like reactions when taken with alcohol, but also disulfiram-like reactions when taken with these cough syrups, what! Can cephalosporin and cough syrup not be taken together? Some cough syrup products contain ethanol, and the combination of ethanol and cephalosporins may trigger a disulfiram-like reaction.
The so-called disulfiram-like reaction refers to the ingestion of ethanol after taking cephalosporins, which leads to the accumulation of acetaldehyde in the body and produces a toxic reaction. The main manifestations are chest tightness, shortness of breath, laryngeal edema, cyanosis of the lips, dyspnea, increased heart rate, decreased blood pressure, hallucinations, trance, and even anaphylactic shock. In short, "deadly". Therefore, cough syrups containing ethanol are contraindicated from being taken with cephalosporins.
Nourishing yin and clearing lung syrup
Ingredients: Rehmannia radix, Radix radix, Ophiopogon vulgaris, Licorice, Peony bark, Fritillary, White peony, menthol. Excipients are: ethanol, monosyrup.
Indications: It is suitable for upper respiratory tract infection, acute bronchitis, pneumonia and other diseases caused by lung heat injury.
Dextromethorphan guaifenesin syrup
Main ingredients: 15mg of dextromethorphan hydrobromide and 100mg of guaifenesin per 10ml. Excipients are: sucrose, citric acid, ethanol, etc.
Mechanism of action: dextromethorphan hydrobromide is a central antitussive drug, which can inhibit the brain cough center and produce antitussive effect, and guaifenesin is an expectorant, which can increase the secretion of respiratory glands, dilute sputum, and make it easy to cough up.
Dextromethorphan hydrobromide syrup
Main ingredients: Contains dextromethorphan hydrobromide 2 mg per milliliter. Excipients are: menthol, sucrose, ethanol, etc.
Indications: It is used for dry cough, including cough caused by upper respiratory tract infections (such as colds and pharyngitis), bronchitis, etc.
Guaifenesin syrup
Main ingredients: 20mg per ml of guaifenesin. Excipients are: sucrose, menthol, ethanol, etc.
Mechanism of action: Guaifenesin is a stimulating expectorant, which can stimulate the gastric mucosa, reflexively cause an increase in the secretion of respiratory glands, dilute the sputum, and make it easy to cough up, thus producing expectorant effect.
Cough and asthma syrup
Main ingredient: Manshan red. This product contains 20%~28% ethanol.
Indications: cough, expectorant, asthma. It is used for coughing, wheezing, and white phlegm caused by cold phlegm obstruction of the lungs; Chronic bronchitis is seen in the above syndromes.
It can be seen that the cough syrups mentioned above all contain excipients of ethanol, and their effects are comparable to those of alcohol. In general, it is important to eat a light diet and not to drink alcohol or take medications containing ethanol unless necessary.
Author: Liang Jianhua, chief Chinese pharmacist of the Second Affiliated Hospital of Guangzhou Medical University