Many people believe that drinking alcohol has a negative effect on our body's ability to absorb vitamins, but a meta-study found that this is not the case. Taking medications is a common practice, but there are many factors to consider to avoid unwanted interactions. Age, weight, gender, medical conditions, dose of medication, other medications, vitamins, and herbal supplements can all affect how a medication works. Some medications work better on an empty stomach while others cause discomfort.
Alcohol also has significant effects on medication use. Drinking alcohol while taking a medication or before and after can affect how the medication works in the body. Dietary supplements are products designed to provide the body with the nutrients it lacks, according to Walls. Supplements can interfere with prescription medications you're taking, he says.
Chemical interactions can be minor or dangerous. They can weaken your medications and make them less effective or they can make your prescriptions more powerful. The amino acid cysteine, which is important for ensuring adequate levels of GSH, cannot be used as a supplement because it cannot enter liver cells. The FDA may take action against products that are illegally marketed as drugs if they contain claims that the product is intended to diagnose, mitigate, treat, cure, or prevent a disease.
Since nutritional supplementation with GSH or its component cysteine is not an effective way to ensure adequate levels of GSH in the liver of alcoholics, researchers have sought other compounds that could promote the production of GSH. In the case of children, taking dietary supplements together with other medications can lead to adverse events. Check the label on the package and talk to your pharmacist or doctor if you plan to mix an herbal dietary supplement and alcohol. Tell your doctor if you are using these supplements together with prescription medications so that they can monitor you closely.
Well-designed trials evaluating interactions between dietary supplements and alcohol consumption are often lacking, even though herbal products, vitamins, and dietary supplements are widely used by the public. Your health professional may ask you to stop taking dietary supplements two to three weeks before a procedure to avoid potentially dangerous changes in heart rate, blood pressure, or risk of bleeding. If you are planning surgery, keep in mind that some dietary supplements may interact in a harmful way with medications you must take before, after, or during surgery. The activation of MEOS after alcohol consumption may alter the breakdown of these medications and contribute to harmful interactions between alcohol and those medications.
Many weight-loss products claim to be “all-natural” or “herbal” but their ingredients can interact with medications or be dangerous for people with certain medical conditions. As stated previously, there are complex interactions between alcohol and its metabolism and other nutritional and metabolic factors. Possible approaches include the administration of nutritional supplements to compensate for nutrient deficiencies as well as the administration of antioxidants to counteract the increase in alcohol-induced oxidative stress and resulting liver damage. However, if you take supplements it's important not to exceed the recommended doses of these vitamins as high doses of supplements can cause liver damage.
In addition, warfarin (a prescription anticoagulant), ginkgo biloba (an herbal supplement), aspirin, and vitamin E (a supplement) can thin the blood. It is essential for individuals who consume alcohol regularly to be aware of potential interactions between dietary supplements and alcohol consumption in order to reduce their risk of adverse events.
