Dextromethorphan and Alcohol Food Interactions

When used under medical supervision, the combination can be an effective way to treat alcohol withdrawal. The following list of medications that shouldn’t be mixed with alcohol isn’t exhaustive. You should always read the label of any medication and check with a doctor to be sure you are safely taking a medication.

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Drinking alcohol while taking over-the-counter medications when you have a cold or the flu can leave you short of breath, dizzy, confused and unsteady on your feet. The fact is, medication and alcohol simply don’t mix, even if it’s something as seemingly common and harmless as Dayquil. A dry cough is a common symptom of respiratory infections, such as the common cold. It typically occurs along with other symptoms, like throat pain or irritation. When you have irritation in your throat or airway, your body naturally gets the urge to cough.

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Check with your doctor or pharmacist if you’re experiencing side effects from DXM use. Drinking alcohol with DXM increases the risk of toxicity and can cause serious health problems. A drug’s half-life is how long it takes half a dose to be eliminated from your body. The half-life of DXM differs widely and can range from 2.4 hours to more than 19 hours, depending on your body chemistry. Because it takes five half-lives for a drug to be removed entirely from your system, DXM may sometimes stay in your body for almost four days. If you had an alcoholic beverage and are not sure if you should take an OTC pain reliever, you can ask a local pharmacist or primary care provider if it is safe to do so.

If you are taking dextromethorphan oral liquid or extended-release oral suspension, use an accurate measuring device to measure your dose, such as a dosing cup provided with the medicine. A household spoon is not an accurate measuring device and may cause you to take the wrong dose. Use the dosing cup provided with the product or ask your pharmacist to recommend an appropriate measuring device. While less common, the most serious side effects of dextromethorphan are described below, along with what to do if they happen.

Mixing the two can also cause severe nausea and vomiting, sometimes lasting for hours. Check with your doctor or pharmacist if you’re experiencing side effects from DXM use. The Reframe app equips you with the knowledge and skills you need to not only survive drinking less, but to thrive while you navigate the journey. Our daily research-backed readings teach you the neuroscience of alcohol, and our in-app Toolkit provides the resources and activities you need to navigate each challenge. Any sort of substance misuse has serious implications for our health, and dextromethorphan is no different. At normal doses, dextromethorphan puts the brakes on our central nervous system.

What are dextromethorphan’s side effects?

In cases of suspected overdose or poisoning, immediate medical attention is required. The management may involve aggressive monitoring and intervention to stabilize the patient’s condition. For those struggling with misuse or addiction, seeking professional treatment from facilities like The Recovery Village can provide the necessary support for recovery. DXM works by affecting the brain’s cough center in the medulla, which is responsible for triggering the cough reflex. By altering the signals sent to this area, DXM reduces the urge to cough. At higher doses, DXM acts on the NMDA (N-methyl-D-aspartate) receptors in the brain.

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However, mixing dextromethorphan with alcohol can be problematic in several ways. Not only do dextromethorphan and alcohol have a drug interaction that can increase your risk of side effects, but drinking alcohol while sick may prolong your illness. Understanding the risks of mixing the two substances before you drink is essential.

• Not only does it suppress the subconscious cough reflex, but it suppresses the conscious feeling of irritation that causes us to cough when we’re sick.
• It’s not unusual for people to mix alcohol with over-the-counter drugs for colds or flu.
• Many cough medications contain acetaminophen, also known as APAP or by its brand name, Tylenol.
• Therefore, the safest option is to refrain from alcohol entirely while taking this medication.
• The risk of dizziness, drowsiness, or confusion may be increased if you drink alcohol while taking dextromethorphan.
• This can result in impairment of judgment, thinking, and psychomotor skills.

Dave Cundiff, MD, MPH is an experienced leader in the field of Substance Use Disorder treatment. He works with patients suffering from Substance Use Disorder to evaluate their medication needs and prescribe treatments accordingly. In addition, he regularly participates can you drink alcohol with dextromethorphan in all-staff debriefing sessions involving peers, nurses, and other prescribers. He also reviews and advises on policies, procedures, and techniques for treating substance use disorder.

Similarly, when you take Dayquil, your liver works to break down the active ingredients in the medication so that they can be eliminated from your body. However, when you consume both alcohol and Dayquil at the same time, your liver has to work even harder to metabolize both substances, which is damaging to liver cells. It’s not uncommon that users mix DXM with other substances like alcohol and marijuana. If you have diabetes, drinking alcohol can affect your blood sugar levels.

Additionally, alcohol can cause dehydration, weaken the immune system, and make the side effects of Mucinex DM worse. Furthermore, mixing DayQuil or other cough medicine with alcohol can have dangerous interactions that affect the central nervous system, respiratory system, and liver function. These interactions can intensify the effects of each substance and increase the risk of overdose, seizures, or organ damage. Mixing Mucinex DM and alcohol can increase the side effects of both substances, including dizziness and drowsiness.

• At normal doses, dextromethorphan puts the brakes on our central nervous system.
• While DXM can be a valuable medicinal tool, mixing DXM and alcohol opens the door to a wide range of health hazards.
• If you’d like to explore an alternative to dextromethorphan, talk with your doctor or pharmacist.
• Alcohol is classified as a central nervous system (CNS) depressant.
• If your doctor prescribes Reyvow with a benzodiazepine, tell them if you have long-lasting or excessive sleepiness.
• Among recreational users, dextromethorphan is known as skittles, triple c, or poor man PCP and it is often used with alcohol.

When combined with alcohol, dextromethorphan can increase the risk of overdose and cause side effects such as dizziness, drowsiness, nausea, and vomiting. Alcohol may also potentiate some of the pharmacologic effects of Mucinex DM, leading to central nervous system depression and impairment of judgment, thinking, and psychomotor skills. Additionally, alcohol can cause symptoms of illness and side effects of medication to worsen.

In fact, death has been reported in people who have accidentally taken too much DMX. Mixing DayQuil and alcohol acts as a central nervous system depressant. In other words, your body has a lot more difficulty sending and receiving information to and from your brain. As a result, your coordination, balance, and judgment are lessened.