Is Alcohol Consumption Safe While On Flagyl And Cipro?

Posted on Wed, 9 Sep 2015

Medically reviewed by Ask A Doctor - 24x7 Medical Review Team

Wed, 9 Sep 2015 Answered on

Wed, 14 Oct 2015 Last reviewed on

Question : I'm taking a generic for Flagyl and one for Cipro. I've read that consuming alcohol could lead to really bad gastro-intestinal problems. But I will find it hard to do without my 3 oz. martini before dinner. Is the alcohol a potent threat to everyone? I drank a martini the first night I took these medicines without ill effects.

Answered by Dr. Panagiotis Zografakis (1 hour later)

Brief Answer:
could be dangerous

Detailed Answer:
Hello,

flagyl with alcohol may cause the disulfiram reaction which - although usually mild - may be fatal in some cases. Nausea, vomiting, hypotension, tachycardia, chest flushing, sweating, itching, neurological problems, etc are potential symptoms of this kind of reaction. Martini does not contain much alcohol though and I guess this is why you had no symptoms.

I hope you find my comments helpful!
You can contact me again, if you'd like any clarification or further information.

Kind Regards!

Above answer was peer-reviewed by : Dr. Chakravarthy Mazumdar

Follow up: Dr. Panagiotis Zografakis (7 days later)

Thanks for the reply. Ill heed your warning. Ill mention that I found your
statement that martinis dont have much alcohol quite puzzling. My habit is
to have one before dinner, with 2-1/2 oz. of gin and ½ oz. of vermouth, so
it has a substantial amount of alcohol.

Answered by Dr. Panagiotis Zografakis (28 minutes later)

Brief Answer:
15%

Detailed Answer:
It's 15%. I suppose it depends on what you would consider as high. I would rate a 40% drink as a 'heavy' one.

Kind Regards!

Above answer was peer-reviewed by : Dr. Chakravarthy Mazumdar